Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 (bakelite bezel)
- Maker
- Rolex
- Year
- 1954-1959
- Rank
- 14 of 100
Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 (bakelite bezel)
Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 (bakelite bezel) by Rolex (1954-1959) is ranked 14 in the FLOAT 100 for Watches. It carried a market asking price of $75,000 in June 2026, which is not a sale. The very first Rolex GMT-Master — the original pilot's watch with the fragile bakelite bezel that defines its rarity.
What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?
The very first Rolex GMT-Master — the original pilot's watch with the fragile bakelite bezel that defines its rarity.
Ref. 6542, steel, original bakelite Pepsi bezel, no crown guards
What is the best-sourced number for it?
- Figure
- $75,000
- Kind
- Market asking price, not a sale
- Date
- June 2026
Steel 6542 with original bakelite trades ~$27K-$190K by condition; correct-bakelite example listed ~$76,500. Cracked bakelite cuts value sharply. Condition-representative figure used.
This is not a sale. It is what the market was asking, and no transaction is recorded behind it. Source.
How this is made
- The figure
- One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- Why no grade ladder
- Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
- Archive
- 2026-08-08