ROLEX YACHT-MASTER 116622

I take issue with the term ‘guilty pleasure’. It’s frequently used as some sort of social disclaimer, a way of gauging other people’s opinion of something so you don’t single yourself out as ‘that guy’ who likes the uncool band, the ugly car, or the bad movie. But what I usually find is that the guilty pleasure you’re so reticent to talk about is often cautiously held in similar regard by those around you—and then, all of a sudden, popular consensus makes it ‘okay’ to just admit you liked it in the first place. This is the reaction I always get when I tell people I’m a fan (and always have been) of the Rolex Yacht-Master—and the reference 116622 released at 2016's Baselworld is no exception.


If you listen to the rumour mill, the Yacht-Master is a watch that was always destined to have an uncertain lot in life. It was supposedly created as a sleeker, sexier upgrade to Rolex’s robust and beloved diver, the Submariner. But the design overhaul would have been drastic, and with a legion of Submariner devotees poised to pounce, Rolex purportedly scrapped plans to replace the well-established dive watch at the last minute, and released the Yacht-Master as an entirely new model instead.

Because of this, the watch struggled to find its place in the Rolex line-up. People loved (and still love) the Submariner because of its utilitarian nature; it was a practical tool for the modern mariner. For the Yacht-Master, Rolex instead focussed—as the name might suggest—on luxury boating, using precious metals in the construction of the watch’s case. It was still a sturdy timepiece, with a triple lock crown and a water resistance of up to 100m, but its emphasis on luxury living placed it in horological limbo—somewhere between the practicality of the Submariner and the dressiness of the Day-Date.


Personally, I liked the unusual contrast of opulence and function, but the Yacht-Master didn’t really move from guilty pleasure to flavour of the month until the Yacht-Master 116655 and 268655, released in 2015 (and previously reviewed by us here). The rubber ‘Oysterflex’ strap gave the watch a sportier, more modern quality, and the rose gold case proved to be a handsome complement to the black cerachrom bezel.

Bolstered by this popularity, the 116622 that debuted at Basel 2016 has similarly landed with its own distinct sense of identity. It’s available in steel and rose gold or steel and platinum—but the model with the sunburst grey dial is my stand-out favourite. With just a subtle pop of colour from the blue seconds hand and lettering, it’s a cool and understated watch that says luxury without rubbing your face in it. Powered by the automatic calibre 3135 (which comes with Rolex’s superlative chronometer certification), the watch has all the functionality it always had—and a new sense of self confidence to boot. The Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 is my not-so guilty pleasure—and I’ve a feeling that I’m not the only one.

RJ-ROMAIN JEROME POKÉMON PIKACHU

Pokémon has had quite the revival over this past summer, with Pokémon Go inspiring large groups of people to shamble aimlessly across roads, their smartphones up in front of their faces, none the wiser to the havoc they were causing among the traffic. It’s been a timely phenomenon for Nintendo, boosting the brand's profits and bringing thousands of new players to the franchise (which has already produced numerous games, cartoon series, and various merchandise). Pokémon has been around for 20 years—having originally been launched in Japan in 1996—and to celebrate that anniversary, RJ-Romain Jerome has released a limited edition, the Pokémon Pikachu watch.

Pokémon might be one of the last things you’re likely to associate high-end watchmaking with, but RJ-Romain Jerome isn’t a stranger to controversial watch designs. It recently released a horological tribute to Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, and its Titanic DNA watch, which used metal from the sunken ship itself, caused quite the debate in the watch community. If any brand was going to make a watch this quirky, it was going to be RJ-Romain Jerome.

The pretty substantial case measures 46mm, and is constructed from matte black PVD. Large, oversized lugs give the watch a fun silhouette—but the focal point of the watch’s design is the cheery yellow Pikachu at the centre of the dial, embracing the skeleton-style hands. The brand’s logo features prominently in a lightning bolt at 9 o’clock, a motif which is echoed in the engravings on the dial. The vulcanised rubber strap matches the yellow of the famous Pokémon, and adds to the watch’s contemporary feel. The Pokémon Pikachu beats with the automatic in-house calibre RJ001-A, which has power reserve of 42 hours—plenty of time for a Poké-hunt or two.

TOP FOUR CERAMIC WATCHES

Ten years ago, most people would have associated the word 'ceramic' with potted plants and tea parties. After all, the Greek word that ceramic is derived from—kerameikos—means 'for pottery'. But that's all changed now, and ceramics are once again at the cutting edge of material science, harder, stronger and more impressive than ever before. We take a look at four ceramic watches to see just how good the technology really is.

A ceramic material is quite simply an inorganic, non-metallic solid created with heat. The earliest known use of ceramics comes from around 27,000 years ago in the form of fired clay figurines, and it wasn't until the 1940s that companies began development of what are now known as 'technical ceramics'. Most ceramic watches are made of a technical ceramic called zirconium dioxide

HUBLOT BIG BANG BLUE CERAMIC

Our first ceramic watch, the Hublot Big Bang Blue Ceramic, has an obvious extra ingredient: blue pigmentation. The pigmentation—along with the binder that helps the ceramic powder maintain its shape before firing—makes up around 3% of the finished material, and maintains its rich, vibrant colour almost indefinitely, unaffected by UV radiation from the sun. The denim blue may not appeal to everyone, but it’s a prime example of how the aesthetic strengths of ceramic materials match the physical.

