Rolex has a long and illustrious connection with a wide range of sports and since the 1950s the world of sailing has been a powerful inspiration for the global super-brand.
Rolex is presently the Title Sponsor of 15 major international events, from leading offshore races, such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, through to the highest-level grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. Rolex maintains close relationships with the most prestigious yacht clubs around the world, such as the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Yacht Club Italiano, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Italy, the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron in the UK. The bonds are deep and enduring and cement the brand’s association with the noble sport of sailing. The open seas gave birth to the iconic Yacht-Master family of watches and the Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master is a hugely popular and emblematic nautical watch. The Yacht-Master 37 in Rolesium is a special watch as the material is distinct from the famous combination of yellow, white or Everose gold and steel known as Rolesor, which has been a Rolex signature since the early 1930s. Rolesium is a creation specific to the Yacht-Master.
While the case and bracelet are in rugged Oystersteel, the bezel of the Rolesium versions is made of 950 platinum. This luxurious touch imbues the watch with a mercurial whiteness for an elevated sense of distinction. The Yacht-Master 37 Rolesium is equipped with the calibre 2236, which incorporates a Syloxi hairspring in silicon that is patented and manufactured by Rolex. The 2236 is a new-generation movement entirely developed and manufactured in-house and it offers notable gains in terms of precision, power reserve, shock and magnetic resistance, convenience and reliability. The patented oscillator and high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers increase shock resistance by an impressive 50 per cent and it also boasts a paramagnetic nickel-phosphorus escape wheel and a power reserve of 55 hours. This striking yet subtle masterpiece would be just as suited to the well-heeled enclave of the yacht-club snug as it would on deck in the midst of a sudden squall.
Culled from a feature in Pleasures Magazine July/August 2020 Issue.