The Yacht-Master is unique in the Rolex sport watch lineup. It, alone, has a bezel entirely made of either 18k yellow gold, like the above ladies watch, or platinum. Most polishers will not attempt to restore one to “like new” condition, nor should they. We constantly receive Yachts that have been over polished and, in essence, destroyed. Which is unfortunate, because replacing the insert costs thousands of dollars.
This watch, fortunately, had only a lightly distressed bezel.
The refinishing of a watch, even by an expert, removes metal, which, while a bigger risk with precious metals like gold, is still an issue with stainless steel. Removing all of the imperfections without leaving the components with dull, soft edges, requires a steady hand and a mastery of the craft.
In the following photos you can see examples of all three polishing methods used in refinishing a Yacht.
The textured, bead-blasted finish of the bezel insert background, with raised, high-polished numbers and outer bezel ring. The crown, case, and the 18k gold center links of the bracelet are also high-polished. The rest of the bracelet is then brushed to flawless perfection.