The Beckertime Comparison Series: The Rolex Yacht-Master II Vs. The Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta
I have to admit, being the uncultured swine that I am, that I have never competed in a regatta. Nor, for that matter, have I ever watched one, I don’t think. (In fact, I am so far removed from that entire world, if it wasn’t for MS Word’s little red line, I would’ve spelt it […]
Review: The Rolex Day-Date ref. 18238
Rolex weathered the quartz crisis of the 70s and 80s better than most. Their commitment to the utmost quality, coupled with the strength of their reputation enabled them to ride out the worst of it, while all around them their watchmaking compatriots were dropping like so many Swiss flies. However, there is evidence they were […]
The Beckertime Comparison Series: The Men’s Yacht-Master Versus the Ladies Yacht-Master of the 2000s
The original run of Rolex’s Yacht-Master collection was launched in 1992, making it a relatively recent addition to the portfolio. During that first decade, the range expanded considerably, but there was evidently still plenty of fine-tuning and refinement left to do. The watch had already gone through a fairly turbulent time, as seems to be […]
Rolex Bezel Inserts
With the invention of the tool watch, for which Rolex can claim most responsibility, the bezel went from being merely a decorative component to one which became integral to a model’s extended functionality. By engraving the bezel’s insert with a scale of some sort—either a 60-minute, 12 or 24-hour scale, or a tachymeter, etc.—it could […]