The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 watch in Everose gold with invisibly set gemstones on the rotating bezel, as seen in Baselworld 2017.
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of joining Chillin’ with Larry Magan, as part of his NightOwlTV program. For 30 minutes, we talked about the Baselworld 2017 exhibit and about a few pretty special watches that were shown there. Larry, a veteran watch and jewelry guy, had a particular affinity for the Rolex Yacht-Master that was unveiled last month. The new version is a 40mm watch created in the brand’s proprietary Everose gold. It is also bedecked with colorful gemstones. The questions arose: “Did Rolex really need to put gemstones on the Yachtmaster, and was this watch meant for women, or men, or both?”.
Well we want to address those questions. Simply put: No, Rolex did not need to put gemstones on the rotating bezel of the newest Yacht-Master, but then there would be no fun, no color, no surprise. This watch, with midnight black dial and Chromalight markers, may well become one of the rarities selling at auction in decades to come for as much as 10 times or more its value. The watch boasts 32 sapphires, 8 tsavorites and a single diamond.
The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 with a painter’s palette of gemstones on the bezel is a conversation starter.
While not a new addition to the Rolex line up, the rainbow-colored gemstone bezel breathes new life into a favorite. The watch is powered by the automatic caliber 3135, and is water resistant to100 meters, It is fitted with a Rolex Oysterflex rubber strap — perhaps a nice way to tone down the colorful bling. As to the question of whether it is geared to men or women, well for me, it is a woman’s piece, but there are a host of wealthy men in certain regions of the world who like to shine in Rolex colors.