One of the many great properties of ceramics is the weight—or rather, the lack of it. At 3g/cc it is lighter than both steel (8g/cc) and even titanium (4.5g/cc), and combined with a rubber strap it is extremely comfortable to wear.

IWC BIG PILOT'S WATCH TOP GUN IW5019

Within the watch industry—and even within pottery—it is common to see ceramic materials polished into a high gloss finish, but that isn’t so for this IWC Big Pilot's Watch. The zirconium dioxide case has a hardness (i.e. scratch resistance) of 8.2 Mohs, which is four times as hard as the 6 Mohs of steel. This level of hardness requires a material even harder to cut and finish it, and that material is another ceramic: diamond.

The result is a textured, bead-blasted surface that scatters light and leaves an industrially matte finish, perfect for a military inspired piece. Complex components like the crown, the threaded caseback and the clasp remain in titanium (something worth noting is that ceramic, like titanium, is inert and hypoallergenic), which breaks up the matte black finish carried over the rest of the watch.

The lightness of the ceramic (and titanium) is very welcome, as the 48mm diameter, 15mm thick case would otherwise be noticeably weighty, especially with the calibre 51111 beating inside. The Pellaton winding system and seven day power reserve—as good as they are—all add extra weight.

PANERAI LUMINOR 1950 PAM00335

Making intricate parts from zirconium dioxide is no mean feat, requiring diamond-tipped machining tools and a whole lot of time. This is why most watchmakers leave the fiddly components well alone, using traditional metals in place of tricky-to-work ceramics—but not Panerai.

With the PAM00335, Panerai took their ceramic production up a notch, producing the crown guard mechanism from zirconium oxide alongside the case and bezel. But why can't the ceramic material just be formed in moulds, to save on the costly and time-consuming process of machining? After all, the raw materials of most ceramics are very affordable: it's the production that adds the cost.

The problem lies in the method used to turn zirconia powder into a ceramic. Mixed with 20% binder, it's warmed into a liquid and injected into a mould. This 'green' stage produces a soft solid, which can be machined into the rough component dimensions. The ceramic is then sintered, reaching temperatures of 1,500°C and cooling down again several times. During this process, most of the binder is burned off, and shrinkage occurs. This shrinkage leaves a rough shape that necessitates further machining.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

So is anyone brave enough to go even further than Panerai? Anyone? Yes, you sir, you at the back: Omega. There are no holds barred when it comes to the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. The case is zirconium oxide—ƒ—yes, I think we could guess that much—but so is the crown, and the pushers, too. Even the buckle is made of the stuff.

But Omega didn't stop there, because if we look just above the hand stack in the middle of the dial, zoom and enhance, we see a small, almost invisible logo: ZrO2. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, even the dial is made with ceramics.

The Dark Side is the best example we have today of what's possible with ceramics in watchmaking. The challenge in making it is emphasised by the limited nature of its production, which for once is not by design, but by manufacture. This watch takes so long to make (twenty times that of the steel version) that Omega can't make them fast enough to keep up with demand. And those who do manage to get one? Keep hold of it. It's a winner.

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LONGINES AVIGATION CHRONOGRAPH TYPE A7 1935

So, edging along the M25 in slow moving traffic isn’t exactly the same as soaring through the skies at the dawn of the aviation age—but with the Longines Avigation Chronograph Type A7 1935, you can at least get lost in the daydream every time you look at your wrist. The watch draws inspiration from a pilot’s chronograph made for the US Army Air Force in 1935, and is not only a smart-looking watch from a premium Swiss watchmaker, but it’s also very affordable.

Longines has a long history with aviation—in the early 1930s, it even partnered with legendary pilot Charles Lindbergh to design a clear, reliable navigational watch for use while airborne. It’s only natural that the brand wants to build upon this impressive heritage—but what’s great about it is that the watch has been executed in such a nice way. The Avigation Chronograph really evokes a feeling of that pioneering era, and yet it doesn’t feel out-dated or too gimmicky.

The white dial features prominent tan-coloured numerals and hands in blued steel, with a ‘train track’ minutes wheel around the periphery that is clear and well proportioned. But what’s really special about the piece is the dial’s positioning; the jaunty 40° angle to the right makes the watch the perfect companion to the pilot mid-flight, making the dial easily readable at just a glance. The case is 41mm and gives a good amount of wrist coverage while still maintaining the vintage illusion.

The watch is powered by the in-house automatic calibre L788.2 (which is based on the EA A08.L11) and it features a mono-pusher column wheel chronograph. It’s a well made timepiece by a longstanding Swiss brand, and as with most Longines pieces, it offers remarkable value for money, being sold for just over £3,000 at the time of publishing.