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I, too, own both of these watches. I was smitten by Rolex as a pre-teen in the 1970s. The 'rich guy' in the neighborhood wore a yellow gold day-date president encrusted with diamonds around the bezel. It was definitely a statement. I'll never forget him at the beach (a larger-than-life Tony Soprano looking guy), going into the surf and being warned by beach-goers that he'd forgotten to take his watch off. "No worries, Rock, the watch can handle it," he'd reply.
Flash forward. In 1999, to celebrate a career milestone, I decided to buy a white-dialed Explorer II. It must've been a hot item then because Tourneau in Manhattan didn't have it. They let me pay monthly with the agreement that I'd pay the difference when they got the watch. They never did. On a trip to NY (I live in San Francisco) I went in and they told me they'd given up on getting the watch and wanted to give me my money back.
I saw a Yacht-Master (Pl/SS) in the window. Though it's the (currently) unfashionable 35mm midsize, it fit great, was super comfortable, and I thought it was the most beautiful watch I'd ever seen. Though I always wanted the 24 hour GMT complication, I paid the difference and have loved that Yachtie for 17 years.
The GMT desire never left and when the bug got to me I began to research and though I was unfamiliar with the GMT Master (I started looking at the Explorer II, still a fine-looking watch). I discovered and fell in love with the BLNR Batman.
Now, the differences. The YachtMaster has a very useful bezel. You can time a steak, or how long you've left the water on out back. I also use it to time hours. Say, on a road trip, if we need to stop in three hours for the dog, I'll set the bezel pointer at the 2 hour if it's 11. It's not precise to the minute, but very handy. And the 2235 caliber movement is a wonder of the world. My 17 year-old yachtie runs like a top.
The BLNR has the fine GMT complication. I set it to Stockholm time (family there) and it's a wondrous feeling to glance at your watch and know where they are in their day or night. We all have iPhones with world clocks but the beauty and simplicity of the GMT hand is just better. More fun, instantly intuitive, and discreet.
When I travel, I set the GMT hand to California (Pacific time) and, as others have posted, being able to jump the hour hand without stopping the second hand is super handy. It's an all-rounder great watch. I find myself staring at it (I suppose that will pass with time, I've only had it five weeks : ) I also marvel at the precision of the movement -- I'm testing it now and in three days is only a second off.
The 40mm size and the sharp edges (the yachtie has rounded lugs and is just more comfortable to wear), make the BLNR more noticable on my wrist. I'm small-framed and have thin wrists, so a 40 is as large as I can wear.
And while 35mm watches get little love on the forums, I've never felt self conscious about my mid-sized yachtmaster. As one posted on another thread noted, up until the 70s and 80s, watches were smaller -- high tech in the 60s was a thin small watch. The current fashion for over-sized watches may be here forever. It may not. I don't know. But I've been happy with mine! I mention this mainly because my 'comfort' comments are probably partly related to the mid-size 35mm compared to my 40mm BLNR.
Conclusion: these are two of the most beautiful watches ever made, IMO. And I love them both. I'd initially decided to sell the Yacht-Master and put the money toward a brand new BLNR but I'm dragging my feet. That watch and I have been through a lot. And it still seems as beautiful as ever to me.
These are my two rolexes pictured. Thank you all for a great forum, and an interesting thread.
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