The Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II in 18 ct yellow gold with an Oyster bracelet and a bidirectional rotatable bezel with a blue Cerachrom insert.

Rolex achieved perfection when it turned its attention to redefining the purpose and functionality of the bezel. Typically, a bezel operates independently from the internal mechanism; however, the Ring Command bezel in the Yacht-Master II regatta chronograph operates in conjunction with it. As a mechanical component linked to the movement, the bezel literally acts as the key to the programmable countdown, allowing it to be set and synchronised to the sequence of race start times. Complex in design, but simple in use, it is functionally beautiful.

The Yacht-Master II is equipped with a new dial, and new hands that are characteristic of Rolex Professional models, enhancing legibility and sharpening its aesthetic appeal. The dial now features a triangular hour marker at 12 o’clock and a rectangular hour marker at 6 o’clock for more intuitive reading of the watch. A luminescent disc on the hour hand clearly distinguishes it from the minute hand. The Yacht-Master II’s countdown can be programmed for a duration of between 1 and 10 minutes. The programming is memorized by the mechanism so that at a reset it returns to the previous setting. Once launched, the countdown can be synchronized on the fly to match the official race countdown.

By operating its own exclusive foundry, Rolex has the unrivalled ability to cast the highest quality 18 ct gold alloys. According to the proportion of silver, copper, platinum or palladium added, different types of 18 ct gold are obtained: yellow, pink or white. They are made with only the purest metals and meticulously inspected in an in-house laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, before the gold is formed and shaped with the same painstaking attention to quality. Rolex's commitment to excellence begins at the source.

The Oyster bracelet is a perfect alchemy of form and function, aesthetics and technology, designed to be both robust and comfortable. It is equipped with an Oysterlock folding clasp, which prevents accidental opening and the Easylink comfort extension link, also exclusive to Rolex. This ingenious system allows the wearer to increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm, providing additional comfort in any circumstance.

The Yacht-Master II is equipped with calibre 4161, a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Its architecture, manufacturing quality and innovative features make it singularly precise and reliable. This abundance of Rolex technology, the result of over 35,000 hours of development, includes a patented function and comprises some 360 components. Some of them are made by UV-LiGA, a micromanufacturing technology entirely mastered in-house by Rolex. This technology allows the production of components whose tiny proportions or complex geometry rule out manufacturing by traditional machining methods.

Dial

• Dial : White
• Details : Highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence

Case

• Case : Oyster, 44 mm, yellow gold
• Oyster architecture : Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown
• Diameter : 44 mm
• Material : 18 ct yellow gold
• Bezel : Rolex Ring Command (bidirectional 90° rotatable interacting with the movement) in 18 ct gold with blue Cerachrom insert in ceramic and numerals coated in gold
• Winding crown : Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system
• Crystal : Scratch-resistant sapphire
• Water resistance : Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet

Movement

• Movement : Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding, regatta chronograph
• Calibre : 4161, Manufacture Rolex
• Precision : -2/+2 sec/day, after casing
• Certification : Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex certification after casing)
• Functions : Centre hour and minute hands, small seconds hand at 6 o'clock. Programmable countdown with mechanical memory and on-the-fly synchronization. Stop-seconds for precise time setting
• Oscillator : Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring
• Winding : Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
• Power reserve : Approximately 72 hours

Bracelet

• Bracelet : Oyster, three-piece solid links
• Material : 18 ct yellow gold
• Clasp : Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link