As Pulp Fiction says, God can do anything, even turn Coca-Cola into Pepsi-Cola. Well, it's a matter of faith. But the fact that Rolex managed to make the word pepsi one of the terms of the watch industry is an indisputable fact. In 1954, the Rolex GMT-Master with a red and blue Pepsi bezel with a 24-hour scale was released.
The model was created in partnership with the PanAm airline, the meaning of two-color was to facilitate the perception of day and night hours for a second time zone.
The two-tone bezel immediately became a worldwide hit. Other colors have appeared - for example, the blue and black "Batman" - but "Pepsi" undoubtedly remains the number 1 in this category. At first, the bezel was aluminum, then it was replaced by the signature Rolex Cerachrom ceramic, which is much more resistant to scratches and retains its color incomparably longer.
Naturally, no color scheme can be patented. Pepsi did not exclusive ownership of the combination of red and blue, and neither did Rolex. Over time, other watch brands began to produce watches with a Pepsi bezel, not only for travelers (ie with the GMT function), but also for divers.
In this case, the bezel is marked not with a 24-hour, but with a 60-minute scale, and one of the colors (usually red) is given not half of the circle, but only a quarter - as is customary in such models to accentuate the last 15 minutes remaining before the start of the ascent. diver to the surface.
Rolex is expensive, it goes without saying.
And Pepsi-style models from many other manufacturers are far more affordable. True, they use good old aluminum, and the two-tone bezel is sometimes purely decorative. But even in these cases, one cannot but admit that such watches look very attractive.
We have collected for you 5 interesting (and relatively inexpensive) watch models with a pepsi bezel. All of them operate on high-precision quartz movements, the proportions of red and blue on the bezels are equal to each other, so we will not mention these features common to all fives. And we'll consider the rest.
Raymond Weil, model Tango
Swiss made from a well-known Geneva-based company belongs to the accessible luxury class, and this is where the functionality is fully present. There is a second time zone (central hand), and the water resistance of the 42-mm steel case reaches 300 m.The luminescent coating of the hands and markers, the screw-down crown and case back, and the double safety lock of the bracelet, and, of course, the unidirectional aluminum bezel (albeit with a 24-hour scale, not 60 minutes). In addition, the glass is sapphire.
Fossil Model Bannon
The exact opposite: made in the USA, a simple three-hand with a date, water resistance of a 45-mm steel case - 50 m (you can swim, but no more), mineral glass, nothing screwed, although the crown is protected. The color of the bezel, marked with a 60-minute scale, is decorative. However, it is beautiful, and in general the watch looks impressive. And the price is quite good - within 12 thousand rubles.
Note. The only Bannon we know is a former adviser to President Trump who came under criminal investigation and was pardoned by his boss on the last day of his (Trump's) presidency. Why the watch is named after Steve Bannon, we find it difficult to say, but perhaps the name will add value to them.
Timex Model Q Timex Reissue
Partly the same: also the United States, also a 50-meter water protection. However, the differences are quite large. The steel case of a moderate size (38 mm), an intricate bracelet, luminescent markers and hands are clearly associated with Rolex, the bezel is fluted (and for some reason with 12-hour markings), the glass is acrylic. In the back cover there is another small cover for replacing the battery. Calendar - double: date and day of the week.
Invicta, model ProDiver
The third and last American in our selection. Brutal (45 mm) steel three-hand with date (last under the lens), branded Tritnite luminescence, branded tempered mineral Flame Fusion glass, protected crown, bracelet clasp fuse, water resistance 100 m (suitable for free diving), 60-minute scale on the bezel.
Skagen model Fisk
At the end of the review, we return to Europe, namely to Denmark. The word fisk in Danish means fish, which is reflected to some extent in the design of the model. On the one hand, the graceful streamlined contours of the 42-mm steel case and Milanese bracelet, the thin pepsi bezel without digitization, function - three hands are striking.
On the other hand, everything is quite serious: the bezel is unidirectional, the protected crown and case back are screw-down, the hands and indices (large, in the spirit of Rolex) are covered with phosphor. True, the 100-meter water resistance still does not give the model the right to be considered a professional diving tool.
