« A Legend Turns 50 »
For many watch connoisseurs today, the name Rolex brings to mind above all the dive watches of the renowned Swiss manufacture – and with good reason. After all, the Rolex Submariner is considered one of the most frequently copied luxury watches in the world. Its design served as the model for a whole range of dive watches from a wide variety of manufacturers, and together with the Rolex Sea-Dweller it has long since become a true icon of watchmaking history. The Sea-Dweller, designed to withstand even greater stresses than the Submariner, was first introduced in 1967 and is being honored on its 50th anniversary with a Sea-Dweller anniversary edition.
Dive Watches – Built to Conquer the Depths
The 1950s and 1960s were defined not only by humanity's first forays into space, but also by the drive to reach ever greater ocean depths. At the same time, the development of practical diving equipment by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Hans Hass and other pioneers allowed recreational and sport diving to take shape in its modern form during this period and to be taken up by more and more people. Against this backdrop, a growing number of renowned watchmakers brought wristwatches to market that, thanks to their water resistance, could be used for diving and also featured details useful to divers, such as a unidirectional rotating bezel for setting the dive time and highly legible hands and indices coated with luminous material.
The World's First Dive Watch?
Although the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, introduced in 1953, is regarded as the world's first dive watch, the Submariner launched by Rolex that same year is unquestionably among the earliest examples of the genre as well – and it also proved considerably more robust.
The water resistance of Blancpain's first dive watch was rated at up to 50 fathoms, which is just over 91 meters and gave this legendary model its name.
The Submariner, by contrast, was water-resistant to 200 meters and thus capable of handling far greater stresses underwater.
In developing this watch, the brand clearly benefited from the significant lead it had built up early on over most of its competitors when it came to water resistance.
As early as 1926, company founder Hans Wilsdorf had presented the first patented waterproof watch under the name Oyster, and a year later he made it famous worldwide by asking swimmer Mercedes Gleitze to wear one during her attempt to swim the English Channel.
Despite spending hours in the cold seawater, the watch remained watertight and ran just as reliably afterward as before – a fact Wilsdorf made the centerpiece of a massive advertising campaign.
Ever since, water resistance has been a defining feature of most Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches, even models not designed as dive watches.
1967: The Birth of the Rolex Sea-Dweller
Fourteen years after the launch of the Rolex Submariner, the Sea-Dweller was unveiled for the first time and quickly became a legend in the segment of professional dive watches. Its water resistance was initially rated at up to 610 meters. A special feature of this 1967 watch was the so-called helium escape valve.
This is a patented safety valve that, without compromising water resistance in any way, allowed the pressure built up inside the watch to be released while the diver was in the decompression chamber. Since its launch, the Sea-Dweller has been an indispensable part of the collection of the brand with the crown. Over the years, its appearance has remained virtually unchanged, with modifications made only to individual details. First and foremost among these is the further improvement of water resistance. In 1980 it was first increased to 1,220 meters, and since 2008 there has been the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea, which is water-resistant to 3,900 meters.
Given its decades of commercial success, it was only natural to celebrate the 50th "birthday" of this exceptional watch with an anniversary edition. It was presented at Baselworld 2017 and should delight style-conscious divers just as much as lovers of sporty, rugged luxury watches built to the highest standards.
A Look at the Current Collection
The current collection of ultra-resistant Rolex watches for professional divers comprises three models. The base version is the Sea-Dweller, made from highly corrosion-resistant 904L stainless steel. This steel is extremely hard and resistant to mechanical stress, yet can be polished to retain an attractive luster. The broad indices and hands typical of the Professional models stand out especially well against the deep black dial. They are coated with a blue luminescent material that glows evenly for up to eight hours, remaining visible in the dark roughly twice as long as conventional luminous materials. The case diameter is 43 millimeters.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea, by contrast, is one millimeter larger. On the Deepsea, the especially thick sapphire crystal over the dial has no Cyclops date magnifier.
The third model is the Deepsea D-Blue, which sets itself apart from the other two versions at first glance with its blue dial. In addition, the "Deepsea" lettering here is rendered in the same green as James Cameron's submersible in the film "Deepsea Challenge 3D".
The Sea-Dweller Special Edition for the 50th Anniversary
The Sea-Dweller anniversary edition is powered by the newly developed caliber 3235, which is protected by a total of 14 patents and makes its debut here in a model from the Professional category. It is certified as a "Superlative Chronometer", meeting a precision standard redefined in 2015 that goes well beyond the strict criteria of conventional COSC certification.
The red "Deepsea" lettering recalls the first Sea-Dweller Deepsea while adding a subtle splash of color.
Naturally, the anniversary edition also features the helium escape valve on the left side of the case, and the unidirectional rotating bezel with the 60-minute graduation typical of dive watches is not only superbly legible thanks to the patented black Cerachrom insert, but also highly scratch-resistant. Remarkably, the power reserve of the Rolex Sea-Dweller Special Edition now stands at around 70 hours. Also worth mentioning is the Oyster bracelet made of solid stainless steel links with the Oysterlock safety folding clasp, which prevents the bracelet from opening accidentally.
Thanks to a dual extension system, the bracelet length can be adjusted so that the Sea-Dweller anniversary edition can also be worn over the sleeve of a diving suit up to seven millimeters thick.
