Pilot Lando Norris spotted wearing a Rolex

Lando Norris was recently spotted wearing a Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126710BLRO, the so-called 'Pepsi' variant in Oystersteel paired with the five-link Jubilee bracelet — a combination that sent collectors into a frenzy when Rolex unveiled it at Baselworld 2018.

The 126710BLRO is powered by the calibre 3285, Rolex's in-house movement featuring a Chronergy escapement, a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, and a power reserve of approximately 70 hours — a meaningful upgrade over the older calibre 3186 found in its predecessor, the 116710BLNR. The 40 mm Oystersteel case houses that movement behind a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with a Cyclops lens over the date, while the signature bidirectional rotatable bezel is fitted with a two-colour Cerachrom insert in red and blue ceramic — virtually impervious to fading and highly resistant to scratches. The 24-hour graduated bezel allows the wearer to track a second time zone at a glance, the watch's core functional purpose.

The 'Pepsi' colourway has a storied history. The red-and-blue bezel first appeared on the original GMT-Master reference 6542 in 1955, designed in collaboration with Pan American World Airways to help pilots manage multiple time zones on transatlantic routes. For decades, the colour combination was reserved for yellow gold cases in the GMT-Master II era, making the return of 'Pepsi' to steel — and on a Jubilee bracelet no less — a genuinely historic moment for the reference. Collectors responded accordingly: waiting lists at authorised dealers stretched into years.

Norris, McLaren's lead driver and one of Formula 1's most marketable young talents, has shown a consistent appetite for meaningful watches rather than purely logo-driven choices. The GMT-Master II 126710BLRO suits his profile — technically accomplished, historically grounded, globally recognisable without being ostentatious.

On the market, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO carries an official retail price of $10,550 USD, but grey-market reality tells a different story. The reference currently trades at approximately $22,000, a premium of over 100 percent that reflects persistent authorised dealer scarcity and enduring collector demand — a spread unlikely to compress significantly in the near term.