Replica Rolex 16710 Pepsi: The Short Answer
The reference 16710 is the Rolex GMT-Master II that Rolex sold from 1989 to 2007. It came in steel at 40 mm with a sapphire crystal and a 100 m water rating. The "Pepsi" name comes from the red and blue bezel insert. Rolex shipped the same reference with a black insert and with a red and black insert, which the market calls Coke.
Replica versions of the 16710 Pepsi sell from about $80 to $400. None of them are genuine. A real 16710 trades today at roughly $9,000 to $14,000, with dial type, bezel condition, and box and papers moving the number. Replicas hold no resale value and carry no factory service.
Specs of the Original 16710
- Case: 40 mm steel, screw-down back, 100 m rating
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Crystal: sapphire with a 2.5x cyclops over the date
- Movement: caliber 3185, replaced by caliber 3186 near the end of the run
- Bracelet: Oyster 78360 with 501B end links, or Jubilee 62510H with 502B end links
- Bezel: bidirectional 24-hour, aluminum insert in red and blue
Dial and Bezel Changes Across the Run
Early 16710 dials use matte black paint and tritium lume marked Swiss-T < 25. Rolex moved to gloss dials and Luminova around 1998, then to Super-LumiNova around 2000. Tritium plots age to a warm cream tone. Later lume stays white. The insert is aluminum, not ceramic. Blue on many Pepsi inserts reads purple in some light. That shift is part of the reference, so a flat blue insert is a quick tell.
How Replicas of This Reference Differ
- Insert color: most replica Pepsi inserts use one blue ink for the whole batch. Original inserts vary by year.
- Insert font: numerals and the triangle sit too high or too thick on many replicas.
- Lume: replica plots glow for a short time and the color does not match the hands.
- Movement: common replica movements are the Chinese DG3804B and ETA 2836 clones. The 24-hour hand does not set the same way as caliber 3185 or 3186.
- Case finish: crown guards run wider and the lugs sit thicker at the top.
- Crystal: the cyclops magnifier falls under 2.5x on many replicas and the date font runs wide.
- Weight: a steel replica often sits 10 to 20 grams lighter than the 130 g original.
What to Check Before You Buy
- Measure the case. A 16710 is 40 mm across the bezel, not 41 mm or 42 mm.
- Test the 24-hour hand. On the original it jumps in one-hour steps and keeps time with the main hands.
- Time the lume. Charge the watch under a light for 30 seconds. Plots that fade in 20 minutes are not Super-LumiNova.
- Look at the bezel insert edge. Originals sit flush. Many replicas leave a gap or a raised lip.
- Check the date at 3 o'clock. Font and centering are the two common faults.
Legal and Practical Notes
A replica 16710 Pepsi is a counterfeit. US Customs can seize shipments, and selling a replica as a genuine Rolex is fraud under federal law. Trademark holders can file civil claims. A replica also has no parts network. Service centers turn them away, so a failed movement means a new watch.
If the goal is the Pepsi look, a 40 mm GMT watch from a brand such as Seiko, Steinhart, or Timex gives a legal option. Those watches use their own movements, carry a warranty, and hold a known price on the used market.