Truly Madly Deeply

Introduced 50 years ago, the Rolex Sea-Dweller was the world’s first deep dive watch, and its latest incarnation harks back to  the most fabled chapter in its glorious history, writes Celine Yap

- Celine Yap

IT IS HARD TO THINK OF A MORE underrated sports watch than the Rolex Sea-Dweller. When it comes to Rolex diving watches, the Submariner gets most of, if not all, the love. Granted, the Sea-Dweller began as an offshoot of the Submariner, so it is perhaps fair the latter gets more recognition. It does, overwhelmingly so, and this is probably a blessing in disguise for watch connoisseurs who actually favour the Sea-Dweller.

Not as commonly encountered, the Sea-Dweller appeals to a select group of Rolex collectors for whom extreme performance is the holy grail. But its niche appeal is set to widen as the watch celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a new reference that has made it to the top of every savvy watch collector’s hit list. As with all the most coveted Rolex watches, the waiting list for the new Sea-Dweller Ref 126600 is long with a capital L. It is said that this tribute piece checks all the right boxes for an ultra collectable Rolex—a recap of the watch’s history that tells the full story.

WAY BACK WHEN

In 1953, the same year the Submariner was released, Rolex collaborated with a Swiss scientist named Auguste Piccard, who had invented the deep-sea diving bathyscaphe Trieste. The challenge was for Rolex to create a watch that could accompany the submersible on its dives. The brand delivered spectacularly, creating an experimental Oyster it called the Deep Sea Special, designed to resist the pressures of the deep. In 1960, a revamped Deep Sea Special accompanied the Trieste on its mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, at a record depth of 10,916m. When it surfaced, it was found to have kept perfect time. This was proof of Rolex’s expertise in diving watches, and the beginning of the Sea-Dweller legacy.