Apple Watch Face - Rolex GMT Master II
About
I had always wanted to explore designing faces for digital watches. As an Apple user, creating one specifically for the Apple Watch felt like the natural place to begin.
After a short brainstorm about which watch to reinterpret, I chose the Rolex GMT Master II—one of Rolex’s most iconic and immediately recognizable designs.
Final Result
Goal
Accurate Translation
My goal was to translate the GMT Master II faithfully into an Apple Watch face. I followed Apple’s design language while preserving the defining elements of the original watch, including its custom hands, bezel, proportions, and distinctive detailing.
Research
I began by collecting high-resolution references of the official GMT Master II so I had the clearest possible foundation for my explorations.
I then studied the Apple Watch design system. Element sizes, hand and text dimensions, spacing, and other details were essential to keep consistent so the final face would feel like an official Apple design.
Variations
The GMT Master II is available in several distinctive versions. Because the bezel color and composition create the most immediate visual difference, I explored multiple variants based on those recognizable combinations.
Night Mode
Night Mode, introduced with Apple Watch Ultra and watchOS 10, provided an essential alternative appearance to explore.
The standard Night Mode transforms the face into a very dark red treatment that remains readable while emitting as little light as possible.
After creating that restrained version, I explored a more playful variation inspired by glow-in-the-dark materials, adding a faint halo around the elements to make them appear softly illuminated.
