This year at Baselworld 2017, we saw the release of the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 116695SATS watch done in a gem-set bezel. It’s not a Rolex for the usual fan of the brand but if you’re already someone (like myself) who also appreciates the non-traditional Yacht-Master 40 with the Oysterflex bracelet and aren’t afraid of some flash, then this is an interesting watch to have in a collection. You’ll remember that the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 was introduced back in 2015 and immediately stood out due to the fact that it came on the then-new rubber Oysterflex bracelet. The reaction to the bracelet was, as expected, mixed but has been popular enough with the release of the Rolex Daytona on an Oysterflex bracelet this year.
Also released this year was this Yacht-Master 40 with a remarkably well-done gem-set bezel, which is about the only “typical Rolex” trait you’ll find in this piece. Love it or hate it, its execution and quality are undeniable.
It’s inevitable, but many watch enthusiasts have an unfortunate patellar-reflex response to seeing precious stones or gems on watches. I think there are several reasons for it: the often ugly bejeweled timepiece; crappy aftermarket jobs; an unfortunate desire to distance oneself from anything “bling” (sorry, but comment sections on watch blogs and forums are the only place I still see that word as of the past decade); as well as the fact that there are not many factory-made men’s watches done with gems that aren’t “diamond explosions” or just come off too effeminate. While it’s obvious that this piece is going to be geared towards the mainland Chinese market, I think this can be seen as a viable men’s watch in the Western market as well.
The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 116695SATS has a bidirectional rotating bezel set with 38 sapphires (blue, orange, yellow, and pink), 8 tsavorites (the green gems), and 1 diamond at 12 o’clock. The uniformity of the gems in respective color and shape is fantastic to behold and I can’t imagine even the most critical hater not admiring it if they were to find one of these watches on their wrist. When discussing the far more elaborate and rare Day-Date 40 Green Emerald Platinum watch, our David Bredan discusses the work that goes into Rolex’s gem setting:
The palms are absolutely perfectly sized, all are amply wide and long, so kudos to Rolex because of that. Their colour schemes at first sight seem sense, but in this elongated review it stood out to me how they at times seem to function as sort of camouflage. They are the exact same basic colors as the dial and its elements, and the main palms’ colors are distributed in a manner that if they’re over the sub-dials (let us say if the time is 3:10, etc.) they make it hard to differentiate them from the background.White gold is used for the hands and indices on every Rolex (unless golden of some other color is used for the instance), and while they are shiny alright and are well made, at times they look they could use some additional quantity. Manufacturing techniques have progressed over the last twenty decades and bits as miniature as sub-dial hands we view crafted more complexly and with proper volume below this price point. Rolex does not produce its own hands and because we’ve seen Rolex successfully make suppliers push their limits (think of their super complicated Oysterflex rubber strap from recent past), the provider of their hands must step up their game as well — especially since we’re to the five-figure price segment here and easy stamped metal hands do not really cut it anymore, no matter how nicely made.A neat detail I could really appreciate was the way the center of the sub-dials was implemented: directly across the base of the hands there’s an angled part which may be viewed with the naked eye once the lighting is suitable. Here you can definitely understand the depth of the black paint and the amply applied lacquer over it — in terms of sheen and depth this is as close to a enamel dial as a lacquered dial can get. The reddish Daytona text adds that additional pop of colour that this dial so badly requires — too bad that the text is small and dim reddish, so much so that most the time that it can’t be seen either for the smudged crystal, the hands blocking it out, or the lighting not being just right.
“For models set with colored gemstones – rubies, sapphires, or, in this case, emeralds – Rolex Watches 6062 Replica takes particular care in ensuring that all the stones on a given watch are of the same hue, using a combination of a long sorting process carried out by hand, stone by stone in the Rolex workshops, as well as by using one of Rolex’s several sophisticated machines that are, Rolex says, usually only found in independent gemological laboratories. The result is genuinely incredible – if one is familiar with precious stones and gems, it is no secret that it takes sorting through hundreds, if not thousands of pieces to find a bezel-worth of stones that are such a perfect match in color. If anything, it is almost (I said almost!) too perfect as, frankly, I hitherto thought such impeccable matching of colors and shapes would only be possible if every stone were entirely artificial.”
Like the non-gem model, this Yacht-Master 40 comes on the Oysterflex strap introduced in 2015. Not technically rubber, the elastomer strap is fit with a titanium nickel alloy “blade” underneath to give it a more secure fit. The strap also has the well-received “fins” underneath, which are designed to create a very small space between skin and the bracelet allowing for some flexibility during hot and cold weather. The dial is slightly different, with Rolex Watches Milwaukee Replica choosing a glossy black finish as opposed to the matte dial on the non-gem model.
Functionality isn’t affected with the functioning bi-directional bezel, it’s still a real dive watch with 100M water resistance. The double anti-reflective coated crystal and Chromalight lumed hands should make for legibility in the dark, as well. As for the movement, we still see the caliber 3135 movement found in models like the Submariner which gets 48 hours of power reserve.
The Rolex Datejust Pearlmaster watches introduced a couple of years ago were mostly ladies pieces, but the 39mm model was labeled just as the Datemaster which implies it’s a unisex piece. For me and many others, between the gems and diamonds on the bezel as well as the dial, it’s all a bit too much. When I look at the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 116695SATS, I see a watch that is a sports watch with gems on the bezel that still retains much the watch’s identity and DNA by leaving the dial untouched.
I think the current popularity of the practice of men’s suits being mixed up with bright and colorful ties or socks shows a propensity to add color (with some restraint) to break up the mundane. This watch costs a lot more than a tie, but I see it much the same way. It’s the watch you wear to a party to show off your style (and bank account) without the guilt and stigma, fair or not, of fessing up to an aftermarket job to your more conservative watch collector friends.
I can’t tell if it’s just me, but I don’t find the colors on the gems to be so colorful that they are obnoxious to look at after a while. The stones are absolutely perfect and that adds a level of confidence to the playfulness of the multi-colored arrangement. Frankly, it’s not often I see factory pieces with precious stones and think to myself “I’d wear that for a whole weekend” because they are just not versatile. I don’t feel the same way here, I’d wear this piece to most day or evening events and not feel self-conscious or anxious.
If you know me, you’ll know that precious gems and colorful aesthetics aren’t really my cup of tea. That being said, there’s something about the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 116695SATS with gem-set bezel that I can’t help but appreciate. Once again, this is going to be marketed mostly to the Asian, specifically Chinese, market but I think one can pull off this watch without the baggage of a (I’ll use this word once more to demonstrate the point) “blinged out” piece.
Price for the Rolex Yacht-Master 116695SATS is about CHF 62,500 and, if you want to go all out on gem-setting, there is a version with a full pavé dial for about CHF 86,000, though that apparently was too much for Basel to handle. rolex.com