Watch Paparazzi

Writer Giorgia Mondani spotted wearing Rolex

Giorgia Mondani, veteran watch author and founder of Mondaniweb — the definitive online encyclopedia of Rolex references — was recently spotted wearing the Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126719BLRO in 18kt white gold with a meteorite dial. For someone who has spent decades documenting the horological output of Geneva's most famous manufacturer, the choice of daily wear is rarely accidental.

The 126719BLRO sits at the apex of the current GMT-Master II collection. Introduced as part of Rolex's 2019 Baselworld lineup, it brought the classic red-and-blue 'Pepsi' colour scheme to white gold for the first time in the GMT-Master II's history — a combination previously reserved for yellow and Everose gold variants. The 40mm Oyster case houses the calibre 3285, a movement featuring Rolex's proprietary Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and a bidirectional self-winding Perpetual rotor. The independently adjustable 24-hour hand allows travellers to track a second time zone without disrupting the local time setting — the original function that defined the GMT-Master line when Pan Am pilots wore it across the Atlantic in the 1950s.

The defining feature of this specific reference is the dial. Rolex sources iron-nickel meteorite — most commonly from the Gibeon or Muonionalusta falls — and slices it into wafer-thin discs, each displaying a unique Widmanstätten crystalline pattern formed over billions of years. No two examples are visually identical, which gives this reference a one-of-a-kind quality rare for a production watch. Set against the polished and satin-finished white gold Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock clasp, the effect is quietly spectacular.

Among serious collectors, the 126719BLRO occupies a specific niche: it combines wearability with genuine rarity. White gold GMT-Master IIs move through authorised dealers slowly, and waiting lists at boutiques have historically stretched into years. The meteorite dial variant commands particular attention at auction and on the secondary market.

For Giorgia Mondani, whose published reference books on Rolex sport and vintage models are standard texts in the collector community, wearing this piece reads as both personal preference and professional statement. The 126719BLRO retails in the UK at approximately £32,000, with grey-market premiums reflecting its persistent scarcity.