Sell your Rolex Yacht-Master · five sizes, four metals · South Florida
Sell your Yacht-Master to a dealer who prices the metal first.
Rolesium, two-tone, Everose on Oysterflex, white gold, titanium: each Yacht-Master is priced on its own ground. Send photos of the bezel, the strap or bracelet, and the card. I reply within 1 business day with a number and the reasoning.
- Platinum bezel condition read before the word polish comes up
- Oysterflex cracks priced as a part, not a reason to pass
- Yacht-Master II appraised as the different watch it is
- Prepaid insured FedEx label, or an appointment in your county
Who this page is for
First, which Yacht-Master is it.
This page is for the owner of a Yacht-Master holding a quote that never said which Yacht-Master it was pricing. The line runs from a 29 mm ladies model on a two-tone bracelet to a 42 mm white gold watch on a rubber strap, and the same name is on every dial.
The offer turns on metal and size before anything else. Then it turns on parts no other Rolex sport model has: a platinum bezel that does not take a polish well, a rubber Oysterflex strap that ages, and a case that is confused daily with the larger Yacht-Master II.
Serial eras, card versus papers, and service history are covered on the Rolex sell page. Here I stay on what is specific to the Yacht-Master.
Selling a Yacht-Master to a private dealer
What I do differently with this line.
Metal and reference, shown separately
A yellow gold 16628 or an Everose 126655 has a precious-metal floor the Rolesium does not. The reply separates what the metal is worth from what the reference adds, so you can see both.
The platinum bezel is read, not assumed
The sandblasted ground and polished raised numerals on a Rolesium bezel show every past polish. I note what is original and what has been softened.
Oysterflex judged as a part
Cracks at the lugs or along the blade lower the offer by the cost of a replacement strap, not by a verdict on the watch.
Yacht-Master II handled on its own terms
The 44 mm regatta chronograph is a different watch with a different buyer. If that is what you own, the reply prices it as one.
A number in 1 business day
Not a range that narrows once the watch arrives. The offer and the reasons behind it, in writing.
What I check on a Yacht-Master
Six things that decide the offer.
Each one moves the number. I tell you which way in the reply.
The reference between the lugs
16622, 116622, 126622 Rolesium; 16628 gold; 16623 two-tone; 116655 and 126655 Everose; 226659, 226658, 226627 at 42 mm. The reference tells me metal and size first.
The bezel
Platinum on Rolesium, gold on the gold references, black Cerachrom on the Oysterflex models. Raised numerals should be crisp and the matte ground even.
Case size
29, 35, 37, 40, and 42 mm. The 37 mm 268622 and the discontinued 29 and 35 mm sizes each have their own buyers and their own pace.
Oysterflex and Glidelock
Elastomer over a metal blade, on an Oysterlock clasp with the Glidelock extension. I check the lug ends for cracks and whether the strap is the original length.
Yacht-Master II
44 mm, Ring Command bezel, programmable regatta countdown: 116680 steel, 116688 yellow gold, 116689 white gold. The countdown must set and reset cleanly.
The card date
On the 126622, 126655, and the 42 mm references the card date places the watch inside the current run. Serials are scrambled, so the card does the dating.
How it works
Four steps, with the right photos first.
01
Get an offer
Submit the appraisal form with daylight photos: dial straight on, the bezel from above so the numerals and matte ground show, the strap where it meets the lugs or the bracelet laid flat, the clasp open with the code visible, the case back, the reference between the lugs, and the warranty card. If the bezel sets a countdown, say Yacht-Master II. I reply within 1 business day.
02
Ship or meet
Take the prepaid, fully insured FedEx label, or book an appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach. Keep the Oysterflex on the watch; do not fold it.
03
Inspect and confirm
I open the box on camera and inspect in person: bezel, metal, strap or bracelet, case back, serial, card. If it matches the photos, the offer stands.
04
Get paid
Wire or check within 24 hours of inspection. If we do not agree, the watch goes back to you, insured, at my cost.
Yacht-Master or Yacht-Master II
Two names, two watches.
Sellers confuse them every week. The size settles it before anything else does.
| Criteria | Yacht-Master | Yacht-Master II |
|---|---|---|
| Case size | 29 to 42 mm depending on reference | 44 mm only |
| Bezel | Platinum, gold, or black Cerachrom; turns both ways on a 60-minute scale | Ring Command bezel linked to the movement; it sets the countdown |
| Function | Time and date | Regatta chronograph with a programmable countdown |
| Dial | Platinum, blue, dark rhodium, black, chocolate, and more by reference | White, with a blue bezel across the range |
| Strap or bracelet | Oyster bracelet, or Oysterflex on the Everose, gold, and titanium references | Oyster bracelet |
| What moves the offer most | Metal, size, bezel condition, strap or bracelet condition | Metal, whether the countdown sets and resets, movement condition |
If you are still unsure, measure the case across without the crown. Anything at 44 mm with a white dial is a Yacht-Master II.
The detail
What moves a Yacht-Master offer, and why.
