First QC check on my VSF Yacht-Master 42 226658.

This is the yellow gold 226658 with the black dial and black Oysterflex-style strap.

For this QC, I mainly focused on the areas that are easiest to judge from photos: dial printing, index alignment, date wheel, hand alignment, bezel alignment, case finishing, crown/guards, strap fitment and lume.

Dial

The black dial looks clean in the available photos.

The hour markers appear evenly positioned and the dial printing looks sharp under the close-up shots.

The black dial also has good contrast against the yellow-gold case and hands.

Index Alignment

The markers look good overall.

I paid particular attention to the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions because those are the areas where small alignment issues are easiest to notice.

Nothing immediately stands out as significantly crooked from these angles.

Date Wheel

The date shown is 10.

The date appears reasonably centered in the window and the printing looks clean.

The Cyclops also appears to give the expected magnification.

Hand Alignment

The hands look properly stacked and aligned.

I don't see an obvious issue with the hour, minute or seconds hand positioning from the available photos.

Bezel

The black ceramic bezel looks clean.

The numerals and graduations appear sharp, and the bezel alignment looks reasonable relative to the dial.

Since this is a bidirectional Yacht-Master bezel, I wouldn't judge tiny positional differences from angled photographs alone.

Case & Crown

The side profile looks good.

The crown, crown guards and case finishing appear clean in the side shots.

The yellow-gold tone is difficult to judge accurately from studio lighting, but it looks reasonably consistent throughout the QC set.

Strap & Clasp

The black rubber/Oysterflex-style strap looks properly fitted to the case.

The deployant clasp and end areas look clean, and I don't see an obvious fitment problem from the available photos.

Since this configuration doesn't use traditional metal SELs, SEL isn't really a useful QC point here.

Lume

The lume shot looks strong.

The hands and hour markers illuminate clearly and appear reasonably even.

I don't see an obvious weak marker standing out from the rest.

Movement

The supplied specification lists the movement as DD3235.

My QC Verdict

Visual QC: GL for me.

The main areas I checked were:

Dial printing — ✓  
Index alignment — ✓  
Date window — ✓  
Hand alignment — ✓  
Bezel — ✓  
Case finishing — ✓  
Crown/guards — ✓  
Strap fitment — ✓  
Lume — ✓

I don't see an obvious visual issue that would make me RL this one.

Overall, the VSF 226658 Yacht-Master 42 Black/Dot looks clean in these QC photos.

GL pending timegrapher.

Watch Details

Factory: VSF  
Model: Rolex Yacht-Master 42  
Reference: 226658  
Configuration: YG/RU Black/Dot  
Case: 42mm  
Dial: Black Dot  
Bezel: Black Ceramic, Bidirectional  
Strap: Black Rubber / Oysterflex-style  
Movement: DD3235 / commonly listed as VS3235  
Date: 3 o'clock  
Crystal: Sapphire + Cyclops  
Caseback: Solid  
Factory-listed waterproofing: 50m

VSF Rolex Yacht-Master 42 226658 YG/RU Black Dial | 42mm | VS3235