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GMT-Master II The cosmopolitan watch
Explorer The call of the peaks
Datejust The classic watch of reference
Oyster Perpetual The essence of the Oyster
Sky-Dweller Keeping track of time across the world
Day-Date The ultimate watch of prestige
Cosmograph Daytona Born to race
Yacht-Master The watch of the open seas
Lady-Datejust Graceful elegance
Submariner The reference among divers' watches
Sea-Dweller The watch that conquered the deep
Milgauss Honouring science
Cellini The classical watch
Pearlmaster The pearl in the Oyster collection
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Yacht-Master
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Yacht-Master

The watch of the open seas

Yacht-Master II
Oyster, 44 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
Yacht-Master 37
Oyster, 37 mm, Oystersteel and platinum
Yacht-Master 37
Oyster, 37 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel and platinum
Yacht-Master 37
Oyster, 37 mm, Everose gold
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Everose gold
Yacht-Master 42
Oyster, 42 mm, white gold
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
Yacht-Master II
Oyster, 44 mm, Oystersteel
Yacht-Master II
Oyster, 44 mm, white gold and platinum
Yacht-Master II
Oyster, 44 mm, yellow gold
Yacht-Master 37
Oyster, 37 mm, Everose gold
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel and platinum
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
Yacht-Master 40
Oyster, 40 mm, Everose gold
Yacht-Master 37
Oyster, 37 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold

As in any contest of speed, precision is of the essence in a regatta.

The Yacht-Master II features an unprecedented mechanical function: a countdown that can be programmed from 1 to 10 minutes and allows skippers to precisely time and follow each race’s official starting procedure. This flexibility is one of the major assets of the Yacht-Master II. The programming can be mechanically memorized. Furthermore, once the watch’s countdown is launched, it can be synchronized on the fly to match changes in the official race countdown.

The Yacht-Master’s bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel is made of precious materials.

The raised polished numerals and graduations stand out clearly against a matt, sand-blasted background. This functional bezel – which allows the wearer to calculate, for example, the sailing time between two buoys – is also a key component in the model’s distinctive visual identity.

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.

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 synchronized to the sequence of race start times. Complex in design, but simple in use, it is functionally beautiful.

The Oysterflex bracelet, developed and patented by Rolex, offers a sporty alternative to metal bracelets.

The bracelet attaches to the watch case and the Oysterlock safety clasp by a flexible titanium and nickel alloy metal blade. The blade is overmoulded with high-performance black elastomer which is particularly resistant to environmental effects, very durable and perfectly inert for the wearer of the watch.

Rolex developed and patented the Cerachrom bezel for specific Professional models.

Fashioned from extremely hard ceramic material, it is virtually impervious to scratches, and its colour is unaffected by ultraviolet rays of the sun. For optimum legibility, the numerals and graduations are engraved in the ceramic and then coated with a very thin layer of gold or platinum using a PVD process. A final diamond-polishing removes the gold or platinum from the rest of the bezel’s surface and gives an exceptional, long-lasting lustre.

Rolex uses Oystersteel for its steel watch cases.

Specially developed by the brand, Oystersteel belongs to the 904L steel family, alloys most commonly used in high-technology and in the aerospace and chemical industries, where maximum resistance to corrosion is essential. Oystersteel is extremely resistant, offers an exceptional finish once polished and maintains its beauty even in the harshest environments.

Few companies have been so consistently identified with the pursuit of excellence, the quest for the absolute, the discovery of original approaches and innovative solutions.

Rolex watches have proved themselves from the start in the most extreme conditions imaginable – from the depths of the deepest oceans to the summits of the highest mountains, in the air and on the race track. And to ensure that all Rolex watches can live up to these high expectations, every single one is tested to extremes before it is allowed to leave the Rolex site.

Introduced in the late 1930s, the Oyster bracelet is a robust metal bracelet with flat three‑piece links, it remains the mainstay of the Oyster collection.

It is fitted on the entire range of Professional watches, but also on some classic models such as the Datejust, Day-Date and Sky-Dweller. It can be equipped with all types of Rolex clasps (Oysterclasp, Oysterlock and Crownclasp) and can include the Easylink comfort extension link system.

Rolex’s commitment to excellence begins at the source.

Rolex’s white gold is 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.

No other part of a Rolex is subject to such regular manipulation as the clasp, a tactile bond between the watch and its wearer.

Few are so crucial to the security of a Rolex owner's prized possession and to their comfort. The new-generation Oysterlock clasp reconciles the demands made on the Professional watches, with a sublime blend of robust yet sophisticated engineering, simple handling, smooth lines and, above all, security.

