Articles First look: EPOQ, the new gentleman’s motor yacht from SES Yachts

21 Jul 2026 | Design and Technology

Marking 50 years in business, Istanbul based shipyard SES Yachts has unveiled EPOQ, a new series of gentleman’s motor yachts designed by STURGE & TOTH and engineered by Van Oossanen Naval Architects. Ocean Independence has been appointed exclusive sales partner for the range.

Turkish shipyard SES Yachts has offered a first look at EPOQ, a new gentleman’s motor yacht series that marks both the family-owned shipyard’s 50th anniversary and its entry into the international semi-custom market. Ocean Independence has been appointed exclusive sales partner for the range.

The first model, the 36-metre EPOQ, will be offered in three platform configurations: a split-deck layout, now complete, and two tri-deck options, both at 95 per cent completion. A wider range spanning 24, 36, and 46 metre is planned to follow, positioning EPOQ as a coherent series for owners at different stages of their yachting journey.

EPOQ render aerial

A different kind of gentleman’s yacht

The name EPOQ nods to the Belle Époque, the era of European elegance and craft that spanned the turn of the twentieth century. Rather than recreate the period, STURGE & TOTH, the design studio behind the project, has translated its enduring qualities, elegance, leisure, confidence, and a regard for beauty, into a contemporary motor yacht.

“The traditional gentleman’s yacht was often associated with status, prestige, and the visual expression of wealth,” said STURGE & TOTH. “Our interpretation takes a different path. EPOQ does not seek to impress through grandeur. Instead, she expresses sophistication through elegance, craftsmanship, and a strong sense of purpose.”

That philosophy carries through to the exterior, where a concave classic hull transitions into a smoothly rounded transom, teak detailing runs the length of the profile, and balanced proportions give the yacht a presence that owes little to passing trends.

Naval architecture by Van Oossanen

Below the waterline, EPOQ is built around Van Oossanen’s Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF), which combines the efficiency of a displacement hull with the speed potential of a semi-displacement platform. The result, according to the naval architects, is a yacht that remains calm and composed in sea states that would have more conventional yachts pitching.

“For us, the brief of creating a yacht with a Northern European character and superior seakeeping goes far beyond technical specifications,” Van Oossanen explained. “It means engineering confidence into every nautical mile.”

A glass-bottomed Jacuzzi as skylight

Among EPOQ’s standout features is a glass-bottomed Jacuzzi on the sun deck, positioned directly above the al fresco dining area on the main deck below. Fitted with switchable liquid-crystal glass, it shifts between translucent and transparent, sending shafts of light and shifting reflections down into the deck below.

The main deck salon is fitted with loose, freestanding furniture rather than fixed joinery, an arrangement intended to give the space a relaxed, residential feel. Traditional woods are paired with fabric panelling throughout, chosen deliberately to allow late-stage personalisation during the build.

Fifty years on the Client’s side

SES Yachts is a third-generation, family-owned shipyard based in Istanbul, with more than 91 yachts delivered since it was founded in the 1970s. The yard has built its name on fully custom sailing and motor yachts, with second and third-generation family members working alongside Owners from concept through to delivery.

EPOQ marks the shipyard’s first structured move into the semi-custom segment, a strategic step designed to bring SES Yachts’ craftsmanship to a wider international audience while preserving the hands-on, family-led approach that has defined its first 50 years.

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EPOQ is available for commission now. To find out more or arrange a presentation, contact your Ocean Independence consultant.

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