Rolex Yacht-Master Rolesium 16622
A steel case and bracelet with a platinum bezel, and a grey dial that on the early series has a coarser grain.
You can sell your Rolex Yacht-Master to Reuven Watches in Utrecht. We buy every version, from a 16622 with a platinum bezel to a 42 on Oysterflex, and the Yacht-Master II as well. Send a few photos and you will hear what we offer within 24 hours.
You are not committed to anything. Your details stay confidential.
What a Rolex Yacht-Master is worth depends first of all on what the bezel and the case are made of. This is the only Rolex model on which a steel case can carry a platinum bezel, and alongside it there are versions in yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and titanium. Then the case size, the generation and the state of the bezel count. We assess your watch on its own and you receive an offer without obligation within 24 hours, weekends included.
From a distance the Yacht-Master looks like a dive watch, but it is not one. The bezel turns both ways and has no stop, the numerals stand raised on a matt ground, and the watch was never marketed as a diving instrument. That bezel is the most important part in any valuation.
Is the bezel platinum, gold or ceramic? Is the watch on a steel bracelet or on a rubber strap with a metal core? And how wide is the case: twenty-nine, thirty-five, thirty-seven, forty, forty-two or forty-four millimetres? With those three answers we almost always know which line and which generation you are in.
We buy it without box and without card as well, and there is no minimum value. If you do not know which metal is in the bezel, you do not have to work it out; that is what we are for, and it is exactly the point where sellers most often short-change themselves.
On this model the distinction lies not in the dial but in the metal and in the strap. Below are the six versions that reach us most, with the number alongside so you can find it on your own watch.
A steel case and bracelet with a platinum bezel, and a grey dial that on the early series has a coarser grain.
Larger hour markers, a more finely sandblasted dial and a bezel that clicks into each step. Also supplied with a blue dial.
The same layout with a new movement and a longer power reserve. Outwardly all but identical to its predecessor.
Rose gold with a black ceramic bezel and Rolex's first rubber strap, with a metal core inside.
Thirty-seven millimetres, between the ladies' size and the forty. Available with a gold or a platinum bezel.
Forty-four millimetres with a countdown for regatta starts, set by turning the bezel. A different watch, the same name.
Rolesium is a word of Rolex's own; the other designations come from the trade. If you do not see your version among them, that is no obstacle: we buy every Yacht-Master.
At Rolex the number sits between the lugs at the top, under the bracelet, so you only read it once the bracelet is off. On this model the last digit gives away the metal: a 2 stands for a platinum bezel on steel, an 8 for yellow gold, a 5 for Everose, a 9 for white gold, a 7 for titanium and a 1 or 3 for steel with gold.
| Reference | Version | Period | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16628 | Yacht-Master in yellow gold | circa 1992 to 2011 | solid 18 carat, 40 mm, gold bezel |
| 68628 and 69628 | Yacht-Master in yellow gold | circa 1994 to 2011 | the 35 and 29 mm sizes, with diamonds too |
| 16622 | Yacht-Master Rolesium | circa 1999 to 2012 | steel with a platinum bezel, coarser grain |
| 168622 and 169622 | Yacht-Master Rolesium | circa 1999 to 2012 | the 35 and 29 mm sizes in Rolesium |
| 116622 | Yacht-Master Rolesium | circa 2012 to 2019 | larger hour markers, clicking bezel |
| 126622 | Yacht-Master 40 | from 2019 | new movement, longer power reserve |
| 116655, 126655 and 268655 | Yacht-Master on Oysterflex | from 2015 | Everose with a ceramic bezel, 40 and 37 mm |
| 268621 and 268622 | Yacht-Master 37 | from 2016 | steel with Everose, or Rolesium |
| 226659 and 226627 | Yacht-Master 42 | from 2019 | white gold and later titanium, matt bezel |
| 116680 to 116689 | Yacht-Master II | from 2007 | 44 mm, countdown, blue bezel |
Not finding your reference here? We also buy the early gold versions from the nineties and the twenty-nine millimetre ladies' sizes.
Because this model exists in six case sizes and five metals, the figures that occur are listed below with a note on where the difference lies. That way you can place your own watch.
This table helps you work out which Yacht-Master you have. An offer does not follow from it: we make that on the individual watch, and on this model the precious metal counts in it.
You do not have to be an assayer to work out which Yacht-Master you have and what state it is in. Go through these four points in daylight with the watch in hand.
