A Review of the Yacht-Master 40: An under-valued gem?

So my first contribution to this forum is going to be in the form of a review of my recently purchased Rolex Yacht-Master 40, ref: 126655. I understand that this watch is not for everyone but if anyone is out there looking for a super wearable everyday watch with that touch of flair and style, then please read on because trust me, you will be delighted with this time piece. It might be quite long so please skip along to whichever part you're interested in!

Some context first, without boring anyone, Im in my late-thirties, single af, unemployed (recently got laid off from my job), and this combined with rampant inflation, soaring interest rates, and rapidly depreciating currency, I decided that NOW was the opportune moment to purchase a luxury watch, and not just any luxury watch, but a gold one. YOLO and all that.

Material: Right, onto the watch. Firstly this watch is made of "ever-rose" gold. For those who may not be aware, this "patented" special alloy of 18ct gold was introduced in 2005, by Rolex with the objective of preserving the beauty of its pink gold watches. The amazing thing here, is that its cast in Rolex's own foundry, how cool is that. Rolex is often misunderstood but you cannot deny that they take their materials seriously.

Bracelet: The watch features an "oyster-flex" BRACELET, and I say bracelet because this is also often misunderstood by some enthusiasts. The Oysterflex bracelet basically consists of a thin, flexible metal blade that is made of titanium inside a moulded elastomer outer coating. So right there, lets put the "I can't believe Rolex uses a cheap rubber strap on its gold watches" argument to bed. But Rolex being Rolex, it has another cool trick up its sleeve, which is the so-called "comfort pad" moulded into the under-side of the strap. This seemingly insignificant feature is actually from a U.S. Patent filed by Rolex in 2015, which goes on to describe "Document JP2002262910 proposes to produce a transverse opening in the thickness of the bracelet strand around the zone where the bracelet strand is fastened to the watchcase, to result in a damping of the stresses exerted by the bracelet on the wearer's arm." So what does this all mean? It means that the watch is extremely comfortable. Oh I forgot to mention, yes it includes another patent, the Rolex Glidelock clasp to really dial in that fit with 2.5mm increments. All this secured with screws and the whole fit and finish just feels absolutely solid. The process to size the strap when you purchase the watch is also fairly unique to Rolex. Essentially they measure your wrist using Rolex's "Official" measuring tape, then the rep will look at the chart below and determine which length you need. So, NO the strap is not CUT or anything, as you can see there are multitude of combinations ranging for C to H and you choose the combo to fit your wrist size. I love how Rolex has gone the extra mile to actually produce, and prepare every length so you're walking out the AD with the right fit and not having to back order etc. It is for sure not the most cost-effective solution but absolutely the best one for the consumer in my opinion.

Bravo Rolex, 10/10 for comfort.

Movement: This watch houses the Rolex Caliber 3235, introduced I believe in 2015 and is the new generation movement to replace the 31XX series. According to the website the movement has an ample 70-hour power reserve, 14 patents, 90 percent new components and a performance increase of 15 percent over the previous gen. One of the most touted innovations in this caliber is the so called Chronergy escapement, a modern take on the Swiss lever variation. The escape wheel is pierced, which makes it lighter, and this in turn reduces inertia and thereby also improving power transfer. The escape wheel and pallet fork are made of nickel-phosphorus (LIGA) to avoid interference by magnetism. Otherwise, the 3235 retains the Parachrom balance spring and Paraflex shock absorbers. Oh and it is guaranteed to perform better than COSC specs, so thats good enough for me, and probably for you too. The only criticism I can throw at this is the fact that all this is behind a solid case back and I would have loved a transparent case back.

Design: So now we come onto the design. This is where it becomes highly subjective so this will just purely be my own opinion. What I really love with this particular model is the "matte" ceramic bezel with polished numerals, against a matte dial. I tend to think of watches and fashion in general as a "slide rule", where one end is Formal and the other is Casual. I feel like the YM40 really manages to tread that balance so well, by using a "flashier" metal like Ever-rose BUT toning that down with a black matte bezel and matte dial. Just when its getting TOO under the radar, Rolex uses polished applied indices to make the dial pop. The whole package just works brilliantly with a variety of styles.

Value: And finally we come to the question of value. I purchased this watch recently from my go-to AD here in Tokyo, Japan for a retail price of 3,429,800 JPY, which comes to around $24,500.00 USD as of July 29 exchange rates. I understand of course, this is an "expensive" watch but to be honest, any watch over $500 is in my eyes, "expensive" and probably unnecessary so Im coming from a "relative" value perspective, and in that sense, I find this watch to be of great value. Lets briefly look at some alternative watches you could possibly get at this sort of price range in gold. We have watches like the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M which I would say is fairly comparable to the YM40, though it boasts some additional water resistance, but its priced at 4,114,000 JPY, thats nearly $30,000.00 so $5,000 more than the Rolex, which honestly surprised me. Alternatively for similar money you can get a brand new JLC Reverso Tribute for 3,322,000 JPY if you prefer that style, but that one lacks any water resistance and arguably has far less gold in it as well. Incidentally you can also get a Patek Philippe 5167A-001 for 3,267,000 JPY but of course this one is in steel. The pricing of the YM40 on chrono24 is circa $28,000.00 which to be fair isn't a massive premium on the retail price either.

Conclusion: All in all, I find this watch to be a fantastic "all-rounder" a Luxury GADA watch shall we say. Whatever you throw at it, it will handle and it can go from gardening, swimming, to more formal dinner/drinks occasions in a nice bar. Its also mentally not as stressful because you know you are not wearing a watch that has an opportunity cost of 2X MSRP like many other Sport Rolex or SS Pateks etc. It is for me a positive that the watch is somewhat overlooked and not considered highly "collectible" which allows me to wear it with ease as well.

Im going to post a couple of wrist shots but please note I was not blessed with great "wrist shot" wrists, and so the watch may appear big on me, my wrists are a meagre 15.5cm or thereabouts, so just around 6 inches on a hot day. And now that I'm unemployed, having just spent my food money on a watch, Ive also lost weight 😂 Priorities.

Thank you for reading it and if you have any questions/comments, please express them :)