Rolex Yacht-Master II for Sale
Rolex built exactly one regatta chronograph. It retired the original four references in 2024, then revived the line under new reference numbers in 2026. The 44mm Yacht-Master II, all four original references, sourced on request.
Send us the reference, year, dial, or budget you want. Our team will check available options through our verified dealer network.
Tap any reference to see live results, or send the reference through our request form and we will confirm availability.
44mm. Launch reference in 18k yellow gold, blue Cerachrom bezel
44mm. 18k white gold with 950 platinum bezel ring, rarest of the four
44mm. Rolesor in steel and 18k Everose gold, the warm-toned middle option
44mm. Full Oystersteel, the most produced and most liquid reference
We have no Yacht-Master II in stock at this moment, so we will not print placeholder numbers. The pattern across the line is consistent: the steel 116680 is the entry point, the two-tone 116681 sits in the middle, and the yellow gold 116688 and white gold 116689 command the most, driven as much by metal weight as by rarity. Since production ended in 2024, clean post-2017-dial examples have firmed.
When you ask us to source one, we return a single firm price for a specific watch, photographed and described honestly, with condition, dial generation, and set contents already priced in. No ranges, no bait listings.
Every original-generation Rolex Yacht-Master II is now a discontinued watch. Rolex produced this 44mm regatta chronograph from 2007 to 2024, then in 2026 replaced it with a new-generation Yacht-Master II under different reference numbers. It remains the only Rolex ever fitted with a programmable countdown. We do not have one of the original four references in the showcase today. We source them on request through our dealer network, usually within days, and you approve the exact watch and price before any money moves.
The hunt is simpler than it sounds, because the original generation only ever held four references: yellow gold 116688, white gold 116689, Everose Rolesor 116681, and steel 116680. Tell us the reference, the dial generation, and whether you need box and papers, and we come back with a firm landed price. Payment by cash, Zelle, wire, or crypto, a one-year warranty on the watch, and free insured FedEx Priority Overnight anywhere in the US.
The Yacht-Master II exists for one job: timing the start of a sailboat race. Calibre 4161, built from roughly 360 components on the architecture of the Daytona's 4130, drives a countdown programmable anywhere from 10 minutes down to 1. The setting is held in mechanical memory, so resetting the chronograph does not erase it, and a flyback function snaps the countdown hand to the nearest minute mid-sequence so you can sync with the committee boat's gun. Power reserve is 72 hours, and every example is chronometer certified.
The blue Cerachrom bezel is not decoration, it is a control. The Ring Command system, which debuted here in 2007 before the Sky-Dweller borrowed it in 2012, mechanically links the bezel to the movement: rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise and the crown programs the countdown, rotate it back and the setting locks. All of it lives in a 44mm Oyster case, one of the largest Rolex has offered, rated to 100 meters with a Triplock crown.
Discontinuation changes the collector math. For 17 years the Yacht-Master II was polarizing, too big and too loud for the crowd chasing Submariners, and steel examples often changed hands below retail. Production of these four references ended in 2024, so their combined supply is now fixed even though Rolex revived the Yacht-Master II under new reference numbers in 2026, and discontinued Rolex sport models with a genuine mechanical claim to fame have a habit of being reappraised. The white gold 116689, made in the smallest numbers and pulled from the catalog earliest in 2022, is the reference to watch.
The Yacht-Master II was built for starting cannons and committee boats, and our Brickell office sits a few blocks from the yacht slips on Biscayne Bay, which is exactly where Miami examples of this watch tend to live. Sellers walk them in from the marina crowd; buyers have us source one and inspect it by appointment in Brickell, Aventura, or our Downtown LA Jewelry District office before a dollar changes hands.
In 2017 Rolex reworked the dial line-wide: a Mercedes hour hand, an inverted triangle at 12, and a rectangular marker at 6 replaced the earlier straight handset and round indices. The reference numbers never changed, so the dial, not the paperwork, tells you whether an example is pre or post 2017. Later dials currently carry a premium.
Unlock the Ring Command bezel, program a countdown, run it, reset it, and confirm the setting survives. Grit in the bezel action or a countdown that loses its programming points to a service, and with roughly 360 components calibre 4161 is one of the pricier Rolex movements to overhaul. We run this exact sequence in our authentication review.
A full gold 116688 on its Oysterlock bracelet is one of the heaviest watches Rolex has cataloged, and that mass accelerates wear. Look for stretch between links, a loose clasp, and rounding on the broad polished lugs. On a case this large, an aggressive past polish is easy to spot in raking light.
Steel 116680, launched in 2013, is the easiest to source and the easiest to resell. The 2011 Everose Rolesor 116681 splits the difference. The 2007 launch pair, 116688 and 116689, trade on metal weight and scarcity, and the 116689 can take the longest to find in honest condition.
We source pre-owned Rolex watches through a network of dealers we have worked with directly, not through anonymous listings.
Every watch is inspected against the reference by our independent watchmakers before it is offered to a customer.
Insured shipping with full coverage and signature on delivery, sent only after payment is cleared and the watch is approved.
Pick up in person at our New York, Los Angeles, Miami Brickell, or Aventura locations after the watch is confirmed and authenticated.
Send photos and basic details, and our team can review your watch for a potential purchase or trade-in. Trade-in credit can be applied directly toward the watch you are buying from us.
How much does a pre-owned Rolex Yacht-Master II cost?
The steel 116680 is the least expensive pre-owned Yacht-Master II, the two-tone 116681 costs more, and the full gold 116688 and 116689 cost the most. Because we source to order, we quote a firm price for a specific watch rather than a range. Dial generation and full sets move the number.
Do you have a Rolex Yacht-Master II for sale right now?
Not in the showcase today; we source Yacht-Master II references on request through our dealer network, usually within a few days. You approve photos, condition notes, and a firm price before committing to anything.
Is the Rolex Yacht-Master II discontinued?
Yes, Rolex ended production of the original four Yacht-Master II references in 2024 after a 17-year run, then reintroduced the Yacht-Master II under new reference numbers in 2026. That leaves the original four references, 116688, 116689, 116681, and 116680, as a closed and fixed supply.
What does the Yacht-Master II countdown actually do?
It times the starting sequence of a sailing regatta, with a countdown programmable from 10 minutes down to 1. The setting is stored mechanically and survives resets, and a flyback function snaps the hand to the nearest minute to match the race clock.
How do you verify a Yacht-Master II is authentic?
Every watch we sell passes an independent authentication review, and on this model the movement is the giveaway: calibre 4161 and its bezel linkage are extremely hard to fake. We test the full Ring Command programming sequence and match the rehaut serial to the papers.
Can I see a Yacht-Master II in Miami or Los Angeles?
Yes, by appointment at our Brickell or Aventura offices in Miami, or our Downtown Los Angeles office in the Jewelry District. Since this model is sourced to order, we bring the specific watch you approved to the appointment and you inspect it before paying.
What size is the Yacht-Master II and how does it wear?
It measures 44mm across with 100 meters of water resistance, one of the largest cases Rolex has made. The flat, wide bezel makes it wear even bigger than the number suggests, so try it on the wrist before you commit.