A technical look at the three generations of the Deepsea Sea-Dweller, one of Rolex's most technological models.
Diver watches are among the first models that come to mind when the subject is Rolex. The adventure that started with the world's first diver's watch, the Submariner, introduced by the Swiss brand in 1953, has been creating great excitement for watch lovers for years. However, our topic today is not the Submariner.
By 1967, Rolex introduced a new model with a higher diving capability: the Sea-Dweller. The Sea-Dweller model, developed considering the problems experienced by saturation divers during decompression, was the world's first watch with a helium escape valve. The Sea-Dweller, offering water resistance up to 2000ft, or 610 meters, which was an incredible depth value for those years, soon became the king of diver watches.
In the following years, the waterproof rating of this model increased to 4000ft, or 1220 meters, which seemed impossible to achieve in practice. Along with the developing technology, Rolex continued to update its model family. In 2008, Rolex introduced the Sea-Dweller Deepsea model, which offered a waterproof value of up to 12800ft, that is, 3900 meters. This model also featured a titanium case back, a first in the brand's history.
The first Deepsea model with reference number 116660 came with a 44m diameter case made of 904L steel. The watches, which were tested up to %25 above the specified value according to ISO 6425 diver's watch standards, were actually water resistant up to 4875 meters. Since Rolex designed relatively shorter lugs for this model's case, the bracelet's end link had a hump and protruded a little. The case back was made of steel and titanium with technical inscriptions that were quite rare for Rolex models. The model came with a 21mm lug-width Oyster bracelet featuring the Glidelock system with a sliding extension that allows quick adjustment. There was also a three-piece diver's extension link on the bracelet for wearing the watch on a wetsuit. The new Rolex 116660 ticked with the automatic Caliber 3135 that offered a power reserve of up to 48 hours.
In 2012, Rolex sponsored famous director James Cameron's dive into the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the world, with the help of a special submersible. For this incredible dive, the brand developed an exclusive watch, Deepsea Challenge, with a water resistance of up to 12000 meters, to be attached to the robot arm of the submersible. This model was for experimental purposes only and was never commercially available.
In 2014, Rolex introduced a dual-tone dial version of the same watch that offers a gradient background going from blue to black. The model soon began to be called James Cameron D-Blue by the brand's enthusiasts.
In 2018, Deepsea received a series of updates as well as a new reference number, 126660. The lug width of the bracelet increased by 1mm and the hump on the end link disappeared. In addition to the proportional changes, the fonts on the inner rehaut surrounding the dial differed from the previous version. Finally, the model had the new generation automatic Caliber 3235 inside and continued to be the brand's most advanced diver's watch.
In 2022, Rolex introduced a new Deepsea. The new version, bearing the new reference, 136660, looked the same as the previous version at first glance, but there are differences when you go into the details. Incorporating innovations such as a more compact bezel, an enlarged date window, and a new case back with an enlarged titanium part, the watch also got rid of the three-piece diver's extension.
Sea-Dweller Deepsea, with its diameter of 44mm and thickness approaching 18mm, is one of the models that makes you feel the Rolex quality on your wrist the most. From the materials used to the harmony of the elements that make up the watch, Deepsea is a special watch that represents the latest technology and engineering point of modern watchmaking. Yes, we are sure that no one will go to a depth of 3900 meters with this watch, but we need to act with emotions rather than logic to explain the pleasure of owning this rare example where high watchmaking meets high engineering.
