The Rolex Yachtmaster: history, models, price

The Monaco Legend Group will auction a one-of-a-kind Rolex Yacht-Master

The Yacht-Master auctioned on April 22 and 23 in Monaco is one of the most attractive one-of-a-kind contemporary Rolex watches and popped up in the early nineties to celebrate the ten-millionth Rolex watch equipped featuring the Chronometer Certificate.

Interestingly, it is not a Daytona, a Submariner or a Day-Date but a Rolex Yacht-Master, thus adding additional flavour to our guide as no other model could ever do.

May we call it the Rolex Yacht-Master Heiniger? Yes, we might, but we need to move forward and provide further details.

The Heiniger family and Rolex

The model pictured here was manufactured under the Heiniger family’s leadership at Rolex; they managed the brand since Andre Heiniger was appointed President of Rolex in 1964 through his son Patrick’s appointment in 1992.

This one-off platinum Yacht-Master is a prototype conceived to celebrate such a milestone and holds all the features found on first-class super-exclusive Rolex timepieces, and adopts baguette-cut sapphires and diamonds replacing the stock indexes plus the “DIX MILLIONIEME CHRONOMETRE” print on the dial, and the calibre 3135’s oscillating mass.

The Heiniger family had, no doubt, a soft spot for platinum watches; three unique platinum Daytona also appeared under their management and, according to industry’s rumors, the Daytona 116598 SACO, better known as the Leopard, was among their projects inspired, it seems, by Nina Stevens, Patrick Heiniger’s girlfriend back then.

However, the Rolex Yacht-Master Heiniger is not a unicorn adorning a watch museum; it will soon go under the hammer thanks to the Monaco Legends Group, the auction house co-managed by vintage watchmaking guru Davide Parmegiani, the 22 and 23 April.

Given the relevance of the timepiece and its exclusivity, we expect fierce competition among collectors to make this piece theirs.

What is the auction’s base price? The current estimation is between one and two million euros, quite a hefty price gap but something hard to predict for any watch expert.

The origins of the Rolex Yachtmaster

When did the Rolex Yachtmaster first appear? It’s hard to define. The name “Yacht Master” was filed for patent by Rolex in 1950 and, according to rumours and several non-confirmed historical sources, marked the brand’s willingness to introduce a new collection atop the top-selling and sporty Submariner; yet, it’s hard to describe the time lapse between patent and the first official commercial release.

When we look at the current collection, we can also find inspiration in the most challenging endeavours across the oceans, up to professional yacht racing.

For instance, the former includes the expeditions set out by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. He completed the first-ever solo circumnavigation of the globe, the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race of 1969, but we can’t forget what Sir Francis Chichester achieved, too; he circumnavigated the world from West to East in nine months and one day between 1966 and 1977 aboard the never-forgotten Gipsy Moth IV.

During his expedition, Chichester wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer, laying the foundations for what a Rolex watch represents when tested under extreme weather conditions on land, sea and air.

The first Yachtmaster

The first Rolex Yachtmaster dates back to 1992; it was marketed as reference 16628 and is the second most recent new Rolex watch after the more contemporary Rolex Sky-Dweller.

The collection’s timeline has undergone a bizarre evolution compared to similar Rolex watch collections.

Showcasing an 18-carat yellow gold case and bracelet paired with an unusual white dial, it housed the movement 3135 and is undeniably an evolution of the design codes seen on a Submariner, despite the journey to the first edition being unexpected and with plenty of testing prototypes.

Was the Yachtmaster pictured above the first attempt ever? It was from a commercial standpoint, not from a product perspective instead.

The Yachtmaster moniker first surfaced between 1967 and 1969 when Rolex released a couple of prototypes based on the Daytona, whose case diameter had grown to 39.5 mm.

The timepieces mentioned above belong to Italian collector John Goldberger and artist Eric Clapton.

The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 and 37 mm

Here is the Yacht Master’s “bread and butter”, undergoing several evolutions to end up with the model pictured here, as an example, in its gold and steel livery.

With Jean-Frédéric Dufour appointed CEO, Rolex has revisited the entire offering, which includes 40 and 37-mm large models, but has never hit the spot as the most wanted Professional Rolex among enthusiasts.

