Rolex Yacht-Master II

How the Countdown Actually Works

Sailboat races don't start with a gun the way most competitive starts do — there's a sequence, typically five or ten minutes, and being early or late costs real position. The Yacht-Master II's Ring Command bezel rotates to program the countdown length, and a patented mechanical memory stores the setting so the complication resets accurately race after race without recalculation.

This is a genuinely complicated movement — caliber 4161, developed specifically for this function — and it shows in the price relative to a standard three-hand Rolex. You're paying for a mechanism most owners will demonstrate to friends more often than use in an actual regatta, and that's fine. It's still real engineering.

Pre-Owned Pricing

Steel and Everose Rolesor (reference 116681): $16,000 to $19,000 pre-owned with papers. The two-tone configuration is the most commonly available.

Full 18k white or yellow gold: $28,000 to $35,000 depending on dial and condition.

Platinum with blue dial: This is the top of the Yacht-Master II range and one of the more understated platinum Rolex references available — no diamonds, no ostentation, just the rarest metal Rolex uses paired with a genuinely complicated movement. Pre-owned: $40,000 and up.

Watch-only examples without papers run $1,500 to $2,500 below these ranges across the board.

Yacht-Master II vs Standard Yacht-Master

The naming causes real confusion, so it's worth being direct: the Yacht-Master II is not a bigger or newer version of the standard Yacht-Master. It's a different watch built around a different complication. The standard Yacht-Master is a three-hand watch with a smooth bidirectional bezel. The Yacht-Master II has the countdown chronograph function and a case roughly 44mm, larger than any standard Yacht-Master configuration.

If you want the nautical look and the Rolesium or titanium option, the standard Yacht-Master is what you want. If you specifically want the regatta countdown mechanism, this is the only reference that has it.

What to Check Before Buying

The Ring Command bezel and its countdown function are the primary things to verify on this reference — more moving parts means more that can develop wear. The bezel should engage the countdown setting precisely, and the mechanical memory should reset correctly when tested. This is a watch where working with a specialist familiar with the specific complication matters more than on a standard three-hand Rolex.

Every pre-owned Rolex Yacht-Master II we sell has been authenticated, function-tested on the countdown complication specifically, and issued our written warranty. We've been doing this since 2000.

Browse our current pre-owned Rolex Yacht-Master II inventory, see the standard Yacht-Master collection, or explore all pre-owned Rolex watches. Looking to sell? We buy pre-owned Rolex watches nationwide.