Rolex Yachtmaster Dials

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Rolex is known for creating watches for just about any sport and niche. The divers have the Submariner and Seadweller, scientists have the Milgauss, and racers have the Daytona. In 1992, superyacht owners and sailing enthusiasts got the Rolex they were waiting for – the Yachtmaster.

Unlike Rolex’s previous water sport watches, the Yachtmaster was not a tool watch but a luxury watch through and through. With a 100m water resistance and plenty of style and flair, it was suited for wearing on the decks of boats and in yacht clubs.

So popular was the Yachtmaster that Rolex took the decision to offer it in multiple sizes, and to this day remains the only Rolex sport watch available in three sizes (37, 40, and 42mm). It doesn’t fall short on dial designs either! Check out the opulent dials of the Rolex Yachtmaster collection:

The sunray, or the high polish metal dials on Rolex watches, comes from a method of achieving a pure metallic colors such as silver, champagne, and ruthenium. Silver-plating is most often used as a base layer for the sunray finish, then further colour is added to achieve the desired end result. The yachtmaster’s sunray dials come in silver, blue, champagne, rose gold and rhodium.

Mother of pearl dials are extracted from nature; and can vary in color depending on which part of the shell it was extracted. This means no two mother of pearl dials are alike in Rolex watches. In Yachtmaster models, the most common colors seen are the iridescent white mother of pearl (left) and the black mother of pearl, which shifts in color from pink to gray, and even green.

The Yachtmaster line has “Rolesium” models, or a mix of Oystersteel and platinum, like the reference 16622 (above). The monochromatic look of the watch can feel somewhat utilitarian, so the sandblasted matte finish platinum dial adds a touch of luxury. This watch perfectly represents the “stealth wealth” concept, with subtle accoutrements that can only be seen up close.

We see a lot of black dials with white or luminous hour markers in Rolex watches, but this one on the Yachtmaster is inverted. A clean white face is topped with black triangular baton and dot hour markers. They are also outlined in gold, making them pop even more against the dial. These are more than just aesthetics however. Although the black markers do not glow like the luminous white hour markers, the high contrast makes for easier reading.

Yachtmaster Serti Dials usually combine diamonds and sapphires (leftmost), and use all rubies (third from left) for the markers. They are typically fitted with mother of pearl dials too, making them even more opulent.