Writer Hunter Stockton Thompson spotted wearing a Rolex

Hunter S. Thompson — the Kentucky-born author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the architect of Gonzo journalism — was not a man known for conventional accessories. Which makes the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16700 on his wrist all the more compelling. Thompson operated in a world of deadlines, time zones, and controlled chaos, and the GMT-Master is precisely the instrument built for that life.

The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16700 was produced from 1988 to 1999, occupying a critical juncture in the model's evolution. It retained the acrylic crystal of earlier references — a deliberate Rolex holdout at a time when the industry was migrating wholesale to sapphire — while pairing it with the caliber 3175 movement, a refined iteration of the 3075 with an independently adjustable 24-hour GMT hand. The 40mm oyster case in 904L stainless steel carries the signature bidirectional 24-hour bezel in the 'Coke' colorway: red upper half, black lower half, first introduced on the ref. 16760 'Fat Lady' and then normalized into the cleaner proportions of the 16700 case. Water resistance sits at 100 meters.

For collectors, the ref. 16700 occupies an interesting position — it is the affordable entry point into vintage GMT-Master territory that still offers genuine period character. The acrylic crystal, tritium dial with patina potential, and pre-ceramic bezel insert give it an analog warmth that later references lack. 'Coke' examples in honest, unpolished condition consistently attract attention at auction and on the grey market.

Thompson's documented affinity for excess and precision simultaneously — his IBM Selectric typewriter, his compound in Woody Creek — suggests the GMT-Master was less a status symbol than a functional tool. A man covering political campaigns across time zones needed to know what time it was in two places at once. The 'Coke' bezel provided exactly that, with a visual bluntness Thompson would have appreciated.

On today's market, the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16700 in 'Coke' configuration trades robustly in the grey market, with well-preserved examples commanding meaningful premiums over earlier estimates. Original retail has long since been discontinued, but demand among collectors who prize mechanical integrity over modern ceramic bezels keeps the reference firmly relevant.