Rolex Sea-Dweller

Rolex Sea-Dweller

The Sea-Dweller is a diving watch that has been a favorite of serious divers for decades. The watch is water resistant to 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) and has a unidirectional rotating bezel that allows divers to track their dive time. The SeaDweller also has a date function and is powered by an automatic movement. The Sea-Dweller is a good choice for anyone looking for a strong and reliable dive watch. The professional dive watch is built to withstand the rigors of diving and will provide years of trouble-free service. If you are looking for a top-quality dive watch, the Sea-Dweller should be at the top of your list.

History of the Sea-Dweller

First introduced in 1967 with the reference 1665, the Sea-Dweller was the first dive watch to feature a ´helium escape valve´. This is a feature on the side of the case that allows built-up helium to escape when the watch is at great depths. The movement in 1665 is the 1570 automatic caliber made by Rolex. 1665 has a dial known for its two lines of red text and tritium hour markers. These watches are very rare, especially with the original box so there are rarely exclusive offers for them. The Sea-Dweller 1665 was made from 1967 to 1980, after which the new Sea-Dweller came out: the Sea-Dweller 16660.

The Sea-Dweller 16660 

First introduced in 1978, the Sea-Dweller 16660 was a big performance improvement compared to the Sea-Dweller 1665. Water resistance went from 610m to 1200m due to the new sapphire crystal and an improved helium escape valve. Also, the SeaDweller 16660 received the new version of the dial with white gold bezels around the hour markers. This change made the 16660’s extremely strong diving watches, making the Sea-Dweller 16660 one of the most popular models among divers.

The Rolex Deepsea for professional divers

In 2008, Rolex stopped producing and selling the 16600 and introduced the Rolex Deepsea 116660. With an even larger and thicker case of 44mm, the Rolex Deepsea was equipped with an even higher depth indication of 3900m. This SeaDweller Rolex also had a ring lock system and a ceramic bezel.

The Rolex Deepsea ´James Cameron´ D-Blue edition

Later, the Rolex Deepsea ´James Cameron´ came out under the reference 126660. This special version of the Rolex Deepsea has a partially blue-colored dial with ´Deepsea´ in green. This watch was released in celebration of landing at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. James Cameron is a film director who managed to reach a depth of nearly 11 kilometers, wearing a Rolex Deepsea.

The Submariner’s big brother

Despite being closely related, the Sea-Dweller has more differences from the Rolex Submariner besides the Helium escape valve feature. For example, the Sea-Dweller does not have a cyclops lens for the date and the Sea-Dweller case is a lot thicker. These modifications were necessary to give the Sea-Dweller higher water resistance.

The Rolex Sea-Dweller in brief

The Rolex Sea-Dweller is a favorite dive watch of serious divers because of its water resistance and the unidirectional rotating bezel. The watch was first introduced in 1967 with the reference 1665 and has undergone several improvements since then. The most recent model, the Rolex Deepsea, was released with an even higher depth setting of 3900 m. The Sea-Dweller is an excellent choice for anyone seeking a top quality, reliable diving watch.