Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Monaco, Jan 19, 2023
LOT 26
ROLEX
REF. 1665, SELF-WINDING, CENTRE-SECONDS, DATE; "SEA-DWELLER"; STAINLESS STEEL
REF. 1665, SELF-WINDING, CENTRE-SECONDS, DATE; "SEA-DWELLER"; STAINLESS STEEL
EUR 15,000 - 25,000
USD 16,100 - 26,800 / HKD 126,000 - 210,000 / CHF 14,900 - 24,800
Sold: EUR 26,000
Fine and rare, stainless steel, self-winding, “tonneau”-shaped, massive diver’s wristwatch, water-resistant with screwed case-back, original gas escape valve and ring lock system, “triplock” winding-crown protected by the crown guards, 60-minute graduated revolving bezel with black insert for the decompression times, black dial with centre-seconds and date of the month (aperture at 3 o’clock).
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 2* |
Very good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Brand Rolex, Geneva
Model "Sea-Dweller"
Reference 1665
Year circa 1981
Movement No. D 968 327
Case No. 6 751 793
Material stainless steel
Bracelet stainless steel Rolex "Oyster" bracelet with deployant clasp
Diameter 40 mm.
Caliber 1570, 26 jewels
Signature dial, case and movement
Notes
This watch has never been repolished; it remains in like new condition.
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The Rolex "Sea-Dweller" was designed in collaboration with the famous French scuba diving company COMEX (Compagnie maritime d'expertise). The partnership between Rolex and the COMEX was established in the early 1960s, in 1963. When the first hyperbaric centre was built in 1968, COMEX set up a hyperbaric unit and a large modular saturation unit on its site in Marseilles for physiological studies which were adapted to saturation diving under hydrogen at up to 800 meters.
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The Rolex "Sea-Dweller" was designed in collaboration with the famous French scuba diving company COMEX (Compagnie maritime d'expertise). The partnership between Rolex and the COMEX was established in the early 1960s, in 1963. When the first hyperbaric centre was built in 1968, COMEX set up a hyperbaric unit and a large modular saturation unit on its site in Marseilles for physiological studies which were adapted to saturation diving under hydrogen at up to 800 meters.
In underwater missions, divers have encountered watch failure during decompression, when the glasses exploded due to an internal accumulation of air pressure. Rolex has modified the standard "Submariner" Ref. 5513 watches to include a helium escape valve to release air while maintaining the water-resistance of the watch. Thus, in 1967, the first Ref. 1665 "Sea-Dweller2 watches were delivered to authorised dealers and selected divers for testing. It had a depth rating of up to 610 meters. The reference 1665 was not only an everyday object, but a tool for divers being an integral part of their gear – and survival. This reference was in production until 1980.