Can someone explain the OP Yacht-Master to me?

[RTG]

Originally Posted by VicLeChic

As already said, a more premium Submariner, specifically in terms of levels of finish and materials used: fully polished case and sandblasted solid platinum bezel with polished raised markers and numerals, at a time when the Sub had a paltry and rather dull aluminum bezel. A solid platinum dial with a matching sandblasted finish when the Sub had a matte black brass dial. Its bracelet had solid links when the Sub's links were hollow. So quite a few differences at the time, before the Sub became more luxurious and managed to catch up with the YM in terms of exceptional finish, if we exclude the bezel.

Also the YM was the first Rolex model to introduce the maxidial (followed by the Sub 16610LV years later) and to bring the term rolesium (elements of platinum and steel combined).

The bezel action of the Yacht-Master is much smoother than the Sub's and Sea-Dweller's. It offers less resistance, kind of glides under your fingers. Handy if you need to quickly move it in any direction to "track time elapsed between buoys" indeed as JacksonStone mentioned from the Rolex brochure. It's basically marketed as a toolwatch for regattas, no need to actually own any yacht, crew member is fine, owning the yachtmaster qualification would help (licence to handle boats). Ten minutes before the race you set the 12 o'clock triangle of the bezel 10 minutes forward to the minute hand for the countdown to begin, then when the race starts (triangle dead on the minute hand) you take note of the minutes elapsed when you reach the first buoy and reset again at the next buoy. So to boil an egg it's more practical to move the triangle forward by say 3 minutes after the minute hand in order to use the bezel as a countdown until the hand reaches the triangle. It's a neat little feature, mostly useless but quaint. It would be great if Rolex would develop an alarm when the countdown reaches zero so that you don't have to keep looking at the bezel until that moment to avoid skipping the zero and missing the start of the race or overcooking your eggs.

Great history lesson of the Yacht-Master. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

[RTG]

Originally Posted by samson66

Seems that Rolex came up with a revised Submariner and didn't know what to do with it, so they just called it a Yacht-Master. That was what I was asking.

Well Rolex had to call it something. Sub-Light is not better. Judging purely from the nasty reactions to the new TT-SD; it’s a good thing they didn’t call it a Submariner. Personally I have no issue with the name. I don’t own a yacht or submarine but I’ll wear both.

A lot of purists or tool watch fans really have it out for the Yacht Master but those watches have more real world applications than the 4000 m deep-sea. There will never be a tool application for a human being to wear a watch 12,800 feet underwater.

[DoctorA]

Why is explorer I called explorer??

[blowlamp]

If it measures time between buoys, then it should be standard issue to members of the clergy.

[VicLeChic]

You're welcome, guys! Can't say I don't love my classic YM despite the fact there's more Rolex marketing than actual toolwatch utility in the same way pro divers mostly use computers and car pilots use electronic devices and sensors for telemetry. So you're not going to be a better skipper, diver, racer and explorer with a Rolex on your wrist.

And yet we very much appreciate the Sub, Daytona, GMT, Exp and other pure mechanical machines capable of assisting us if needs be, maybe not as accurately as modern gadgets but who cares. It's like driving an old car or riding an old bike, it's about the nostalgia and the ingenuity of yesteryear's little marvels. As tools they might be outclassed by today's standards, but back in the day they were fit for purpose and at the top of their game.

I think Rolex does a great job not only at keeping these works of art alive but also at making them better through a slow and reassuring evolution with incredible attention to detail. Yes they've become more luxury than actual tool, but contrary to pure luxury brands, you can still put a Rolex pro through its paces and it will hold, so it's not all about looks and refinement but first and foremost about ruggedness and reliability under extreme conditions if needs be. Or you could just wear it gently, admire its timeless beauty, dream of what it's capable of and enjoy its longevity by your side. Whatever floats your boat. And you don't have to worry about its battery unlike your modern and short lived gadgetry.

Originally Posted by RTG

Great history lesson of the Yacht-Master. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Originally Posted by samson66

Terrific post, thanks for taking the time to write it up. Very informative. Buoy timing is a bit of a stretch mainly because it would only be accurate to within roughly +/- 30 seconds. But the ability to move the bezel on either direction definitely makes more sense now.

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Originally Posted by Rokoru

Wow, I liked this explanation a lot. I didn't know much about the YM honestly..

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

Great explanation on how to use the bezel. In theory, one could do the same thing with a unidirectional bezel, but it would be far less convenient to have to wind the bezel back, say, 55 minutes, rather than move it forward five. Also, in critical timing situations, the extra time to move the bezel could throw things off. Then again, in this day and age, if timing is that critical, it's likely someone would be using some kind of digital timer.

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