Celebrating the Fourth of July: The Symbolism of Red, White, and Blue

When the American flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1777, symbolic meaning was not explicitly assigned to its colors. The red, white, and blue were retained from the British flag, reflecting the colonies’ heritage. It wasn’t until the Great Seal of the United States was established five years later, in 1782, that Congress assigned a clear meaning. White signifies purity and innocence, red signifies hardiness and valor, and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice. These meanings ensured that the colors represented the values and ideals of the newly formed nation.

In the 1950s, during the heyday of traveling far and wide by air, Rolex partnered with Pan American Airways to create a watch that could display the time in two time zones simultaneously. The result was the Rolex GMT-Master, introduced in 1955, featuring a distinctive red and blue bicolor bezel to differentiate between day (red) and night (blue). It’s not exactly known why those specific colors were chosen, but it is thought to have been taken from the colors of Pan American Airways during that time. Pan Am’s logo features only blue and white, but many of their ads from that time used red text for contrast, making their messages stand out.

The Rolex GMT Master II 16710 was in production from 1889 until 2007 and was available with the iconic red/blue “Pepsi” bezel insert, black/red “Coke” insert, or an all-black version. This model was powered by the Rolex calibre 3185 automatic movement, which featured a GMT hand and quick set functions. Initially, the GMT II 16710 was fitted with a SWISS T25 dial featuring Tritium hour markers and hands. In 1999, these were updated to the “SWISS” only dial, and from 2000 onwards, all watches were fitted with SWISS MADE dials with SuperLuminova hour markers and hands. The last of the 16710’s were fitted with the calibre 3186 automatic movement.

The iconic red and blue bezel of the Rolex GMT-Master has had a lasting influence on the watchmaking industry. Since its introduction, this distinctive color combination has been embraced by numerous brands, becoming a staple design element. Companies like Tudor, Timex, Seiko, and Citizen have all created watches featuring red and blue bezel inserts, each putting their unique spin on the classic look.