Short answer
Rolex never sold a GMT-Master II with snowflake hands. The snowflake handset belongs to Tudor, the sister brand, which used it on Submariner references 7016/0, 9401/0 and 9411/0 from 1969 into the 1970s. A replica sold under this keyword is either a GMT-Master II case and bezel with a Tudor-style square-tip hand set, or a Tudor Submariner copy listed with the Rolex name attached.
What each half of the name means
Rolex GMT-Master II
Rolex launched the GMT-Master in 1954 for Pan Am crews. Reference 6542 had a Bakelite bezel and caliber 1036. The GMT-Master II arrived in 1982 with reference 16760, caliber 3085, and a 24-hour hand set in one-hour steps. Later references include 16710 (caliber 3185), 116710 (caliber 3186), and 126710 (caliber 3285, 70-hour power reserve). Cases run 40 mm on most references. Bezel inserts come in blue and red (Pepsi), blue and black (Batman, Batgirl), brown and black (Root Beer), and green and black (Sprite, 2022, crown on the left).
Snowflake hands
Tudor added large square hour markers and a fat square-tip hour hand in 1969. Collectors named the pattern snowflake. Tudor Submariner 7016/0, 9401/0 and 9411/0 carried it. The GMT hand on a real Rolex GMT-Master II is a thin arrow, not a square tip. A watch with snowflake hands and a GMT bezel matches no Rolex catalog reference.
What replica sellers ship under this keyword
Three builds show up.
- GMT-Master II case, ceramic or aluminum bezel insert, snowflake handset. 40 mm, 20 mm lugs, sapphire crystal with cyclops.
- Tudor Submariner copy with a printed Rolex dial. No GMT function.
- GMT-Master II copy with standard arrow hands, listed with snowflake in the title as search bait.
Movements inside these builds are Chinese or Swiss. Common parts: DG3804B, a modified ETA 2836-2, Hangzhou 6460, and Shanghai 3186 clones. A true GMT movement sets the 24-hour hand in one-hour steps and does not move the minute hand. A caller-GMT movement cannot do this. Ask which movement is installed and how the 24-hour hand sets.
Specs to verify
- Case diameter and lug width: 40 mm and 20 mm for GMT-Master II.
- Bracelet steel: 316L or 904L. 904L is harder and takes a brighter polish.
- Bezel insert: ceramic with engraved and filled numerals, or aluminum with a printed insert.
- Crystal: sapphire, about 2.5 mm, with anti-reflective coating on the inside.
- Water resistance: tested at the factory, not claimed on a card.
Price and risk
US Customs and Border Protection can seize counterfeit goods at import. Selling a watch with a Rolex mark and no Rolex authorization violates the Lanham Act. Street prices for these replicas run from about $80 for a quartz or DG3804B build to $500 or more for a Swiss-movement build with a 904L case. No replica holds value. Resale is near zero once the buyer knows the watch is a copy.