Rolex · Yacht-Master 40 and Yacht-Master 42
Rolex 126622 vs Rolex 226658
7 published specifications differ between these two, and 8 are identical. Every figure below is what the manufacturer states for that reference; nothing is inferred from the other watch.
What differs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel and platinum. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown. Rolesium — combination of Oystersteel and platinum | Oyster, 42 mm, 18 ct yellow gold. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown |
| Diameter | 40 mm | 42 mm |
| Bezel | Platinum bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated with raised numerals | Bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with matt black Cerachrom insert in ceramic, polished raised numerals and graduations |
| Dial | Slate, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence | Black, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence |
| Bracelet | Oyster, three-piece solid links, Oystersteel | Oysterflex — flexible metal blades overmoulded with high-performance elastomer |
| Clasp | Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link | Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system |
| Movement notes | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Instantaneous date with rapid setting and stop-seconds. Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with Paraflex shock absorbers. | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Instantaneous date with rapid setting and stop-seconds. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Water resistance
- Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet
- Crystal
- Scratch-resistant sapphire, Cyclops lens over the date
- Case back
- Screw-down
- Crown
- Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system
- Calibre
- Calibre 3235, Manufacture Rolex
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding; bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
- Power reserve
- Approximately 70 hours
- Certification
- Superlative Chronometer (official chronometer certification + Rolex certification after casing)
What the differences cost you
Each note below follows from the published figures in the tables above — what they mean for intake, for a listing, and for the handover. Nothing here estimates a price or a margin.
These reach different buyers
42 mm on the 226658 against 40 mm on the 126622. Diameter is a poor predictor of how a watch actually sits, but it is the field buyers filter on, so the two land in front of different people. Do not let one listing's photographs or copy stand in for the other.
Different case materials, different handling
The 126622 is platinum and the 226658 is gold. Different case materials mark, polish and refinish differently, so the condition language that fits one will mislead on the other. Photograph and describe each on its own terms.
What to check on each
126622
- Inspect the raised numerals on the platinum bezel individually. They stand proud of the surface in a soft metal, which means they collect knocks that a flush engraving never would.
- Confirm the bezel turns in both directions. Rolex specifies it as bidirectional here, so free movement either way is correct and a one-way action would be wrong.
- Describe the case material as Rolesium, which is Rolex's name for this steel and platinum combination, rather than as steel or as white gold.
226658
- Flex the Oysterflex along its length and look for any separation between the elastomer and the metal blades inside it. It is not a rubber strap — it is overmoulded metal, and delamination is the failure mode.
- Check the elastomer for cuts, nicks and heat damage near the clasp and lugs, and remember it cannot be refinished the way a metal bracelet can. A damaged one is replaced.
- Examine the raised polished numerals on the matt ceramic bezel. Here the markings stand proud rather than being filled into recesses, so they take contact directly and show wear on their upper surfaces.
Sources
- Rolex official product page for reference 126622 (Yacht-Master 40; Oyster 40 mm; Oystersteel and platinum) - Model case: Oyster; 40 mm; Oystersteel and platinum; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 40 mm; Material: Rolesium - combination of Oystersteel and platinum; Bezel: platinum bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated with raised numerals; Winding crown: screw-down; Triplock triple waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire; Cyclops lens over the date; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3235; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; instantaneous date with rapid setting; stop-seconds; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring; high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oyster; three-piece solid links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link; Dial: slate with highly legible Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-23
- Rolex official product page for reference 226658 (Yacht-Master 42; Oyster 42 mm; 18 ct yellow gold) - Model case: Oyster; 42 mm; yellow gold; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 42 mm; Material: 18 ct yellow gold; Bezel: bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with matt black Cerachrom insert in ceramic and polished raised numerals and graduations; Winding crown: screw-down with Triplock triple waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops lens over the date; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3235; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; instantaneous date with rapid setting; stop-seconds; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oysterflex; material: flexible metal blades overmoulded with high-performance elastomer; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system; Dial: black with Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-22
Not affiliated with Rolex. Specifications are read from each manufacturer's own published documentation on the dates shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.