rolex yachtmaster 2 2023

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Yacht-Master II

THE SKIPPERS’ WATCH

The Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II is a unique regatta chronograph dedicated to both experienced sailors and yachting enthusiasts.

A PROFESSIONAL REGATTA CHRONOGRAPH

As in any contest of speed, precision and synchronization are of the essence in a regatta. The Yacht-Master II is equipped with a countdown that can be programmed from 10 to 1 minutes, allowing the wearer to precisely time and follow each race’s specific official starting procedure, which generally unfolds in three stages, marked by sound and visual signals. This flexibility is one of the major assets of the Yacht-Master II; its development was a considerable mechanical challenge. Furthermore, the programming can be mechanically memorized, which makes it possible to start a new countdown without having to reprogramme the watch, for example in the next leg or a subsequent regatta with identical countdown duration.

Once launched, the countdown can be synchronized on the fly to match the official countdown via the ‘fly-back’ reset function of the seconds hand and adjustment of the countdown minute hand to the nearest minute.

RING COMMAND SYSTEM

The countdown’s sophisticated functions were designed to be easily set and operated. The preliminary programming of up to 10 minutes is accessed, and then locked, via the rotatable bezel thanks to Ring Command, a system of interaction between the bezel, the winding crown and the movement, developed by Rolex. Its development, a feat of technical prowess, was made possible by the brand’s complete in-house mastery over the design and manufacturing processes, from the case and bracelet to the movement with its many components.

BEZEL WITH CERACHROM INSERT

The bidirectional rotatable bezel on the Yacht-Master II is equipped with a monobloc Cerachrom insert in blue ceramic. This patented insert is made of an extremely hard, virtually scratchproof ceramic whose colour is unaffected by ultraviolet rays. In addition, thanks to its chemical composition, the high-tech ceramic is inert and cannot corrode. The numerals and inscriptions are moulded in the ceramic and coloured with gold or platinum using a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process.

CHROMALIGHT DISPLAY

The Yacht-Master II is an extremely legible watch in all circumstances and even in the dark thanks to the Chromalight display; the hour markers and hands are filled or coated with a luminescent material emitting a long-lasting blue glow – for up to two times longer than traditional phosphorescent materials.

THE YACHT-MASTER II, SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED

Like all Rolex watches, the Yacht-Master II is covered by the Superlative Chronometer certification redefined by Rolex in 2015. This exclusive designation attests that every watch leaving the brand’s workshops has successfully undergone a series of tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories and according to its own criteria. These certification tests are carried out on the fully assembled watch, after casing the movement, guaranteeing superlative performance on the wrist in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness and self-winding. The Superlative Chronometer status is symbolized by the green seal that comes with every Rolex watch and is coupled with an international five-year guarantee.

The precision of every movement – officially certified as a chronometer by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) – is tested a second time by Rolex after being cased, to ensure that it meets criteria for precision that are far stricter than those of the official certification. The precision of a Rolex Superlative Chronometer is of the order of −2/+2 seconds per day – the rate deviation tolerated by the brand for a finished watch is significantly smaller than that accepted by COSC for official certification of the movement alone.

The Superlative Chronometer certification testing is carried out after casing using state-of-the-art equipment specially developed by Rolex and according to an exclusive protocol that simulates the conditions in which a watch is actually worn and more closely represents real-life experience. The entirely automated series of tests also checks the waterproofness, the self-winding capacity and the power reserve of 100 per cent of Rolex watches. These tests systematically complement the qualification testing upstream during development and production, in order to ensure the watches’ reliability, robustness, and resistance to strong magnetic fields and to shocks.

THE OYSTER CASE, SYMBOL OF WATERPROOFNESS

The Yacht-Master II’s Oyster case, 44 mm in diameter and guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of robustness and reliability. The middle case is crafted from a solid block of Oystersteel or 18 ct gold. The case back, edged with fine fluting, is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only certified Rolex watchmakers to access the movement. The Triplock winding crown, fitted with a triple waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. It is protected by a crown guard that is an integral part of the middle case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire and benefits from an anti-reflective coating. The waterproof Oyster case provides optimal protection for the movement it houses .

PERPETUAL CALIBRE 4161

The Yacht-Master II is equipped with calibre 4161, a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. A consummate demonstration of technology, this movement offers outstanding performance, particularly in terms of precision, power reserve, convenience and reliability.

