The Rolex Sea-Dweller was unveiled in 1967 to show the leadership of Rolex in divers’ watches at a depth of 4,000 ft (1,220 meters) and as part of decades of cooperation with diving professionals. Rolex Deepsea, a Sea-Dweller model unveiled in 2008, has an improved waterproofness of up to 12,800 feet (3,900 meters). Rolex Sea-Dweller has a 60-minute unidirectional rotatable bezel that allows immersion and decompression times to be tracked by the divers safely.
The Sea-Dweller, with a water resistance of up to 610 meters (2,000 feet) launched in 1967, is equipped with a gas escape valve developed by Rolex. It allows the helium trapped in the watch to be released when dismantled under certain pressure of decompression while maintaining water-resistance of the watch case.
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The History Behind the Rolex Sea-Dweller
Everything about the Rolex Sea Dweller started when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard piloted the bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960 to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest site in the Earth’s seabed hydrosphere. The submersible, upon surfacing the historic Pacific Ocean dive with a depth of 37,800 feet (10,916 meters), was carrying an experimental Rolex watch, the Deep Sea Special, attached to its exterior.
Sea-Dweller Diving Records
In 1988, a team of experienced divers from Comex S.A., a company specializing in engineering and deep diving operations, made the record for real offshore diving with a depth of up to 1.752 ft (534 meters) deep seawater (MSW) in the Mediterranean Sea while wearing the Rolex Sea-Dwellers.
Theo Mavrostomos, a Comex diver, achieved a scientific record dive in 1992 of 2,300 feet (701 meters) of seawater (MSW) in an onshore hyperbaric chamber taking 43 days to complete the dive. Together with him was a Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 with a 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) depth rating, where a hydreliox (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen) gas mixture was used as breathing gas.
James Cameron, Canadian film director, producer, and environmentalist, recognized for directing famous movies such as The Terminator and Titanic, traveled to the bottom of Challenger Deep with a depth of 35,787 feet (10,908 meters) in March 2012 piloting a 7.3-meter submersible Deepsea Challenger with Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Sea-Dweller Deepsea Challenge on his wrist, making him the second to have a manned trip to the area since the bathyscaph Trieste in 1960. He also took with him in his cockpit the 1960 Deep Sea Special Watch in honor of Trieste’s pioneers and as a symbolic link between two exploration ages.
Rolex Sea-Dweller Models
The Sea-Dweller has been famous for years causing the continuous creations of many new models. Here are a few of the latest Sea-Dwellers available on the Rolex official site right now.
Sea-Dweller (Oystersteel and Yellow Gold)
The Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller reference 126603 in yellow Rolesor features distinctive high-length luminescent hours in a distinctive black dial. The 43 mm watch is made up of a Yellow Rolesor, a combination of Oystersteel and 18 ct yellow gold. It has a waterproofness of up to 1,220 meters and a power reserve of up to 70 hours.
Sea-Dweller (Oystersteel Black Dial)
The 43 mm Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller reference 126600 in a black ceramic bezel features a recognizable black dial and Oyster bracelet. Its round case is made up of an oystersteel material and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with Cyclops lens over the date. Its functions include center hour, minute, and seconds hands, instantaneous date with rapid setting, and stop-seconds for precise time setting.
Rolex Deepsea (Oystersteel Black Dial)
This 44 mm Perpetual Rolex Deepsea reference 126660 features a distinctive black dial, large shiny hour markers, and an Oyster bracelet. Its round domed case is made up of 5.5 mm-thick scratch-resistant sapphires and it has a waterproofness of up to 3,900 meters and can last at approximately 70 hours.
Rolex Deepsea (Oystersteel D-Blue Dial)
This 44 mm Rolex Deepsea reference 126660 modifies a brilliant D-blue dial, black ceramic bezel, and an Oyster bracelet. The D-Blue dial is created as a tribute to James Cameron’s historical and record-breaking solo dive. Its round domed case is made up of a 5.5 mm-thick scratch-resistant sapphire and has a waterproofness of up to 3,900 meters deep.
This Sea-Dweller in D-Blue dial has a long list of popular celebrity users aside from James Cameron himself, including Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, musician Dave Navarro, actor Sylvester Stallone, and comedian Joe Rogan
In a Nutshell
The creation of the Sea-Dweller timepiece is a Swiss giant watchmaker’s reminder that the brand can also flex super technological muscles, if it wants, in addition to making the most famous luxury watches in the world, since a lot are questioning why they are making Rolex Sea-Dwellers that can withstand 100 times deeper than any person would survive. And even if it was purposively made for deep-sea adventures, the flexible quality it possesses shows that it can be used everywhere every day. Rolex watches are known to be robust and durable so do not worry about them getting scratches when used.
