1. Difference bezel--why platinum? to reinforce the pompous/elite status of yacthing? Use unobtanium instead.
2. Different case and lugs--not different enough. A variant.
3. Hands/Markers different (Maxi dial on YM)--yacthing dude needs more night visibility than a diving dude?
4. Dial color/material is different--oooh, feel the texture!
5. Different clasp--ok
6. Both have Oyster bracelets, but the YM has the polished center link which are solid, not hollow like on the Sub.--c'mon, you could have left this one out.
7. Different water resistance - designed for different applications.--yacthing dude could just as well be served w/any water resistant watch. Being splashed w/salty water. God forbid he/she falls in to the salty water.
Lets face it, the YM is a glorified Submariner except it has a completely useless piece of platinum for a bezel.
Anyway, lets gets back on how much a GMT & Explorer are different from each other. Sort of like a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado is different from an Oldsmobile Riviera, of the same vintage.
OK, first of all, let's remember to be friendly all... A gentlemanly debate is fine. But let's not start throwing verbal stones... Sarcasm's fine & fun to a point, then it becomes arrogant & insulting. Let's not get that far...
So to your points above,
1. Difference bezel--why platinum? to reinforce the pompous/elite status of yachting? Use unobtanium instead.
Forget the metal. It's still different. The sub's bezel height is 1.1mm to .5mm on the YM OK - .6mm, big deal, right. Maybe - but it's still different. The sub has a "V" shaped bezel (from a side view) where the YM has a flat shape. Are these points different? Yes. Is it vastly different? Define vastly. Does it need to be a scallop edge to be different?
2. Different case and lugs--not different enough. A variant.
By this definition every car on the planet is the same. They're all shaped about the same. Does that mean they are the same? Or that a DJ case is not different enough either? The sub's case
is thicker (1mm+), has flat lugs (the YM has curved lugs), has pointed lug ends (YM has rounded lug ends), smaller & thinner crown guards (YM is thicker & blunter), and is slightly shorter (1mm shorter tip to tip). Those may seem like small, insignificant items, but added up - it's a different case.
3. Hands/Markers different (Maxi dial on YM)--yachting dude needs more night visibility than a diving dude?
Whatever the reason, the markers are different. Again, what's the definition of different? Radical markers, sticks instead of round markers? But I'll give that this is maybe an improved vs. different hands/markers.
4. Dial color/material is different--oooh, feel the texture!
Not just 'texture'. Remember, there more YM's than the SS / Platinum. The TT offers a blue (& it's not the same blue as the Sub); white, blue or black MOP; steel or white with black onyx markers. Surely you'd agree no sub is offered in a white dial with onyx markers and that that is a different dial (BTW, if memory serves, the white dial was the original YM dial & the others came after).
5. Different clasp--ok
6. Both have Oyster bracelets, but the YM has the polished center link which are solid, not hollow like on the Sub.--c'mon, you could have left this one out.
That's a substantial difference. I much prefer a solid center bracelet to hollow links. Granted, polished centers may be a minor point (BTW, the sides on the YM are polished to where the sub is brushed) but it's still a point.
7. Different water resistance - designed for different applications.--yacthing dude could just as well be served w/any water resistant watch. Being splashed w/salty water. God forbid he/she falls in to the salty water.
I don't know the mechanics on this one, so I won't talk to it.
Lets face it, the YM is a glorified Submariner except it has a completely useless piece of platinum for a bezel.
First, 'useless' is an opinion. Many people would say spending over $100 on a watch is a useless waste of money. Does that mean we're all wastefull people for spending our money on useless items? No, that's an opinion, and everyone's entitled to it. We all find value in our Rolex's, and for us its not useless. And again, the bezels are NOT the same bezel, with or without the insert. Personally, I find value in a metal bezel insert vs. the aluminum one. But that's my opinion.
Add up all the above. Is the YM similar to the Sub? Sure, it's a sport watch. I can go name 50 different models that are similar. But it is not a glorified sub as before it could be a glorified it would first have to be a sub. Remove the bezel, the case, dial, hands and the center links. What are you left with that's the same? The movement, the clasp & the crown. And if that's the distinction we use, then we can say almost all Rolex's (or any other brand for that matter) are just glorified versions of another.
