Sticking with undersea operations, the Oris ProDiver collection is an interesting one, given that Oris is one of the few watch companies that remains actively engaged in dealings with commercial divers. More specifically, Roman Frischknecht is a commercial diver that has been an Oris ambassador for some time, and rather than simply being an ambassador in name, Roman has played a crucial role in the development of the ProDiver collection ahead of its launch in 2009.It was his insight that led to the creation of the brand’s bezel locking system, known as a Rotation Safety System. Given the level of safety and security protocols involved in his line of work, Roman knew that if he was to be using a conventional dive watch in a modern dive environment, there could be absolutely no room for error, thus a locking mechanism (as seen in other divers like the Omega Ploprof, among others) would be mandatory.Although the roots of the Yacht-Master II relate to activities on the water’s surface rather than deep below, its unique functionality is perfectly suited to this category. After all, the Rolex Yacht-Master II is what is often referred to as yachting timer – a countdown chronograph that can be used to properly measure the start time of a regatta, also known as a sailing race.Arguably the most complex watch in the present Rolex collection, the Yacht-Master II uses an interesting combination of bezel position, crown position, and pusher action in order to set its countdown duration between 1 and 10 minutes, with the chronograph capable of flyback (or fly-forward) functionality to the pre-set time with a single activation of its lower pusher. While many Yacht-Master II wearers are unlikely to ever use this highly specific function for its actual intended purpose. being able to run a countdown like this isn’t shy on practical daily-life applications… grilling timer, anyone?
All good things must come to an end, and it is as true at Rolex as anywhere else. Over the years, certain pieces have disappeared from the portfolio, either replaced with an updated version or else retired completely. Rolex actually seems to make a habit of discontinuing many of their references with little or no warning, and for reasons only they understand. In some instances, the withdrawn watches are real fan favorites, and it leaves potential customers with just one option to get hold of them.Below, we take a look at five of Rolex’s most-loved discontinued models that are now only available on the pre-owned market.Rolex has a history of marking the key birthdays of a number of its icons with some kind of out-of-the-ordinary celebration, and in 2003, the Rolex Submariner celebrated its 50th anniversary. The world’s most famous luxury dive watch marked its half-century in style with the release of the ref. 16610LV, not only the first Submariner to be fitted with a black Maxi dial, but also the first to have a green bezel.Major departure that it was for the model, it became something of an opinion splitter. There had been variations on the traditional black bezeled pieces before – blue versions (although only on gold and two-tone pieces) being the most common; however, the emerald surround on this anniversary edition led to it picking up a nickname from both the ‘for’ and ‘against’ camps. Those who loved the new colorway called it the Kermit; those less keen christened it the Vomit Sub.