Look at the bezel at an angle and note the surface between the numerals. It should be matt and finely sandblasted, while the numerals themselves stand raised and polished. If that surface has gone shiny, the bezel has been repolished and the sandblasted texture is gone. On this model that cannot be put right, and it is the first thing we look at.
Put the watch by a window in daylight and look from the bezel to the case edge. Platinum reads cooler and slightly greyer than steel; gold is obvious at once. If you see no difference at all, there may be a steel or replaced ring on it, and that is something we want to know either way.
Hold the dial under a lamp and see how coarse the texture is. On the first generation that grain is coarser and the shade darker; on the later ones finer and lighter, with larger hour markers and broader hands. Together those two things establish the generation without your having to take the bracelet off.
Look at where the strap enters the case. On an Oysterflex you see rubber wrapped around a metal blade; check there whether the rubber has split, because that is the point that flexes most. On a steel or gold bracelet, look at how far the links sag apart when you lift the watch by the clasp.
If you cannot manage all of this, it does not matter. Send what you can and leave the rest to us; that is also where your risk of a miscalculation is lowest.
Have your Yacht-Master assessedOn this model the outcome hangs on the material more than on any other Rolex sports model. Below are the points that count, from heaviest to lightest.
Platinum, yellow gold, Everose, white gold, titanium or ceramic on gold. This is the first question and immediately the weightiest, because on this model it is where sellers most often short-change themselves.
Impact on the value: Large
A 16622, a 116622 and a 126622 are all but identical from a distance but sit apart in the market. The grain of the dial and the size of the hour markers show which you have.
Impact on the value: Large
The matt ground between the raised numerals should still be there. Repolished means that texture has gone, and on this model that ring is precisely where the value sits.
Impact on the value: Large
Twenty-nine, thirty-five, thirty-seven, forty or forty-two millimetres. The thirty-seven sits between two markets and so has an audience of its own that does not move with the forty.
Impact on the value: Average
On an Oysterflex we look for cracks at the lug end and at the cushions on the inside. On a steel or gold bracelet, for stretch at the pins and whether any loose links come with it.
Impact on the value: Average
The card makes the version and the year traceable, and on a watch containing precious metal that is doubly useful. A receipt from a recent service is a plus.
Impact on the value: Average
There are no figures here, and on this model that is a deliberate choice: the precious metal in the bezel and the case moves with the market, so a guide price on a web page would sooner mislead you than help.
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The bezel of a Yacht-Master is platinum. That is exactly where sellers leave money on the table.
These three carry the same name and are three different watches, each with its own size, its own strap and its own function. Below they stand side by side.
| Yacht-Master 40 | Yacht-Master 42 | Yacht-Master II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| References | 16628, 16622, 116622, 126622 | 226659 and 226627 | 116680 to 116689 |
| Case size | 40 mm | 42 mm | 44 mm |
| The bezel | Platinum or gold, raised numerals | Matt ceramic | Blue ceramic, rotating as the control |
| The bracelet | Oyster in steel or gold | Oysterflex | Oyster in steel or gold |
| Special function | None | None | A countdown for a regatta start |
| How often we see it | The most common of the three | Still few | Regularly |
Still unsure? Look for three small windows on the dial and for a countdown function. If it has one, you have a Yacht-Master II, and that is almost always forty-four millimetres.
Four things that on this model regularly lead to a miscalculation. No predictions about the market, only what we see come across our counter.
To the untrained eye a platinum bezel on a steel case looks like steel, and so the Yacht-Master is regularly offered as an ordinary steel Rolex. That costs money. So look in daylight at the difference in tone between the ring and the case edge, and put the word Rolesium in your advert if it applies.
The matt, sandblasted ground between the raised numerals is the feature everything hangs on with this model. A jeweller who refreshes the watch and takes that ring along in the polishing makes it shiny, and then the texture is gone for good. So do not have it refreshed before you sell.
The thirty-seven millimetre size sits between what is seen as a ladies' and a men's size, and so does not move with the forty. There is a steady group who want exactly that size. So state it explicitly, even if you think it is an in-between size nobody looks for.
The II has a countdown for the start of a race and is operated by turning the bezel. It is forty-four millimetres and wears large. In adverts the two are regularly confused, and since they draw different audiences it pays to use the right name.
If you do not know where your watch fits in here, have it looked at. The offer carries no obligation and you are free to set it beside an advert or another offer.
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A selection of three of the 50 Google reviews, quoted word for word.
We buy every Rolex Yacht-Master, from a gold version from the nineties to a 42 in titanium, and every Yacht-Master II too. For each version we look at the metal of the bezel and the case, at the generation and at the state of the bracelet. Say in your request whether the bezel is platinum, gold or ceramic; if you do not know, we establish it.
