Yacht-Master and Yacht-Master II Bezel Question

[ColRam425]

So, I've become a huge fan of the YM, but I've noticed a discrepancy on Rolex's site. It says that the YM bezel has "graduations coated in 950 platinum" however for the WG YMII with the Platinum bezel, it says the bezel is "solid platinum with raised numerals" so my question is does this mean that the YM's bezel is not solid platinum? I was always under the impression that it is.

[locutus49]

There are lots of threads on this. I don't recall the answer, though.

[jack81]

Somene with expertise will help you shortly. Meanwhile you may enjoy this

[ColRam425]

Originally Posted by jack81

Somene with expertise will help you shortly. Meanwhile you may enjoy this

Haha, such a stunning piece!

[gnuyork]

Originally Posted by ColRam425

Haha, such a stunning piece!

yes, indeed!

[pacific17]

Originally Posted by jack81

Somene with expertise will help you shortly. Meanwhile you may enjoy this

Awesome piece!

[HogwldFLTR]

IIRC the insert is solid Pt.

[Xarklee]

Curious to know this too!

[pacific17]

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=370091

Hope this answers your question.

[77T]

Originally Posted by pacific17

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=370091

Hope this answers your question.

Yep that's the thread I recalled.
Thanks for finding it.

[ColRam425]

Originally Posted by pacific17

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=370091

Hope this answers your question.

This is actually perfect answer. I still don't understand then why the specs on Rolex's site would have the discrepancy between the bezels. I hope it's not an issue of "oh we used to do solid Pl for the entire bezel but now we only make the insert out of Pl"

[77T]

There have been threads on this and IIRC, Jocke took one apart and weighed the YM bezel. The consensus was not "plated" based on careful inspection. That + no hallmarks on back side of YM bezel left us using weight as the indicator.

The YMII is a different animal and I don't recall anyone dissecting one yet to verify. But any intrepid WG YMII owners who pop off the bezel may look for a hallmark.

[Alpino]

Originally Posted by 77T

...
The YMII is a different animal and I don't recall anyone dissecting one yet to verify. But any intrepid WG YMII owners who pop off the bezel may look for a hallmark.

From this Rolex Tech.info extract, we can guess YMII use same (PT950) construction than YM

[pacific17]

Since we are talking about bezel's, I assume 16623 is solid 18k YG right?

[Danex]

Originally Posted by pacific17

Since we are talking about bezel's, I assume 16623 is solid 18k YG right?

Looks that way to me.. And the price is just a little more, I guess to account for the gold in the bracelet.

I have struggled over this YM bezel question for some time now. The Rolex website/ literature is contradictory. It is possible that only the bezel insert is platinum, while the bezel is 904L steel. The bezel and insert are joined in a way, that I believe only Rolex (RSC) can separate them. Jocke's dissection and weight measurements lead me to believe it is pure platinum, but without both volume and weight, I can't be sure. The density of platinum is very high, so it should be possible to discern the composition measuring the bezel's density.

If I were to ask Rolex, it would be difficult to get an answer that I could trust. The people that really know for certain are so far removed from those that interact with the customers. Ask 3 different people, and I expect 3 different answers.

[night]

The YM's bezel has sure turned into quite the mystery. What ever the interpretation, I still love it.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by ColRam425

So, I've become a huge fan of the YM, but I've noticed a discrepancy on Rolex's site. It says that the YM bezel has "graduations coated in 950 platinum" however for the WG YMII with the Platinum bezel, it says the bezel is "solid platinum with raised numerals" so my question is does this mean that the YM's bezel is not solid platinum? I was always under the impression that it is.

Yes, it is a discrepancy on the Web Site and does not reflect Rolex published material descriptions..