Orange Peel Dial On a Fat Lady???

[BobD]

I have a GMT Master II 16760, serial #9625xxx. The black dial has an "orange peel" effect...a very even tiny bump appearance across the entire dial...visible to the naked eye on close examination, and very obvious under magnification. (Very hard to photograph.)

The reputable dealer I acquired the watch from told me that his watchmaker,a highly experienced previous RSC technician, authenticated the dial as Rolex original and rare.

I'm seeking confirmation because one can be reputable and make an honest error. Therefore:

Is an "orange peel" dial Rolex original?
Is it an accident of manufacture, or intentional?
Is it rare?

Also, I compared the measurements of my 16760 to my 16750 as best I could with a hand-held micrometer,and found the 16760 case to be slighlty thicker, and the crown, crown guards, bezel, and crystal to be slighly bigger in diameter and/or proportion. But, the overall thickness - caseback to crystal - measures about the same. Does this make sense?

Thanks in advance for info, explanations, details, etc.!!

[jdc]

Love to see some pictures Bob, not heard of that effect before, here is a link you may have seen before about the two references you mention
http://doubleredseadweller.com/gmt_transition.htm

[SLS]

Can you post pics? I have seen a "crazed dial" (a lot of small cracks in it) but nothing that you have described.
~Scott

[mike]

Bob, I'm with Scott on this, can you post a photo? "Bumps" to me mean some kind of damage, possibly from moisture or a paint flaw.

There is one vintage dealer that uses terms like this to describe watches that have some type of aging on the dial, but to my knowledge the 16760 never had anything like you describe.

It did fall into the time frame, as Scott suggests, where crazing of the paint on the dial could happen.

[RossInIllinois]

Might be a re finish.

[chicagowatchman]

Sounds interesting....Love to see the pics!