Yachtmaster Platinum

[murdoch]

Can anyone explain the difference between the 'V' Model and the 'M' Model. People are advertisong both of them on EBAY as 2009 Models. Have not been able to get a clear answer. Thanks.

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by murdoch

Can anyone explain the difference between the 'V' Model and the 'M' Model. People are advertisong both of them on EBAY as 2009 Models. Have not been able to get a clear answer. Thanks.

The clear answer is: They are just the same.

M serial circa 2007
V serial circa 2008 and on.

Jocke

[DRMOVIE1]

There is no designated letter for Yachtmasters made in 2009????

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by DRMOVIE1

There is no designated letter for Yachtmasters made in 2009????

Not yet, you have to wait for the V serial until it's finished.

Jocke

[The GMT Master]

Jocke's spot on, they don't do it on a yearly basis. The machine will stamp cases from 000001 through to 999999 for each letter series, so the letters change over whenever necessary. The serial number prefixes only give a rough idea of when the watch was produced, however, as letter series overlap, and a stamped case might not necessarily be used immediately.

The Yachtmaster hasn't changed for quite a few years now

[Tools]

Originally Posted by murdoch

Can anyone explain the difference between the 'V' Model and the 'M' Model. People are advertisong both of them on EBAY as 2009 Models. Have not been able to get a clear answer. Thanks.

Both M and V are being produced concurrently............and Rolex has done this for years...

The date of initial sale is considered the "birth" year for any Rolex. For the Yachtmaster there will probably be Z models that were first sold in 2009 as well, so you could have Z, M, or V advertised as "2009" models and it would be correct... or not, depending on your point of view.

[DRMOVIE1]

I will be buying my first rollie this month and it most likely will be a yacht master, I want to make SURE that the watch im buying is not "new old" stock. So what should i look for as far as Letter and numbers? thanks

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by DRMOVIE1

I will be buying my first rollie this month and it most likely will be a yacht master, I want to make SURE that the watch im buying is not "new old" stock. So what should i look for as far as Letter and numbers? thanks

You should be looking at M or V serial. As it's already been pointed out, using the serial numbers to date a watch is far from an exact art. An M serial could have arrived at the AD yesterday, for example, whilst a V could have arrived 6 months ago. The only certain way to do it is to get the AD to order in a factory fresh one direct from Rolex.

Even if you do have a piece of new old stock, you'd be guaranteed for two years regardless, and I can guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference. Besides, if it's been knocking about for a bit, you can twist the dealer's arm on the price, which suits your pocket in the long term

Hope that helps

[DRMOVIE1]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

You should be looking at M or V serial. As it's already been pointed out, using the serial numbers to date a watch is far from an exact art. An M serial could have arrived at the AD yesterday, for example, whilst a V could have arrived 6 months ago. The only certain way to do it is to get the AD to order in a factory fresh one direct from Rolex.

Even if you do have a piece of new old stock, you'd be guaranteed for two years regardless, and I can guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference. Besides, if it's been knocking about for a bit, you can twist the dealer's arm on the price, which suits your pocket in the long term

Hope that helps

Thanks, What I care most about is that the YM will have the rolexrolexrolex. Both M and V do have that correct?

[TheDude]

Speaking of...


Emeril has been wearing one of these on a show he has (Emeril Green) on a cable channel called "Planet Green". It's in HD, and you can always see the watch very clearly when the cooking cam focuses on his hands.

[Rolexroz]

Rolex manufacture watches and send them out to the AD's as and when required.

Therefore it is possible to order a brand new watch, especially a ladies model in precious metal, as that is the hardest model to sell and find that it has a serial number which may be a couple of years behind the current letter.

So as someone else quite rightly said, Rolex do (not manufacture but) supply direct from the factory store room, watches which have been manufactured some years earlier.

However, they do manufacture individual models in strict numerical order. Therefore, if a specific model, take the Yachtmaster 16622 for instance, is available with a V555XXX (as I bought last week in the UK) then this model was manufactured many months after an M9XXXXX, let alone a far earlier M???????. From my own experience I would suggest that any M serial numbered 16622 was manufactured prior to October 2008. My reasoning is that that was the month I first received a V serial Yachtmaster.

If you should need more proof, just look at the Seadweller. The cases for this watch has not been manufactured since late July 2008, yet they were still being sent out by Rolex until May 2009 (If anyone knows for sure of an AD receiving a newer model than V5 I would love to know!) But they did not all have the M serial numbers which denoted a watch produced at that time. As the real end of the line models have at least V5 serial numbers. But if you contact your local AD, I would not be surprised if they offer to sell you, at the current price, an M serial model, promising that it has just arrived from Rolex. Whereas the reality is that they got it almost one year ago and assuming it to be the last of the line and guaranteed to rocket in value like the GMT, kept it. Only to find that Rolex continued to send out new models with more modern serial numbers. So not wishing to lose out on the deal they have since replaced their own M watches for the latest V's.

