Built to count down minutes before a regatta start, this is the only Rolex with a programmable mechanical memory, doing the job without a battery. Sailors used to shout numbers at each other across the deck. Now a red triangle and a blue ring do the talking.

Presents itself in mint condition with little to no signs of wear. Framed by deep blue ceramic, the bezel holds its color like stained glass holds light, with numerals engraved and filled in platinum so they never fade. Set against that blue, the lacquered white dial carries the fat lumed Mercedes hour hand that only arrived on this reference in 2017, alongside a red countdown triangle and a red sweep hand. Finished in mirror polish and soft brushing, the steel case and bracelet flip between gloss and matte with every turn of the wrist.

Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, programmable countdown timer, regatta chronograph, and mechanical memory. Driven by the self-winding Caliber 4161, it delivers a 72-hour power reserve and 100 meters of water resistance. Unscrew the Triplock crown, wind about forty turns, pull it out one click to set the time, then press it back and screw it down. To program the countdown, turn the Ring Command bezel a quarter turn counterclockwise, press the lower pusher until it locks, then unscrew the crown to select one to ten minutes. Turn the bezel back clockwise to lock your setting, then start and stop with the upper pusher and sync on the fly with the lower one.

Comes as a complete set, double-boxed with the international guarantee card and hang tag.

Years went into working out how to make a watch remember a number, and the answer was a bezel that talks to the movement underneath. Production ended in 2024, making this blue and white configuration a closed chapter rather than a catalog option. Submariner and Daytona collectors arrive here last, only to find it’s the watch everyone asks about.