The Yacht-Master II features a bidirectional rotatable bezel fitted with a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom insert in blue ceramic. Extremely hard and virtually scratchproof, the high-technology ceramic used by Rolex requires special tools for its machining. Its stable colour is unaffected by ultraviolet rays, and thanks to its chemical composition, this ceramic is inert and cannot corrode. On this blue Cerachrom insert, the moulded, recessed graduations and numerals are coated with platinum or yellow gold via PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition). The first half hour of the graduation is set out minute by minute. With the bezel in the neutral position, the final 30 seconds of the countdown can be read in more detail via the chronograph centre seconds hand. The graduated bezel, whose knurled edge offers excellent grip, also allows the wearer to easily measure time intervals – for example, the sailing time between two buoys.

The display ensures clear readability of the various functions. The dial is coated with a new white lacquer – matt, to reduce reflections – and carries the applique index hour markers emblematic of Professional category watches. A flange, dedicated to the countdown function, is positioned extremely precisely on the dial – an attribute for which a patent application was filed. It is graduated from 10 to 0 minutes, with the half minutes shown as triangles.

By operating its own exclusive foundry, Rolex has the unrivalled ability to cast the highest quality 18 ct gold alloys. According to the proportion of silver, copper, platinum or palladium added, different types of 18 ct gold are obtained: yellow, pink or white. They are made with only the purest metals and meticulously inspected in an in-house laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, before the gold is formed and shaped with the same painstaking attention to quality. Rolex's commitment to excellence begins at the source.