And let us not forget that since the demise of the M serial numbered watches(at least the wonderfully selling sports models) the price has increased at least twice, leaving the AD's a huge profit margin on old stock.

So do not be conned by AD's, they are all lovely chaps and chapesses, until it comes down to cash. They want to maximise their profits at our expense. But the internet savvy among us know much much more than them when it comes to our particular watch brand and we are far less likely to buy from them but from well infromed and ultimately more trustworthy sellers based on sites like this.


I honestly sent the above not as an advert for watch site recommended sellers, but as a warning to the innocent or badly informed among our ranks not to trust all they are told by AD's.

Rolexroz

[DRMOVIE1]

Will both the M and V have rolexrolexrolex though?

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by DRMOVIE1

Will both the M and V have rolexrolexrolex though?

I believe so. I've seen it on certain D-serial models before, so it's been around for a good couple of years.

[Watchtastic]

You have to look at these serial numbers like a sports season. Considering it takes Rolex 14 months to create one timepiece it is very common to have two different serials in the same year. By the way, AD's are not trying to con anyone. When Rolex has a price increase the AD is forced to change the price. It is up to the AD if they want to offer an accomidated price to you. Working with Rolex is a "my way or the highway" type of relationship. :)

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by Rolexroz

Rolex manufacture watches and send them out to the AD's as and when required.

Therefore it is possible to order a brand new watch, especially a ladies model in precious metal, as that is the hardest model to sell and find that it has a serial number which may be a couple of years behind the current letter.

So as someone else quite rightly said, Rolex do (not manufacture but) supply direct from the factory store room, watches which have been manufactured some years earlier.

However, they do manufacture individual models in strict numerical order. Therefore, if a specific model, take the Yachtmaster 16622 for instance, is available with a V555XXX (as I bought last week in the UK) then this model was manufactured many months after an M9XXXXX, let alone a far earlier M???????. From my own experience I would suggest that any M serial numbered 16622 was manufactured prior to October 2008. My reasoning is that that was the month I first received a V serial Yachtmaster.

If you should need more proof, just look at the Seadweller. The cases for this watch has not been manufactured since late July 2008, yet they were still being sent out by Rolex until May 2009 (If anyone knows for sure of an AD receiving a newer model than V5 I would love to know!) But they did not all have the M serial numbers which denoted a watch produced at that time. As the real end of the line models have at least V5 serial numbers. But if you contact your local AD, I would not be surprised if they offer to sell you, at the current price, an M serial model, promising that it has just arrived from Rolex. Whereas the reality is that they got it almost one year ago and assuming it to be the last of the line and guaranteed to rocket in value like the GMT, kept it. Only to find that Rolex continued to send out new models with more modern serial numbers. So not wishing to lose out on the deal they have since replaced their own M watches for the latest V's.

And let us not forget that since the demise of the M serial numbered watches(at least the wonderfully selling sports models) the price has increased at least twice, leaving the AD's a huge profit margin on old stock.

So do not be conned by AD's, they are all lovely chaps and chapesses, until it comes down to cash. They want to maximise their profits at our expense. But the internet savvy among us know much much more than them when it comes to our particular watch brand and we are far less likely to buy from them but from well infromed and ultimately more trustworthy sellers based on sites like this.


I honestly sent the above not as an advert for watch site recommended sellers, but as a warning to the innocent or badly informed among our ranks not to trust all they are told by AD's.

Rolexroz

As someone who actually knows what goes on behind the scenes at an AD, I have to point out that you've got the wrong end of the stick there. It's not a question of profiteering, it's an issue of Rolex saying what price they want their watches sold at. Regardless of the initial cost price of a model, an AD can't give out silly discount - Rolex want to keep the market stable, and don't want to devalue their watches. They've been known to heavily reprimand ADs who give too much off. Don't so readily attack the ADs, they don't have as much freedom as you might think.

[Tools]

There have been numerous reliable sources, including "The Best Of Time" Dowling-Hess, and a follow-up conversation at Basel with Dowling and a Rolex Rep, that affirm and confirm that Rolex does NOT manufacture their watches in strick numerical order, and has not for a number of years, but in fact, manufacture in a random number fashion...

Therefore, a case numbered M123546 could have been manufactured many months after a watch numbered M954312

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by DRMOVIE1

Will both the M and V have rolexrolexrolex though?

My Platty is a Z-62XXXX and has the Rolex inscription around the rehaut ring.

JJ