The Daytona, Submariner, or GMT Master 2 are far more sought-after than any Yachtmaster, although the appreciation has steadily grown year after year.

Instead, the Yachtmaster’s technical development began with the 2007 Rolex Yacht-Master 2 116680, whose sailing-professionals-oriented complication proves, alongside a Rolex Sky-Dweller, how much Rolex technicians are up to the task when asked to design a mechanically complicated watch.

Rolesor and Rolesium.

The current Yachtmaster collection with bracelets includes a completely revised range, comprising seven models: four 40 mm and three 37 mm models.

They are available exclusively in steel and gold or platinum; some come in Rolesium (steel and platinum), others in Rolesor (steel and gold) such as, for instance, the Rolex Yachtmaster 40mm model in steel and Everose gold pictured here, also available with a black dial and as a 37mm size.

Let’s look closer at the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 in Steel and Everose Gold: it combines 904L steel and Everose pink gold, the Rolex-patented pink gold alloy adopting a specific silver and copper percentage to create an alloy capable of offering above-the-average shine, and wear resistance over time.

The Yachtmaster’s bezel

What makes the Yacht-Master unique is the bezel’s design in finish and functionality; it houses mirror-polished raised indexes and numerals on a sandblasted base and comes as a one-piece of gold or platinum.

The polished to brushed finish appears on the Oyster bracelet and case sides, lugs included.

The Yachtmaster is widely considered a more luxurious take on the Submariner and a transition model between a sporty and classic Rolex watch with a gold case, as proved by the slightly curved lugs and the case side, making the Yachtmaster closer to four and five-digit Submariners as less professional than other timepieces belonging to the same product category, as exemplified by the specs sheet. The bezel is graduated but is bidirectional and water-resistant up to 100 metres.

Comparing current and first-ever Yachtmaster like the Rolex 69623 or 169622, for instance, lies in the options available: you’ll find the blue dial exclusively available on Rolesium models, while the Rolesor offers a chocolate brown or black dial, lovingly contrasting the case and bracelet’s tones, in our opinion.

The calibre 3235

Since 2019, the Rolex Yachtmaster has housed the latest-gen Rolex calibre 3235. Therefore, all models can run for at least 70 hours when fully wound.

The watch is certified as a Superlative Chronometer according to Rolex standards.

The calibre 2236

Instead, the 37 mm model adopts the smaller movement 2236, whose technical specifications differ slightly.

The main difference is that the Siloxy hairspring with a flat terminal curve, introduced by Rolex in 2014, replaced the Parachrom Blue one.

The Rolex Yachtmaster Oysterflex

At Baselworld 2015, Rolex released the first Yachtmaster with an Oysterflex bracelet, the brand’s patented rubber strap equipped with an inner nickel and titanium alloy, exclusively offered with a 40mm or 37mm gold case.

Looking back at the first-ever YM, the Yachtmaster Oysterflex is perhaps the perfect successor to the 1992 Yacht Master.

The first release appeared in Everose rose gold. Such a new generation best embodies the collection’s spirit; it belongs to the Professional line of watches but is more luxurious, and gold highlights the Yacht Master’s “carrure”.

The new Yachtmaster Oysterflex also introduced the first-ever matte ceramic bezel; it mimics a Rolesor or Rolesium’s, but the inlay is a single piece of matt black ceramic.

As with the two-tone models, the 40 and 37-mm case options adopt the 3235 and 2236, respectively. The new model had a stunning success, and Rolex soon expanded the product range by offering a more generous 42 mm case size (however, the 40 mm model is unparalleled, in our opinion).

The 42mm collection is available in yellow or white gold, while the 40mm and 37mm models only come with an Everose rose gold case. We think Rolex will soon extend the Oysterflex collection by adopting new case materials.

In 2020, Ineos Britannia’s skipper Ben Ainslie was spotted wearing a titanium Yachtmaster 42 during a training session. After the Rolex Deepsea Challenge Titanium RLX‘s unveil, this proto will likely make it to reality anytime soon.

Before moving to the next chapter, remember that we discovered an odd model while surfing the Rolex official website: Rolex Yachtmaster 42 Hawkeye or Yachtmaster Falcon’s Eye, pictured above.