The 16622 is the first generation of Rolesium: a steel case and bracelet with a platinum bezel, made from 1999 to 2012. If you want to sell a Rolex Yacht-Master 16622, we look at the grain of the grey dial and at the matt ground of the bezel. On the early series that grain is coarser, and the trade names it separately.
The 116622 followed in 2012 with larger hour markers, broader hands and a bezel that clicks into each step. There has also been a version with a blue dial. To sell a 116622 the colour of the dial is the first thing we ask about, because blue and grey each draw their own audience.
Rolesium is Rolex's designation for steel with a platinum bezel, and that combination occurs only on this model. If you want to sell a Rolex Yacht-Master Rolesium, the main thing is to know that this ring is precious metal and not steel. So put the word in your advert, or the right buyer will search straight past you.
The first Yacht-Masters were solid yellow gold, and later versions in Everose and white gold were added. When selling a gold Rolex Yacht-Master the weight of the precious metal counts in the assessment, alongside the state of the case and the bezel. We also buy the versions with diamonds on the dial.
The Oysterflex is a rubber strap with a metal blade inside, introduced on this model in 2015. To sell a Rolex Yacht-Master on Oysterflex we look at the lug end, because that is where the rubber flexes most and can split. A second strap or the original box counts.
The thirty-seven millimetre arrived in 2016 and sits between the ladies' size and the forty, in steel with Everose or in Rolesium. If you want to sell a Rolex Yacht-Master 37, name that size explicitly. There is a steady group who look for exactly this size, and that group does not move with demand for the forty millimetre.
The forty-two millimetre appeared in 2019 in white gold and later in titanium, with a matt ceramic bezel and an Oysterflex strap. When selling a Rolex Yacht-Master 42 the metal of the case is the first thing we establish, because titanium and white gold feel different in the hand but cannot be told apart in a photo.
The Yacht-Master II is forty-four millimetres and has a countdown for the start of a regatta, which you set by turning the bezel. If you want to sell a Rolex Yacht-Master II, we check that this function still sets and resets properly. It comes in steel, in Rolesor and in gold with a platinum bezel.
That depends mainly on the metal of the bezel and the case, on the generation and on the state of that bezel. A steel version with a platinum ring sits in a different market from a solid gold one.
We name no figures here, partly because the value of the precious metal moves with the market. Send a few photos and you will hear what we offer within 24 hours.
That is Rolex's designation for a steel case and bracelet with a bezel in 950 platinum. That combination exists only on the Yacht-Master and nowhere else in the range.
For you as a seller that matters, because some owners do not know that ring is precious metal and so offer the watch too cheaply.
Put the watch by a window in daylight and look from the bezel to the case edge. Platinum is cooler and slightly greyer in tone than steel, and side by side that difference is usually visible.
If you cannot work it out, send a photo with the bezel and the case both in frame. We will tell you what it is.
The II is forty-four millimetres and has a countdown for the start of a race, which you set by turning the bezel. The dial carries extra windows for it.
The ordinary Yacht-Master does not have that function and is smaller. They are two different watches with different audiences.
Do not. On this model the ground between the raised numerals is sandblasted and matt, and that is exactly the feature the value hangs on.
If that ring is taken along in a polish, the texture is gone and does not come back. So leave the watch as it is and let us look.
Yes, we simply buy it. A strap is a part that can be replaced.
Do mention it, and photograph the lug end in particular, because that is where the rubber flexes most. If you have the original box or a second strap, that counts.
That is fine. Any brand, any condition, and we set no lower limit.
On a watch containing platinum or gold the card is useful, because it makes the version traceable. If it is lying about somewhere, a quick search is worth the trouble.
Usually the same day and in any case within 24 hours, Saturdays and Sundays included.
After that it is up to you. You may set the offer alongside others and do nothing with it; the watch then stays yours.
Assessed by
Beni Reuben
Owner and valuer at Reuven Watches
On this model Beni Reuben watches for something most owners do not know. His assessment of a Yacht-Master starts with the bezel: which metal it is and whether the sandblasted ground between the numerals is still there, because on this model that is where the difference lies.
Ten years in the watch trade
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Is there more in the drawer? For these models we have a page of their own, with the references and the points that matter on each.
Send photos of the bezel at an angle from above and of the case and bezel together, and you will hear what we offer within 24 hours. Weekends included.
You are not committed to anything. Your details stay confidential.