Rolex Yacht-Master II 44 White Gold Platinum Bezel / Oyster / White Stick Hands 116689

The Yacht-Master II is a regatta chronograph built around a programmable countdown timer with mechanical memory, designed to time the starting sequence of a yacht race. The countdown is set and controlled through a rotating bezel that engages directly with the movement, so the watch is read and operated differently from a standard chronograph. The 116689 is the version cased in 18k white gold with a solid platinum bezel.

The Yacht-Master II line was unveiled at Baselworld 2007. The debut lineup paired the yellow gold 116688 with this white gold and platinum 116689, both running the then new caliber 4160. These two precious-metal references sat at the top of the Rolex sports range at launch, above the two-tone and steel versions that followed later.

The countdown mechanism was derived from the in-house Daytona chronograph architecture, with the regatta countdown and its mechanical memory added on top. The 116689 held the same position throughout its run: the all precious-metal configuration of the model, cased entirely in white gold with the bezel executed in platinum rather than the coloured ceramic used on the other references.

Dial and Face Design

The dial is white, carrying a regatta countdown display across the upper half. A fan-shaped countdown scale runs above the centre, marked in minutes and read by a red triangular pointer, framed by a blue arc. A red central hand serves the seconds and chronograph function, and a small seconds sub-dial sits at 6 o’clock.

Hour markers are applied and filled with luminous material. On early examples the markers are square; from 2017 the layout changed to an inverted triangle at 12 o’clock and a rectangle at 6 o’clock. The hour and minute hands are baton-shaped and luminous. Launch examples used hands coloured to match the case metal, examples from around 2009 used blued baton hands, and examples from 2017 use a Mercedes-style hour hand with a skeletonised minute hand.

Printed dial text reads ROLEX with the crown logo, then OYSTER PERPETUAL, SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER and OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED beneath the countdown display. SWISS MADE runs along the lower edge at 6 o’clock. The model name is not printed on the dial; YACHT-MASTER II is engraved into the bezel instead. There is no date and no Cyclops.

Two pushers flank the crown, one above at 2 o’clock and one below at 4 o’clock, used to start, stop and control the countdown and chronograph.

Case and Bezel

The case is round, 44 mm in diameter, machined from 18k white gold, and among the larger cases Rolex has produced. The winding crown is screw-down with the Triplock triple-seal system, and the caseback is a solid, screw-down Oyster back. Water resistance is 100 metres.

The crystal is flat scratch-resistant sapphire with no date magnifier. The bezel is the feature that defines the model: a bidirectional rotating Ring Command bezel, on this reference made of 950 platinum, with a sandblasted surface and polished raised numerals and engraving.

Unlike a conventional bezel that turns independently of the movement, the Ring Command bezel is mechanically linked to the calibre and acts as the key to the countdown. Turning it through 90 degrees switches the movement into countdown-setting mode, the countdown duration is then programmed with the pushers for any value up to 10 minutes, and returning the bezel locks the setting. The bezel is a working control rather than a timing scale or decorative ring.

Bracelet and Clasp

The 116689 is fitted with an Oyster bracelet in solid 18k white gold, a three-piece link design with polished centre links and satin-finished outer links. The bracelet attaches to the case with fitted end links and no gap at the lugs.

The clasp is a folding Oysterlock safety clasp with the lift-lock cover, which guards against accidental opening. Inside the clasp is the Easylink comfort extension, a tool-free rapid adjustment that lets the wearer add or remove roughly 5 mm of length without resizing the bracelet. Removable links are secured by screws.

Movement and Functionality

This example runs the Rolex caliber 4161, a self-winding regatta chronograph calibre developed and made in-house. The reference used caliber 4160 at launch and moved to the 4161 from around 2013, when that calibre was introduced across the Yacht-Master II line alongside the steel 116680. Both are built on the same architecture derived from the Daytona chronograph movement, with a column wheel and vertical clutch, and both are certified chronometers.

The 4161 beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), carries a 72-hour power reserve, uses bidirectional automatic winding, and holds 44 jewels. The movement is comprised of over 360 components, a number of which are specific to the regatta countdown system.

The defining function is the programmable countdown with mechanical memory. The countdown is set through the Ring Command bezel and pushers, synchronised to the official start sequence, and on reset it returns to the programmed value rather than to zero, so it is ready to run again for the same duration. Standard functions are hours, minutes and seconds, with the central seconds also serving the chronograph.

