Rolex GMT Master Pepsi worn by Michael Edwin Thornton — U.S. Navy SEAL & Medal of Honor Recipient

We love seeing watches out in the wild. Today’s feature is a Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi”, worn by Michael Edwin Thornton — U.S. Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient.

A tool watch paired with a life defined by service, endurance, and quiet courage.

Background

• Full Name: Michael Edwin Thornton

• Born: March 23, 1949 — Greenville, South Carolina, USA

• Service: United States Navy (1967–1992)

• Final Rank: Lieutenant

• Units: SEAL Team 1, SEAL Team 6, Naval Advisory Group, MACV-SOG

• Conflicts: Vietnam War, Gulf War

• Major Awards: Medal of Honor, Silver Star, three Bronze Stars (with “V”), two Purple Hearts

Early Life & Enlistment

Thornton graduated high school in 1967 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He completed BUD/S training in Coronado, California, and was assigned to SEAL Team 1, deploying shortly thereafter to Southeast Asia.

Heroism in Vietnam

Medal of Honor Action — October 31, 1972

During a reconnaissance mission near the Cửa Việt River Base in Quảng Trị Province, Thornton’s patrol was surrounded by heavy enemy fire. Another SEAL officer, Thomas R. Norris, was critically wounded and presumed dead.

Ignoring the ongoing firefight, Thornton ran back through enemy fire, neutralized threats at close range, and carried Norris to the water’s edge. He inflated Norris’s life vest and towed him—along with another wounded teammate—through rough surf for nearly two hours until rescue craft arrived.

For these actions, Thornton was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon on October 15, 1973.

Thornton remains the only Medal of Honor recipient in more than a century to have received the award for saving the life of another Medal of Honor recipient.

Later Career

Following Vietnam, Thornton served as a BUD/S instructor, trained with the British Special Boat Service, and in 1980 became a founding member of SEAL Team Six, the Navy’s first dedicated counter-terrorism unit.

He earned his commission as a Navy officer in 1982, served through Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and retired in 1992 as a lieutenant.

Legacy

Michael Edwin Thornton’s story is one of loyalty, resolve, and action under impossible conditions. His Medal of Honor citation reflects courage “above and beyond the call of duty”—not in pursuit of recognition, but in service to his teammate and his mission.

A Rolex GMT-Master was built to endure demanding environments. In Thornton’s case, it’s worn by someone who lived them.