Rolex Sea Dweller

The Rolex Sea Dweller is one of several watches manufactured by Rolex for divers. The Sea Dweller gets its name from its ability to withstand pressures up to large depths. The exact depth of water that a Sea Dweller can handle depends on the model – vintage Sea Dwellers can go down to around 600 metres while newer models can be used for much deeper dives.

The first Rolex Sea Dweller became available in 1967. Known as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea Dweller Submariner 2000, it could be used up to 610 metres underwater. The original purpose of the Sea Dweller was to provide a watch that could be used by the increasing number of marine workers and diving companies during the 1960s.

Today, the vast majority of Rolex Sea Dweller timepieces come with a helium valve. This allows the watches to be used by divers for long periods of time underwater. It also means that they are suitable for saturation diving – a technique used to avoid problems with the difference in pressure underwater. Not all Sea Dwellers have this capability – some of the earlier models lack a helium escape valve and hence can’t be used for saturation diving.

As with any vintage watch there is a large number of replica Rolex Sea Dwellers available. The main feature used to distinguish between a fake and the real thing is two red lines. For this reason you’ll often hear the watches being referred to as “double red watches” amongst collectors.

Due to the success of the initial Rolex Sea Dweller 2000 a new model was released – the Sea Dweller 4000 which could be used down to depths of 4000 feet (or 1200 metres). During 2008 Rolex also released a new Sea Dweller watch called the DEEPSEA Sea Dweller. This particular watch can be used down to nearly 4000 metres.

Rolex Sea Dwellers use the Rolex 3135 movement which provides accurate time keeping. This movement includes no complications aside from a small date display. The importance of having a reliable and sturdy watch for divers shouldn’t be understated which is why this is the perfect movement for the Sea Dweller. Although it isn’t considered to be the most comfortable watch available due to its extra weight the Sea Dweller is never difficult or uncomfortable to wear. Most importantly, the watch face is large and clear which makes reading the time or date easy in most situations.

Rolex Sea Dweller watches aren’t just used by divers though. To buy a Rolex Sea Dweller costs around $8000 depending on which model you buy and how old it is. It also depends on whether you want a vintage / used Rolex Sea Dweller or one of the newer DEEPSEA models. Rolex watches have become far more than wristwatches – they are a status symbol.

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