The Rolex Yachtmaster 2

Rolex is a manufacturer whose capabilities include rather mechanically-complicated watches; it is something most people are unaware of.

In the same price range as a Daytona, for example, you can opt for at least two complicated models: one is the regatta-ready Yachtmaster 2.

If an ordinary Yachtmaster is not as “professional” as its siblings, the Yachtmaster 2 is a full-fledged tool watch for professional skippers.

The complicated Rolex: from the Sky-Dweller to the Yacht-Master 2

The Rolex Yachtmaster 2 is bold and hefty; it’s a regatta timer and something you will, on paper, disregard when compared to a Rolex Sky-Dweller.

The Rolex Yachtmaster 2 was conceived to provide professional skippers with a wrist instrument capable of accurately measuring the countdown to start a regatta.

The link between Rolex and yachting is long-established: the brand has associated its image with several sailing competitions like the Farr 40 or the Sidney–Hobart ever since. Pictured below is a map of the current partnerships.

The 5 to 10 minutes preceding the start of a regatta are paramount to any skipper and their crew; last-minute performance before the start is triggered can separate victory from defeat.

Most Regatta watches do not offer a dedicated function but make the most of ordinary chronograph functions. In contrast, the Rolex Yachtmaster II has a dedicated counter on the dial, coaxial to the bezel, equipped with a graduated scale from 0 to 10 minutes and an easy-to-read arrow hand.

The Countdown function: how to activate it.

The timer setting is straightforward and achieved by combining the bezel, crown and button at 4 o’clock in this sequence.

The first operation is to rotate the bezel counter-clockwise to activate the small countdown counter adjustment system.

The bezel will automatically lock after a 90° rotation or when the “Yacht-Master II” writing appears on the right-hand side of the watch (the rotation axis of the crown ideally cuts the wording in two halves).

Subsequently, please push the button located at 4 o’clock.

Unscrew the crown until it locks in position 1; from that moment on, you can control the adjustment of the (jumping) 10-minute scale in one-minute intervals by rotating the crown clockwise.

After stopping the minute counter on the desired value, you need to rotate the bezel clockwise until it clicks into the position where the “Yacht-Master II” writing is again aligned at the bottom (-90 °, back to the original place).

At the end of this rotation, the two-minute scales, located on the bezel and the dial, respectively, will be fully aligned.

By screwing back in the winding crown, you can restart the countdown (using the button at 2 o’clock); the red hand in the middle will start running, and the minutes’ countdown will begin.

During the countdown, you can stop the hand can by using the button at 2 o’clock or re-set the complete countdown with the button at 4 o’clock (Flyback).

The countdown will start from the original position in the second case scenario. When the countdown has finished, the minute’s hand will also stop, while the second’s hand will continue to run indefinitely. The Rolex Yachtmaster II is a chronograph with a Flyback function.

The 2017 Rolex Yachtmaster II 116680 reference has replaced the previous reference by introducing a series of updates; the new version is now equipped with Mercedes-styled hands, thus aligning itself with the family feeling of the other Oyster Perpetual divers, like the Submariner.

Moreover, new applied indices located at 12 and 6′ clock have been launched (arrow-shaped and rectangular-shaped, respectively).

Ring Command and calibre 4161

The Ring Command bezel is integrated with the calibre and is an active part of the user experience. The level of complication and perfection this mechanism requires (firm clicks and no play) is more challenging than any other Rolex timepiece, making this watch extremely attractive.

At the same time, as per the usual Rolex tradition, the complication is concealed through a simplified aesthetic, although the dial is still more complex and crowded than those standards that Rolex has made us accustomed to, and this is one of the reasons why a Rolex Yachtmaster II is rarely a first choice when it comes to selecting a timepiece.

Rolex Yachtmaster Prices

The price list starts with the Yacht-Master 37 mm at 14,450 Euros and grows to the 43,800 Euros needed for a Yacht-Master 2 model in yellow gold.

For instance, a more exclusive price list is requested, as with the reference 126655. The listed price range here is updated to February 2023; if you’re looking for a more comprehensive overview, please head to our dedicated article; there, you’ll find a price list and evolution since 2021 regarding the most coveted professional Rolex watches.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Editorial team @Horbiter®