YACHT-MASTER “CANDY“, REF. 116695SATS, CIRCA 2019

First introduced at Baselworld in 2017, the so-called ‘Haribo’ or ‘Candy’ Rolex Yacht-Master is one of the most impressive and appealing of Rolex’s gem-set creations. Only available for two years, the model was launched to widespread acclaim and is highly appreciated by collectors for its complete shake up of tradition and the superb quality of the 40 mm. gem-set bezel with its painstakingly selected colour-matched stones. Furthermore, the dial of this reference is a gloss dial and not the matte dial of the standard Yacht-Master 40. Now highly sought after in the market and making a rare appearance at auction, the present watch offers buyers the chance to obtain one of the now discontinued ‘must have’ Rolex showstoppers.

The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 - reference 116695SATS - has 38 sapphires set into the bidirectional rotating bezel, the sapphires are blue, orange, yellow, and pink, and 8 green tsavorites, 1 large triangular diamond is set at 12 o’clock. The uniformity of the gems in respect to their colour and shape is quite exceptional. In fact, Rolex takes extreme care in ensuring that all the stones on each individual watch are of the same shade. This sorting process is carried out by hand and by machines that are usually only found in gemological laboratories. The result is quite remarkable and is what imbues these watches with an arresting quality that is hard to define.