The line, by metal and size
The Yacht-Master arrived in 1992 as the 16628, a 40 mm yellow gold watch. The two-tone 16623 and the smaller 68623 and 69623 followed, and in 1999 Rolex introduced Rolesium on the 16622: a steel case with a platinum bezel and dial. The 116622 and the 126622 of 2019 carried Rolesium on, with the 268622 at 37 mm. Everose on the Oysterflex strap came with the 116655 and then the 126655. The 42 mm case arrived with the white gold 226659, the yellow gold 226658, and the RLX titanium 226627 in 2023. Five sizes, four material mixes, one name, and each trades in its own pool.
Rolesium and the platinum bezel
Rolesium is the Rolex name for steel with platinum, and on the Yacht-Master the platinum is the bezel: sandblasted to a matte ground with the numerals left raised and polished. Platinum is soft, so the bezel picks up dings, and a polish meant to remove them flattens the matte ground and softens the numerals. That cannot be undone. A bezel with its texture intact is worth more than one that has been buffed, which is why I ask for a daylight photo of it from above before I say anything about polishing.
Everose, white gold, yellow gold, and titanium on Oysterflex
From the 116655 onward the precious-metal Yacht-Masters moved to the Oysterflex, a black elastomer strap over a metal blade, on an Oysterlock clasp with a Glidelock extension. The 42 mm references in white gold, yellow gold, and titanium use it too, with a black Cerachrom bezel instead of platinum, so the bezel check moves from texture to chips at the edge. The metal sets the floor, the reference and condition set what sits above it, and the reply shows both lines.
Two-tone and the smaller sizes
The two-tone 16623 and the 29 mm and 35 mm references are the Yacht-Masters most often inherited or given as gifts. They are bought, and priced on metal content, size, dial, and whether the gold centre links show wear. The 37 mm 268622 sits closer to the 40 mm in demand than the older small sizes do. If yours has a diamond dial or bezel, send a close photo; factory-set stones and later additions are priced differently.
Yacht-Master II is a different watch
The Yacht-Master II is a 44 mm regatta chronograph with a Ring Command bezel that programs a countdown. The 116688 and 116689 came first in yellow and white gold, the steel 116680 followed, and all wear a white dial with a blue bezel. It is bought by a different collector and judged on whether the countdown sets and resets correctly and on the condition of a large, easily knocked case. Send one through this page if you like; the reply will price it as what it is.
The Oysterflex strap: cracks, length, and replacement
Oysterflex ages. The elastomer dries and cracks at the lug ends first, then along the inside of the blade. A cracked strap does not make me pass on the watch; it makes me deduct a replacement strap, which is sized to the watch and comes through Rolex. If the strap has already been replaced, say so. A strap cut short for a smaller wrist narrows the next buyer, so I check the length against the reference.
When selling to me is not the right call
If your Yacht-Master is gold and you plan to wait for the metal to climb, a dealer offer today prices the metal at today's level. If the watch is sentimental and you are undecided, keep it. If the Oysterflex is cracked and you would rather have Rolex replace it first, that is a fair choice, though it rarely pays for itself at sale. If you want a clean, insured, documented sale with the money in your account within a day of inspection, that is what I do.
How to prepare your submission
- Dial straight on in daylight, and the reference engraved between the lugs at twelve o'clock.
- The bezel from above and from the side, so the matte ground, the numerals, and any dings read.
- For Oysterflex: the strap where it meets the lugs on both sides, and the clasp open with the code.
- For a bracelet: laid flat, the clasp open with the code, and the centre links where two-tone gold wears.
- The case back, and the warranty card beside the watch with the serial readable.
- If it is a Yacht-Master II, a short video of the countdown being set and reset.
- Label or appointment, and which county you are in.
Questions, answered
Before you send a Yacht-Master
Is my watch a Yacht-Master or a Yacht-Master II?
Measure the case. A Yacht-Master II is 44 mm with a white dial, a blue bezel, and a countdown you set by turning the bezel. Every Yacht-Master is 42 mm or smaller and shows only time and date.
Is the Rolesium bezel really platinum?
Yes. On the 16622, 116622, 126622, and 268622 the bezel is platinum over a steel case. That is what the name means, and it is why a polish on that bezel matters so much.
My Oysterflex strap is cracked. Does that lower the offer?
By the cost of a replacement strap through Rolex, not more. Send a photo of the lug ends and I price it in the reply.
Do you buy the 37 mm and the ladies sizes?
Yes, every size from 29 mm to 42 mm, in every metal. The smaller and two-tone references are priced on metal, dial, and bracelet wear, and I say which of those is doing the work.
Can we meet in Palm Beach?
Yes, by appointment, and the same for Miami-Dade and Broward. If shipping suits you better, the FedEx label is prepaid and insured.
Sell your Yacht-Master
A real number on your Yacht-Master, in 1 business day.
Send the bezel, the strap or bracelet, and the card. I reply personally with the reference, the metal, and the reasoning. Insured shipping is on me. Payout within 24 hours of inspection.