Calibre 4161 is based on the 4130 chronograph movement, which equipped the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona until 2022. It is fitted with a traversing column wheel and vertical clutch for an instantaneous and extremely precise chronograph start.

The movement incorporates the blue Parachrom hairspring, manufactured by Rolex in a paramagnetic alloy. In addition to resisting strong magnetic fields, this hairspring offers great stability in the face of temperature variations as well as high resistance to shocks. It is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring the calibre’s regularity in any position.

The oscillator of calibre 4161 has a large balance wheel with variable inertia regulated extremely precisely via gold Microstella nuts. It is held firmly in place by a height-adjustable traversing bridge enabling very stable positioning to increase shock resistance.

Calibre 4161 is fitted with a self-winding system via a Perpetual rotor, which ensures continuous winding of the mainspring by harnessing the movements of the wrist to provide constant energy. It offers a power reserve of approximately 72 hours.

The Yacht-Master II’s movement will be seen only by certified Rolex watchmakers, yet it is beautifully finished and decorated in keeping with the brand’s uncompromising quality standards.

BRACELET AND CLASP, SECURE AND COMFORTABLE

The Yacht-Master II is available on a three-piece link Oyster bracelet that is equipped with a Rolex-designed, patented Oysterlock safety clasp, which prevents accidental opening. The bracelet is additionally fitted with the Easylink comfort extension link, developed by the brand. This system allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm, for additional comfort in any circumstance.

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Hands-On The Rolex Yachtmaster II Regatta Timer, Ref. 116680

The rolex yacht-master ii: for those who consider themselves rolex enthusiasts, it's one of the most polarizing watches the crown produces. and yet there is more – much more – to this relative behemoth than meets the eye. we wanted to see what would happen if we met this technically unique, programmable flyback yacht timer chronograph on its own terms – read on to join us in our journey into one of the most idiosyncratically styled and mechanically sophisticated rolexes ever made..

I’m going to be completely honest: I was thoroughly prepared to have a negative reaction to this watch. Let’s face it; it’s a head-scratcher for the average Rolex/Submariner/GMT Master/Day-Date lover. First of all it’s pretty damned big. This is a 44 mm watch; it was born a 44 mm watch and it’ll die a 44 mm watch and that is nothing you or anybody else can do about it. You can have it in four different metals, and therefore, weights, ranging from steel (heavy) to gold/steel (heavier) to solid yellow gold (even heavier) to  platinum and white gold combined (Schwarzeneggerian). It has a Cerachrom bezel in an absolutely screaming shade of blue, and it says YACHT-MASTER in giant letters right across the bottom third or so just to remove any lingering shade of doubt in the minds of any small-craft skipper for leagues around that they are in the presence of, well, the Master of a Yacht; it is not an introverted watch by any stretch of the imagination.

On top of everything else, the Yacht-Master II has a complication that pretty much no watch guy or gal ever can remember what do with, or has a perceived need for: it is a regatta timer, which is about as niche a complication as you can imagine. If you get a bunch of watch nuts together there is an excellent chance that you can get a more lucid explanation out of somebody for the Equation of Time than you can for a regatta timer (which is saying something) and it says something about the relative obscurity of the complication in general, and the relative niche-ness of the Yacht-Master II in particular, that when we got it into the office we had five people who live and breathe watches sitting around scratching our heads because no one could quite remember how the darned thing works. You put all those things together and you should have a watch that a dyed-in-the-wool horological classicist should thoroughly disdain. Right?

Actually, wrong. But let’s back up a bit.

First of all this is technically a very interesting watch and it’s worth your attention just on the level of interesting horological problem solving alone. A regatta timer is used by the skipper of a yacht to determine when their vessel is allowed to cross the starting line. Sailboats can’t just hover at the starting line of a yacht race, so what happens is that the racing committee establishes a countdown period during which the boats have to tack back and forth at the starting line without actually crossing; if you cross early, there is a penalty and if you are too cautious and cross late you will probably cross the finish line behind the boats that made it over the start line ahead of you. The countdown can be anywhere from five to ten minutes depending on the rules and race.

The Yacht-Master II is a programmable, flyback regatta timer that allows you to select a countdown interval of anything from one to ten minutes; in addition if you have started the countdown early or late, you can synchronize your watch “on the fly” when you hear the second of the two audible signals which are usually given at the start of a race (the signal to start the countdown comes first, and is usually followed by a warning signal closer to the start). Here’s how it works.