Certification is to Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer standard, corresponding to a rate of minus 2 to plus 2 seconds per day on examples of this period.

Materials of the Watch

Case: 18k white gold, solid throughout.

Bezel: 950 platinum, sandblasted with polished raised numerals and engraving.

Crystal: sapphire, flat and scratch-resistant.

Dial furniture: applied luminous hour markers with Chromalight, which emits a blue glow in low light, on the hands and markers.

Bracelet: solid 18k white gold Oyster.

Clasp: 18k white gold Oysterlock folding clasp with Easylink extension.

The 116689 is a fully precious-metal watch: white gold case and bracelet, a platinum bezel, and sapphire over a white dial.

Box and Papers

A full set for this reference includes the following, appropriate to the production era of the individual watch:

• Rolex presentation box with outer card sleeve
• Warranty or guarantee card matched to the sale date
• Yacht-Master II instruction booklet and general Rolex booklets
• Swing tags / hang tags
• Any removed bracelet links retained from sizing

Box Variations

Older version

• Early Wave Box (2007 to 2009): the earliest presentation box used for this reference, in the wave-lid style of the period
• Mid-Generation Smooth Green Box (2009 to 2013): the smooth green box that replaced the wave box

Newer version

• Large Crown Box (2013 to 2017): the larger green box of the mid-2010s, which is the box generation this example carries

The 116689 sold across roughly 2007 to 2022, so an early example and a later example do not carry the same box. This example is a Large Crown Box example. A box that does not match the watch’s era, or a plain service-replacement box on an example that should carry its original packaging, is relevant to how complete a full set is.

Original Warranty

At original sale, coverage was Rolex’s international guarantee for the period applicable at the time of sale. Examples sold before mid-2015 carried a two-year guarantee, and examples sold from July 2015 onward carried a five-year guarantee. The guarantee document format changed across the reference’s life, moving from an original paper certificate to a credit-card-format plastic card, and then to a revised plastic card without a magnetic stripe. This example carries the new-style plastic card without the magnetic stripe.

Warranty Variations

Older version

• Paper Warranty Certificate (2007 to 2008): the original paper guarantee certificate, dealer-completed at purchase
• Plastic Warranty Card with magnetic stripe (2008 to 2015): the credit-card-format guarantee card carrying a magnetic stripe on the reverse

Newer version

• New-Style Plastic Card without magnetic stripe (from 2015): the revised plastic guarantee card with the magnetic stripe removed, which is the warranty generation this example carries
• Post-service papers issued by a Rolex service centre on serviced examples

The original manufacturer guarantee has now lapsed on this reference, which left production in 2022. A dealer-stamped, dated guarantee card matching the watch is the primary purchase document for a full set, and a blank or mismatched card reduces how complete a set is.

Production and Discontinuation Status

Currently in production: No.

The Yacht-Master II model was introduced in 2007, and the 116689 was part of that debut lineup. The reference remained in the catalogue until 2022, giving a production run of roughly 15 years. The wider Yacht-Master II line was discontinued in 2024, and a second generation carrying 126-series references followed in 2026.

On-Wrist Feel

The 116689 wears large. The 44 mm diameter is already at the top of Rolex’s size range, and the all precious-metal construction, white gold case and bracelet with a platinum bezel, makes it one of the heaviest watches Rolex has produced. On the wrist the weight is the first thing noticed.

It suits larger wrists and reads as a bold, high-presence watch rather than a discreet one. The Easylink extension in the clasp helps fine-tune the fit as wrist size changes through the day. This is a watch for a wearer who wants maximum presence and the regatta complication, not an under-cuff dress piece.

Variations

Across its run the 116689 held a fixed core: a 44 mm 18k white gold case, a 950 platinum Ring Command bezel, a white dial, and a white gold Oyster bracelet. The variation is in the hands, the hour markers, and the calibre, and it tracks with production date.

Hands

• Launch examples (2007): baton hands coloured to match the white gold case
• From around 2009: blued baton hands
• From 2017: Mercedes-style hour hand with a skeletonised minute hand

Hour markers

• Early examples: square applied markers
• From 2017: inverted triangle at 12 o’clock and a rectangle at 6 o’clock

Movement

• Early examples: caliber 4160
• From around 2013: caliber 4161

Neighbouring references (separate references, specifications do not carry across)

• 116688: 18k yellow gold, blue Cerachrom bezel
• 116681: Everose Rolesor (steel and Everose gold), blue Cerachrom bezel
• 116680: Oystersteel, blue Cerachrom bezel