Brown dials for 1675s were produced for both the gold cased 1675/8 and the steel and gold cased (two-tone) 1675/3. The fonts used on three of these brown dials (the Mark 3, 4, and 5 – links below) are the same as the three black nipple dials. First, the brown background color was applied directly to a brass metal plate. Second, text and minute markers were printed on top in gold. Third, gold hour markers were applied, and lume was inserted into a slot in the middle. Due to the shape of these applied hour markers, both the brown and black dials in the 1675/3 and 1675/8 are colloquially referred to as “nipple dials.”
Most brown dials are matte in appearance, similar to the black dials in the 1675/1. However, the Mark 1, early Mark 2, and Mark 5 dials have a glossy appearance from a layer of lacquer that was added after the initial layer of brown. The Mark 5 brown layer has a soliel (or starburst) pattern similar to some of the black 1675/3 and /8 dials and the next generation of GMT, the 16753 and 16758. The Mark 5 dial is analogous to the Mark 6 dial in the steel case 1675/1 in that it is both are period-correct and used in late 1970s watches while also being a service dial for watches from earlier periods.
Below is a table of the brown dial variations with links to each page, which you can also access through the drop down menu.
Mark 1 (Gold GMT Only) | Mark 2 | Mark 3 | Mark 4 | Mark 5
Note: To create a unified catalogue with each dial classified by a single designation, the brown dials for 1675/3s begin with the Mark 2. This is because the 1675/8s from the 1960s were seen with earlier brown dials and then shared later versions with the 1675/3 once it was introduced.
Rolex GMT Master 1675 