To set the countdown timer, you turn the bezel (Rolex calls it the "Command Bezel") a quarter turn to the left. This locks the lower chrono pusher and engages the setting mechanism for the triangular red countdown hand. You then unscrew the crown to its first position, and set the countdown hand – setting is one-way only but at 10 minutes, if you continue to turn the crown, the countdown hand will fly back to 1 and you can continue until you reach the desired number of minutes. When you’re done, you screw the crown back down, and turn the bezel back to its starting position, and you’re ready to regatta.

When the first gun (or other audible signal) is heard, you start the countdown . . . and that’s it. Now a really neat trick here is that you may, for some reason, have started your countdown too early, or too late. If that’s the case, all you have to do is wait for the second gun/signal, and hit the re-set button – the seconds hand will fly back to the zero mark and begin running again immediately; and the minute countdown hand will fly back to the nearest minute and likewise start counting down again. It’s the fact that the flyback is to the nearest minute, not to zero, that allows you to re-synch your countdown with the official countdown time, that gives the Yacht-Master II much of its utility, and much of its technical interest.

Okay, sure it’s technically interesting – but what about the aesthetics? All I can tell you is that, much to my very pleasant surprise, it was colossally fun to wear in every sense of the word. The fact that it is so unapologetically extroverted is actually the secret to its appeal.  The weight isn't a problem (at least, not for me, and not in steel) and I found I could wear it all day without discomfort despite the overall size – partly thanks to the downward curvature of the lugs, which ensured a comfortable fit on my 7 inch wrist.  The sharply contrasting deep blued hands, white dial, and red countdown hand – and, yes, that bright blue bezel – give the whole watch a suitably jaunty, nautical feel and make it a pleasure to look at (and at night visibility is very good; the lume on the hands and dial is almost startlingly bright).

Yes, this is an extroverted watch, but the quality of execution is very clean and very high (as is usually the case with Rolex) and it’s so much the opposite of what I’d ordinarily wear that having it on gave a feeling almost like a Walter Mitty fantasy coming to life. I felt like a guy who’s worn a blue suit and rep tie and driven a four door Merc his whole life, who somehow one day finds himself in a pair of ripped jeans and a beat up flight jacket, cruising down some winding secondary road on an old shovelhead Harley, and suddenly catches himself thinking, My god, all the wasted years. Ultimately I started to feel that objecting to the over-the-top-ness  of the Yacht-Master II was silly, even narcissistic – if you go into a Joss Whedon actioner expecting a Lars Von Trier art-house tearjerker to unspool, you probably have only yourself to blame.

It is a rationally appealing uitlitarian tool watch? I'm not the one to ask. There is no way for me to evaluate what someone who actually owns a ’36 Herreshoff classic yacht and takes it on the regatta circuit would actually think of the Yacht-Master II, or whether they would find it useful. But I can tell you that it is actually a ton of fun to wear, and a big part of the reason is the very thing many object to at first – that this is a watch that pulls no punches when it comes to being larger than life.

It has that one most essential element for something to be a successful style exercise: the courage of its convictions, and if you think of yourself resolutely as a smaller-than-forty millimeter, tasteful restraint kinda guy, get one on your wrist for a surprisingly refreshing change of pace, and you can feel larger than life too.

The Rolex Yacht-Master II 116680 as shown, $18,750, 44 mm diameter case in 904L stainless steel. Bidirectional rotatable "Command Bezel" with blue Cerachrom insert; water resistance 100 meters/10 bar.

Movement, Rolex 4161 self-winding programmable flyback regatta timer with mechanical memory and "on-the-fly" synchronization; Parachrom blue antimagnetic balance spring.  

Bracelet, Oyster, flat three piece links with Oysterlock safety clasp.

More info, of course, on Rolex.com .

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Rolex Teases Its Big 2023 Releases: Explorer, Yachtmaster and More

A teaser video hints at a lot to look forward to when Rolex announces its 2023 watches next week.

By Zen Love

Rolex will reveal its new products for 2023 on March 27th.

Like every year the watch world is giddy with anticipation. And like each year, the brand has released a teaser video to kick the hype and speculation into overdrive. This time, it reveals quite a bit about what to expect, with hints at multiple new models — yet without giving too much away.

We had our predictions for what Rolex could possibly release this year , and we’ll bring you up-to-the-moment news when we have all the details in just a few days. But for now, here’s what the Rolex teaser video reveals — and what it doesn’t.

