Rolex’s Most Unusual Yacht-Master Reference
The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 Ref. 116695SATS occupies an unusual position within the brand’s sports-watch catalogue. Introduced at Baselworld in 2017 and produced for approximately two years, it combines a 40 mm 18-karat Everose gold case with a glossy black dial and black Oysterflex bracelet. The defining element is its bidirectional rotating bezel, set with 38 sapphires in blue, orange, yellow and pink, eight green tsavorites and a diamond at 12 o’clock. Rolex selected the stones according to colour and shape, making the bezel an integral part of the original configuration rather than an aftermarket modification.
The black glossy dial gives this version a notably restrained counterpoint to the bezel. It retains the established Yacht-Master layout, with large luminous hour markers, Everose gold surrounds and a date display, while the Oysterflex bracelet continues the technical character of the watch. Inside is Rolex Calibre 3135, an automatic movement with approximately 48 hours of power reserve. The combination is significant because the reference does not rely on an entirely pavé treatment to create rarity. Instead, Rolex places the visual emphasis on a single, highly specific detail – the multicoloured gemstone bezel against an otherwise conventional Yacht-Master configuration.
Among collectors, the reference has acquired the names “Haribo”, “Candy” and “Tutti Frutti”, all drawn from the saturated colours of its bezel. The watch is now discontinued and appears only occasionally on the secondary market and at auction. Its appeal lies less in conventional display of wealth than in its position as an unconventional Rolex reference – recognisable to those familiar with the catalogue, but sufficiently unusual to sit outside the standard sports-watch vocabulary. The black-dial configuration remains particularly distinctive within the 116695SATS family, pairing a familiar Yacht-Master foundation with one of Rolex’s more unconventional gem-set executions.
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