Rolex Yacht-Master

The Rolex Yacht-Master is the sailing watch in the Oyster line: a bidirectional bezel, a case offered in precious metals from the start, and a more relaxed brief than the Submariner it resembles. BeepWear lists eight pre-owned Yacht-Masters and Yacht-Master IIs from $13,500 to $48,000 with a median of $32,000: two under $20,000, five between $20,000 and $40,000, and one above. Each is inspected before listing and photographed as the actual watch.

Which Yacht-Master references are in stock? Five Yacht-Masters and three Yacht-Master IIs. The Yacht-Masters are a 40mm 16623 in steel and yellow gold, a 40mm Rolesium piece in steel with a platinum bezel, a 42mm 226658 in yellow gold and two 42mm 226659s in white gold. The Yacht-Master IIs, the 44mm regatta chronographs, are here in steel with the blue ceramic bezel, in steel and Everose gold, and in solid yellow gold.

What does a pre-owned Yacht-Master cost? The Rolesium 40 at $13,500 and the two-tone 16623 at $15,800 are the two under $20,000. The steel Yacht-Master II is $20,600 and the steel and Everose one $26,500. The 42mm white gold 226659s are $37,500 each, the yellow gold 226658 is $39,500, and the solid yellow gold Yacht-Master II tops the page at $48,000. Because the Yacht-Master was designed as a precious-metal watch, gold and platinum content drives most of the spread.

Yacht-Master or Yacht-Master II? Different watches under one name. The Yacht-Master, launched in 1992, is a three-hand watch with a date and a bidirectional 60-minute bezel, in 37, 40 and 42mm. The Yacht-Master II, launched in 2007, is a 44mm regatta chronograph with a programmable countdown of one to ten minutes for the start of a race, set through its Ring Command bezel. If you want a sports watch with a bit of gold on it, it is the Yacht-Master; if you want the mechanical complication, it is the II.

What is Rolesium? Rolex’s name for steel with platinum: a 904L steel case and bracelet with a solid platinum bezel, introduced on the Yacht-Master in 1999. It is the one way to buy a platinum-bezelled Rolex without a platinum price, and the 40mm Rolesium here is the least expensive watch on the page. The sandblasted platinum bezel with polished numerals is the tell.

How is the Yacht-Master different from a Submariner? The bezel turns both ways rather than one, the numerals on it are raised and polished rather than printed, the case is slimmer, water resistance is 100 metres rather than 300, and it has always come in gold, platinum and Everose as well as steel. It is a watch for the deck, not the depths. Buyers who find the Submariner too common often land here.

What should you check before buying a pre-owned Yacht-Master? Bezel action first: it should rotate smoothly in both directions with no play. On the raised numerals, look for wear on the polished tops, which is normal but affects value. On the Yacht-Master II, run the countdown through a full programme, because the Ring Command mechanism is the expensive part to service. And ask when the seals were last replaced; a sailing watch that has actually been sailed deserves a pressure test.

How does BeepWear list and ship these? Every Yacht-Master is pre-owned, inspected before listing, and photographed as the actual item you will receive. Stock is one of a kind, so a sold listing comes down rather than lingering. Orders ship insured within the United States, and the authenticity guarantee, returns policy and warranty terms each have their own page.

Related: all pre-owned Rolex watches, Rolex Submariner