A Redesigned Explorer (I)

It’s the Explorer’s 70th birthday this year, there’s plenty of mountainous imagery in the video, and a watch right at the beginning with an Explorer (I) dial. The case, however, appears to have something new: chamfered lugs. This would be a significant departure and could signal what is an entirely new case design for the collection — nay, for the brand . Many watchmakers soften their cases edges with elegant chamfers, but that’s simply not a modern Rolex thing, so far.

It was only in 2021 that the line got a major overhaul bringing its sizing back down to 36mm (from 39mm) as well as an unexpected two-tone version, so it would be even more surprising for the line to get another major overhaul so soon.

We guessed at the possibility of a white dial, which would be pretty cool, but the video seems to negate that with white text visible through the crystal’s glare. The case material could be white gold or platinum, but it’s probably steel — but what if it was titanium? That would be pretty cool, though likely a longshot. Along with a new case design is the possibility of a new size as well, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

A New Yachtmaster

For a fraction of a second at around 0:04 seconds into the video, the distinctive raised markers of the Yachtmaster’s bezel are clearly visible. Later, imagery of a catamaran on the water drives home the point. The black Cerachrom (ceramic) bezel insert is seen paired to a metal bracelet, a configuration not currently available in the Rolex catalog. It also appears to have chamfered lugs.

The question is: what is the metal? And is it titanium? That’s impossible to tell from the video. Since a prototype Yachtmaster in titanium was spotted on Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie in 2021 , fans wondered when something similar would be seen in a production model. Then last year, Rolex introduced its first titanium watch — albeit in a watch that’s so serious and large that it’s mostly impractical for daily wear.

Could this finally be the titanium Yachtmaster we’ve been waiting for? That would be cool, but it might also just be a new model with a steel and platinum bracelet, a configuration that already exists in the collection. There are no all-steel Yachtmasters, and we’re not expecting that to change.

A Gold GMT Master II

It only flashes on screen for a split second around around 0:12 seconds in, so you’ve got to be quick on the pause button. That’s a GMT bezel. That of a GMT Master II? Yeah, we thought it looked like the steel bezel of the Explorer II at first, but the dots give it away (the Explorer II has triangles). Gold hands and indices (and bezel markers) indicate that this’ll be a new variant in full gold or Rolesor (the Rolex term for two-tone steel and gold). It’s got a black dial and a red or orange GMT hand, but that’s about all we can make out for now.

[Editor’s Note: We’d initially guessed that it was an Explorer II, but have now amended the prediction on closer inspection.]

What else is Rolex teasing?

The sport watches above are what people get most excited about, and others in the Professional (sport) range might also be in store. But there are other shots in the video that hint at multiple models — without being specific. That’s the point of a teaser, of course.

There’s an orange dial which we’re guessing will be on something like a Datejust or Day-Date in gold to match the logo. We’re not assuming it’s not an Oyster Perpetual because the collection is currently exclusively in steel. The blue dial at 0:11 could be an Oyster Perpetual, Datejust or Day-Date.

Around 0:12 clearly shows a Cellini, but doesn’t reveal anything new about it — it will be cool, however, if Rolex does something new with the Cellini as the line currently only comprises one model. There’s a fraction-of-a-second shot of a racetrack and a seconds track around the edge of an ice-blue dial, which undoubtedly hints at something Daytona , the ice blue color perhaps indicating a platinum model to celebrate the chronograph’s 60th anniversary.

In the end, Rolex has given us a good sense of what to look forward to next week, but we’ll still have to wait to find out much of what horological goodies it’s got up its sleeves this year.

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Regenerating land, lives and tradition in indonesia.

Social entrepreneur Denica Riadini-Flesch has succeeded in creating one of the world’s first regenerative farm-to-closet supply chains – SukkhaCitta, meaning happiness. Determined to empower rural artisans in Indonesia, she has created hundreds of jobs with fair pay for those who craft high-end clothing using traditional and sustainable techniques.

SukkhaCitta’s work begins with cotton, which Riadini-Flesch ensures is sourced sustainably. Farmers working with the brand are taught indigenous techniques to grow cotton while regenerating the earth. In their fields, complementary crops are planted alongside the cotton, each with its own role in revitalizing the over-worked soils. Once the cotton is harvested, spun and woven by the women, it is coloured using natural, plant-based dyes. “We have prevented over 3 million litres of toxic dyes from being dumped into our rivers by using completely natural dyes,” explains Riadini-Flesch.