Buy the replica that copies the plainest, thinnest version of the 16750, not the one with the longest feature list. The original GMT-Master 16750 is a 40 mm steel watch with a domed plexiglass crystal, a matte tritium dial, drilled lugs, crown guards, and an aluminum 24-hour bezel. Its movement has a quickset date, and the 24-hour hand is geared to the hour hand, so a second time zone is tracked with the bezel rather than by jumping the hour. If a copy adds a sapphire crystal, a glossy dial, bright white lume, fat crown guards, or a modern machined clasp, it will look close in a thumbnail and wrong on the wrist. Fix your tier first, ask for movement photos second, and argue about the dial last.

What the 16750 actually is

The reference ran for most of the 1980s as the bridge between the 1675 and the 16760. It kept the plexi crystal, the 40 mm case, the 20 mm lugs, and the aluminum insert, but it switched to a newer caliber with a quickset date. Two dial eras exist: an early matte dial with painted lume plots, and a later gloss dial with white gold surrounds around the plots. Both are plausible on a replica. What is not plausible is text that reads GMT-MASTER II, because that name belongs to a different reference with a different movement.

Case, crystal, and lugs

• Crystal material: acrylic or plexiglass, domed, with a cyclops magnifier over the date. A flat sapphire crystal is the single most common shortcut and the easiest to spot in hand.
• Crystal height: the dome should sit proud of the bezel and produce slight edge distortion when you tilt the watch. A crystal that sits nearly flush reads as a later service replacement.
• Lug holes: drilled through the sides of the lugs on most examples. Copies that omit the holes lose a period detail.
• Crown guards: slim and rounded, flowing out of the case. Square blocks or guards that swallow the crown are a tell.
• Case flanks: thin and flat, with a modest chamfer along the lugs. Chunky slab sides usually mean the factory used a generic case that also fits a Submariner.
• Caseback: plain steel, smooth, no display window. A sapphire caseback on this reference is a mismatch.

Dial, hands, and bezel

The dial should show even printing, a clean coronet, and markers that sit flat and centered on their plots. Lume on a 16750 is tritium, so it should look aged, dusty, or dead rather than glowing bright green under a lamp. A dial that lights up like a modern dive watch is using luminous compound that the original never had. Hands should be the correct shape for the era, with a 24-hour hand that reaches the chapter of numerals without crowding the minute hand. The bezel insert should be anodized aluminum with a matte finish and a thin, even 24-hour font. Slightly faded inserts are correct for an old watch. Mirrored, chrome-bright inserts are not. Check that the triangle at 12 lines up with the case centerline, because misalignment is common on budget assemblies and it never gets better on its own.

Movement and function

This is where the reference gets interesting. The 16750 needs a quickset date, meaning you pull the crown to the middle position and the date advances without winding the hands through midnight. It should not jump the hour hand in one-hour steps, because that behavior belongs to a later GMT-Master II and changes how the watch feels in daily use. A 28,800 vibrations per hour movement is a reasonable target. Ask the seller for a timegrapher printout or a short video: rate, amplitude, and beat error tell you more than a spec sheet. On arrival, set the time, cycle the date, run the bezel past 24, and check that the 24-hour hand tracks the hour hand through a full revolution.

Parameter bands at a glance

• Case diameter: 39.5 to 40.5 mm across the bezel. Under 39 mm reads as a midsize copy.
• Lug width: 20 mm. A 22 mm bracelet means the wrong case family.
• Thickness: 12 to 13.5 mm including the crystal dome. Anything past 14 mm wears like a diver.
• Weight on bracelet: roughly 115 to 150 g. Very light suggests hollow links, very heavy suggests a case built for a bigger movement.
• Beat rate: 28,800 bph preferred. A 21,600 bph option is not wrong by itself, but parts quality often drops with it.
• Timekeeping: about minus 10 to plus 15 seconds per day. Outside that band, budget for a service.
• Bracelet: Oyster style with a stamped clasp and solid end links that meet the case without gaps.

Pitfalls that give a replica away

1. Sapphire crystal on a watch that should be plexi, sometimes hidden behind a photo that never shows the crystal edge.
2. Dial printing that spells GMT-MASTER II, or uses a font with thick, rounded numerals.
3. Lume that charges and glows brightly, especially in a dial sold as a matte vintage style.
4. Hour hand that jumps in one-hour steps, which is the wrong function for this reference.
5. Caseback with engravings, serial cards, or holograms that promise a story the watch cannot support.
6. Listings that show only a front-on photo. Ask for the crown side, the lug holes, the clasp, and the movement.
7. Bracelet end links that stand off the case or a clasp with a modern quick-adjust mechanism.
8. Water resistance claims you cannot verify. Get the caseback and crown seals checked before wearing it near water.
9. Anyone selling a replica as a genuine watch, or pricing it near genuine money. That is a legal and financial trap, not a bargain.

Frequently asked questions

What separates the 1675, 16750, and 16760?

The 1675 is the earlier plexi GMT with a non-quickset date. The 16750 adds the quickset date and later a gloss dial. The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II, with a thicker case and a different movement, so its name does not belong on this dial.

Which dial should I pick on a replica?

Pick the matte dial with painted plots if you want the early 1980s look, or the gloss dial with white gold surrounds for a mid to late 1980s look. Both exist, but the printing quality matters more than the style.

What movement should I ask about?

Anything with a quickset date, a stable 24-hour hand, and a beat rate of 28,800 bph. Ask for the movement family, the beat rate, and a running video before you commit.

How much should a fake 16750 cost?

Pricing depends on the case quality, the dial printing, and the movement, and it moves with the market. Compare sellers by what is inside the watch rather than by the sticker, and walk away from anyone who refuses to show the movement.

Is buying a replica legal where I live?

Rules differ by country and by state. Replicas must be sold as replicas, never as genuine watches, and customs rules vary. Check your local import and trademark law before ordering, and never resell the watch with a genuine claim.

Before you pay

Ask four questions: which movement, what is the case thickness, is the crystal plexi, and can you send a wrist shot in daylight plus a movement photo. A seller who answers all four is worth the money. A seller who dodges the movement question is selling a bracelet and a dial, not a watch. Once the watch arrives, have a local watchmaker pressure test it and time it on a machine. That single visit catches the problems a photo never shows, and it turns a risky purchase into something you can wear with confidence.