The regatta timer is used by the yacht's skipper to determine the most precise moment for his boat to cross the starting line. As you can imagine, unlike Formula 1 cars or MotoGP bikes, regatta participants cannot stay anchored at the starting line, and for this reason, the race committee establishes a countdown period during which the boats must move around the starting line without actually crossing it: if you cross too early, there is a penalty, and if you are too cautious and cross later, you will give your competitors an advantage right at the start of the race. Different regattas have adopted different intervals, but they are all 5, 7, or 10 minutes – meaning today's watch can serve you in any regatta.
The Yacht-Master II is a programmable regatta timer with a flyback function that allows you to select a countdown interval from one to ten minutes; furthermore, if you have started the countdown earlier or later than necessary, you can synchronize your watch "on the fly" when you hear the second of the two audible signals (usually a cannon shot) given before the start of the race (first is the signal to start the countdown, which is followed by a second warning signal closer to the start). To set the countdown timer, turn the bezel (Rolex calls it the "Command bezel") a quarter turn to the left. This locks the lower chronograph pusher and engages the setting mechanism for the countdown hand with the red triangular tip. You then unscrew the crown to the first position and adjust the countdown hand - the adjustment is only unidirectional, but after the 10th marker, if you continue to turn the crown, the countdown hand will return to "1" and you can continue until you reach the desired countdown period. When finished, screw the crown back in and turn the bezel back to its home position.
When you hear the first shot, you press the pusher and start the countdown.
And now let us draw your attention to a functionality that is truly unique for a mechanical watch – in case you have, for some reason, started the countdown too early or too late (you missed the signal because your hands were busy with the "education" of some young female deckhand, or at that very moment the NASDAQ suddenly dropped by 15% and you had to react...) – do not worry, everything is fixable (unlike the incident with the deckhand – especially if there is a "well-wisher" in the crew who happened to film everything and send it to your wife...). Wait for the second signal and press the reset pusher – the red seconds hand will fly back to the zero mark and immediately start a new countdown, and the minute countdown hand will move to the nearest minute marker and also start counting down again. The fact that it returns to the nearest minute, and not to zero, allows you to synchronize your countdown with the official time.
We are sure that this is a very useful functionality, but we suspect that 90% of the watch's owners will not take advantage of it. However, it is possible to find another use for it – for example, to set 7 minutes after your pelmeni have floated to the surface of the water, so you will get a signal when they are ready. Or if it happens that the deckhand from the yacht also happens to be your personal assistant, it is possible to measure the exact 10 minutes of the break between two important meetings and calmly "release the tension" without worrying that your puritanical partners will witness the sacred act...
One thing is certain – owning this model will unleash its owner's imagination and drastically increase their ingenuity!
But let's stop discussing its functions and talk about the model's aesthetic message. At 44 mm, it is not only one of Rolex's largest models, but perhaps its most extroverted – and not just because of its size. The bright blue bezel (made of the well-known Cerachrom) was not enough, and so that there is no doubt as to which model is on your wrist, the manufacturer has indicated it in large letters: YACHT-MASTER II. The abundant use of rose gold in the watch's design (or as Rolex calls this material, Everose gold) adds a large dose of aristocracy to the model's aura and "adds value". But, leaving this extroversion aside, the watch is really comfortable to wear – unlike the DSSD, the other giant in the Rolex line – it is more compact, thinner and lighter, more elegant and very attractive. Indeed, once you get used to its size you will understand what we are talking about. The sharply contrasting hands, white dial, and red countdown hand - and, yes, that bright blue bezel - give the whole watch a unique maritime feel and make it a pleasure to look at (and thanks to the abundant luminescence, visibility is very good at night as well), while the numerous rose gold elements categorically attract appreciative glances, and not only from the fairer sex, but certainly from connoisseurs of the art of watchmaking.
Yes, this is an extroverted watch, but the quality of execution is very clean and at a very high level (as can usually be expected from Rolex) and contrary to the initial impression, this is not a specialized instrument for a narrow group of professional yachtsmen, as this same skipper, after finishing his work on the Board of Directors and dismissing the deckhand, can easily put on a pair of ripped jeans and a white t-shirt and ride his old Indian on the way to some Woodstock or other rock festival... And everywhere, his blue friend will worthily accompany him...
For the case back of the watch, Rolex uses a simple solid back (as, by the way, in all its models) – in this case, it is devoid of any markings, inscriptions, or other "decorations". As we all know, for its watches Rolex uses noble 904L steel; recently Rolex has been calling this alloy Oyster Steel, and in the case of this model, it is combined with Everose gold – the bezel, crown, pushers, center bracelet links, and dial elements are made of 18-carat rose gold. It is a widely known fact that Rolex can be called fanatics when it comes to the alloys they use – a large part of the metallurgical processes are done in-house to guarantee consistent quality of the raw material – many watches have passed through my hands, but I can say with absolute certainty that no other brand devotes so much attention and effort to the quality of the final product in terms of case finishing – and as a result, a unique quality and presence cannot fail to be achieved.
As we have already mentioned, a three-piece link bracelet with solid links that taper towards the clasp is used here – this makes the bracelet very comfortable, and the clasp is an Oysterlock with a security catch, with the possibility of micro-adjustment and Easylink.
