With its bold and brash look of a large case, the replica Rolex Yacht Prestige has never been on my radar. It seems far removed from the original tool spirit of its brother, the Submariner. It also gave me the feeling of white slacks and a blue sport coat with brass buttons, which isn’t my style. But while the tool vibe of the Professional line is far removed from its legendary story, the Yacht Prestige has grown on me. But why would my only Rolex be an 18-carat gold Yacht Prestige? 
Honestly, writing that down “on paper” seems as unlikely as wearing a 46mm chunky 2000 Breitling every day. Or is this my perfect Rolex and the Submariner has, in fact, had its day? Let’s face it, and divers nowadays wouldn’t trust a mechanical watch, except for some snorkelling, because dive computers and Garmins have taken over.
Back in 2015, when I first saw this, I was shocked. With Rolex’s expertise in steel straps, why would they make a rubber strap? And why was it being marketed as a rubber strap with an internally moulded metal support structure? It was mad science to me then, but it made sense after trying it on. It made the Yachtmaster look like a solid gold submariner with a modified invisible bezel. With my calm and minimalist Scandinavian tastes, I would attribute it to the more glamorous corruption of my Italian wife. This is the first time Everose, Rolex’s in-house alloy of rose gold with a touch of platinum, has been used for the Yacht-Master, and it’s a pretty perfect 40mm.
Unlike most fake Rolex releases, this one, which started as a guilty peep show, has been with me for almost eight years. This Hublot is meant to be something completely different from the Submariner, but the brand acknowledges that the era of the true tool watch is over. The matte Cerachrom bezel with embossed numerals is a stroke of dark genius. The combination of the printed crown and logo with the single line of red “YACHT-MASTER” is totally unexpected and awesome.
While my favourite is the glamorous Everose version, big props to Rolex for creating the monochrome 18k white gold ref. 226659. It’s a bit large for my taste, but it’s one of the best examples of the Holy Grail of understatement, hands down. It is also quite attractive.
