Social media & internet forums have been fueled by rumors the past years, months, weeks and certainly the past few days concerning the potential discontinuation of the Rolex BLNR. It seems the BLNR has been killed off so many times now, it really deserves its super hero status. Nobody seems to be able to kill the Batman despite the continued efforts to do so.
Now, let’s start by asking, why did Rolex finally pull the trigger officially?
Well, that’s just it: officially they simply haven’t announced anything to the general public.
It seems that a rumor has rapidly become fact. Nothing has been confirmed officially. The BLNR is also still nicely listed on the official website, although that’s not proof it’s here to stay either. Rolex’s website tends to get updated around Baselworld when they update the listings.
The latest GMTGMT A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication is a feature found in some watches that allows the wearer to track two time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a 24-hour hand and a bezel or a second hour hand that can be adjusted independently of the main hour hand to track the time in a different time zone. [Learn More] models (Pepsi anyone?) have been released just this year and they all feature the 3285 movement. The current Batman still has the ‘old’ 3186 movement. Could it be that Rolex is not discontinuing the Batman, but rather, fading out the current stock (116710BLNR) so it can be replaced with the new ones (presumably, 126710BLNR)? That sure sounds like good inventory management to me. Only time will tell, and with Baselworld just around the corner we’ll now soon enough.
Fun fact, the google Trends are showing a massive spike in searches for the BLNR. FOMO anyone?
The BLNR is dead, long live the BLNR?
To be continued…
Seems the (claimed) sources of the rumor are legit this time around, but then again Rolex isn’t exactly known to leak news, right? Your conclusion makes perfect sense to me either way. If true, it has to be quite annoying for all the ladies & gentlemen sitting on the ridiculous waiting lists.
I didn’t even think of that indeed, imagine finally getting the ‘call’ and then hearing it’s to say it was all for nothing, yikes 🙂
I just wish they re-release this watch without those horrendous polished center links on an otherwise perfect bracelet. It looks borderline gaudy for such a watch. The current version leaves me completely cold.
Nice reading you here Ricardo! I wouldn’t mind another bracelet option either, but seems the market agrees with the polished bracelet considering the year long wait lists! 🙂
Being an owner of one I’d love to see it D/C’d but that’s not what I think will happen. You could argue they have so many GMTGMT A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication is a feature found in some watches that allows the wearer to track two time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a 24-hour hand and a bezel or a second hour hand that can be adjusted independently of the main hour hand to track the time in a different time zone.
[Learn More] choices right now that dropping one and adding another color would not be beyond reproach.
I can imagine owning one you’re looking at these rumors with a big smile 😉 I honestly believe that it’ll ‘just’ see a movement upgrade. I don’t see why they’d want to discontinue a popular model so quickly, it’s not really the Rolex way.