Rolex developed and patented the Cerachrom bezel for specific Professional models.

The history of Rolex and Swiss watchmaking are inextricably linked.

Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch, Rolex is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, and has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history.

The Rolex crown, the logo and symbol par excellence of the brand, was registered in 1931.

It appeared for the first time on Rolex dials during the 1930s, then on the winding crown in the early 1950s. It also began to replace the 12 o’clock hour marker on some dials, such as on the Datejust, in the form of small 18 ct gold appliques.

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.

This exclusive designation attests that it has successfully undergone a series of specific final controls by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria, in addition to the official COSC certification of its movement. This unique testing of the chronometric precision pushes back the boundaries of performance and makes Rolex the benchmark for excellence in mechanical watches.

The Perpetual movements that equip the Rolex models play a key role in the reputation for excellence of Rolex watches.

These self-winding mechanical movements, all rigorously certified as chronometers by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), are entirely designed and manufactured by Rolex based on common characteristics. These ensure high performance and adherence to uncompromising requirements in terms of precision, reliability, shock-resistance, efficient self-winding and ease of maintenance.

In a mechanical watch, the oscillator is the guardian of time.

Comprising a hairspring and a balance wheel, this regulating organ determines the precision of the watch by the regularity of its oscillations.

To guarantee excellent precision, in 2000 Rolex introduced a hairspring in an exclusive alloy of niobium, zirconium and oxygen: the Parachrom hairspring.

The Paraflex is an exclusive and highly efficient shock absorber developed and patented by Rolex.

Validated through extensive shock testing and laboratory measurements, it improves the shock resistance of Rolex watches by up to 50 per cent. The innovative geometry of the spring, designed by dynamic 3D modelling, ensures that it remains firmly positioned and with no risk of deformation.

A tiny component making a huge difference.

Why does a mechanical watch go “tick-tock”?

The ticking is produced by the escapement, which plays a key role in the movement’s measurement of time. “Tick”: a tooth of the escape wheel locks against one of the pallets of the lever. Then, released by the sweep of the oscillator, the pallet fork lets the wheel “escape”, until it locks against the second pallet: “tock”.

The pallet fork continues its infinite pendular beat against the oblique teeth of the escape wheel precisely 28,800 times every hour – 14,400 “ticks” and 14,400 “tocks”. That's 250 million times a year.

In 1931, Rolex invented and patented a self-winding mechanism with a free rotor, called the Perpetual rotor, based on a principle that would later be adopted by the whole watchmaking industry.

The self-winding mechanism consists of a half-moon-shaped oscillating weight, which pivots freely on its central axle, in one direction, then the other with the natural movements of the wrist. It transmits uninterrupted natural energy to the watch. The oscillations of the weight create energy which is stored in the mainspring, and provides the watch with a constant and stable source of energy.

The barrel supplies energy to the movement.

Inside is the mainspring whose powerful coils store the energy produced when the movement is wound, either manually or through a self-winding system. As the mainspring uncoils, it releases a continuous flow of energy which is controlled by the alternating movement of the escapement. Energy from the mainspring is transmitted to the escapement and the oscillator through the gear train. The movement’s autonomy or power reserve between windings depends therefore on how much energy the mainspring can store, and on energy efficiency.

The large balance wheel with variable inertia is fitted with four gold Microstella nuts enabling extremely precise regulating.

In new-generation movements, redesigned geometry and the high-precision machining have enhanced the poise threefold.

Insensitive to magnetic fields, the Parachrom hairspring offers great stability in the face of temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.

It is equipped with a Breguet overcoil, enhancing the isochronism of the oscillations in any position.

Rolex developed and synthesizes in-house exclusive high-performance lubricants with a considerably longer useful life and greater stability over time.

Rolex is the only independent manufacturer that has developed and synthesized its own lubricants.

Each type of oil has a specific application and requires about a decade of R&D. Low viscosity, or thinner, lubricants are used for high-speed contacts, such as in the oscillator. High viscosity, or thicker, ones are employed in high-pressure, impacting contacts such as the gear trains.

The history of Rolex and Swiss watchmaking are inextricably linked.

Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch, Rolex is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, and has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history.

The Rolex crown, the logo and symbol par excellence of the brand, was registered in 1931.

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.

Rolex Yacht-Master - The Regatta Watch

Discover the Yacht-Master and the Yacht-Master II, the watches that embody the spirit of the yachting and are inspired by the world of sailing.

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