The Sea-Dweller and Rolex Deepsea are ultra-resistant divers’ watches engineered by Rolex for deep-sea exploration. Waterproof to a depth of 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) for the Rolex Sea-Dweller, launched in 1967, and 12,800 feet (3,900 meters) for the Rolex Deepsea unveiled in 2008. They are the ultimate manifestation of Rolex’s leadership in divers’ watches and the result of decades of collaboration with diving professionals.
In 2014 Rolex released a special version of the model, the Rolex Deepsea with a D-blue dial, to commemorate James Cameron’s historic solo dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, some 11,000 meters deep. From twilight blue to bottomless black, its two-color gradient dial celebrates one man’s journey to the deepest place on Earth.
The Sea-Dweller’s 60-minute graduated, unidirectional rotatable bezel enables divers to safely monitor their dive and decompression times. It is equipped with a patented black Cerachrom bezel insert, manufactured by Rolex in a virtually scratchproof and corrosion proof ceramic, whose color is unaffected by ultraviolet rays. The graduation is coated via PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) with a thin layer of platinum.
Designed for extreme depths – No other watch is engineered like the Rolex Deepsea. Waterproof to an extreme depth of 3,900 meters (12,800 feet), this new-generation divers’ watch benefits from exclusive innovations developed by Rolex to exceed the most exacting demands of professional divers.
Its 44 mm Oyster case, reinforced with the patented Ringlock System, was designed to provide the highest degree of resistance and reliability in a size that remains wearable and practical.
Resistance to Pressure – Early saturation divers experienced a troublesome phenomenon that affected their watches during the decompression phase in hyperbaric chambers, filled with breathing mixes composed largely of helium. Helium molecules are so tiny that they can slowly penetrate the watch case through the gaskets, so the pressure inside the watch equalizes with the pressure inside the habitat.
However, during a diver’s decompression process to be slowly brought back to normal atmospheric pressure, the gas is unable to escape from the waterproof case sufficiently quickly. The resulting pressure difference inside and outside the watch often resulted in the crystal of the watch popping off, rather like a champagne cork.
Rolex Experience in Store – Nothing beats experiencing first-hand the meticulous details, the balanced weight, the comfort and simply the feel of a Rolex watch.
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Article edit by Mark Brown