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Lot Essay
Fresh to market, Christie's is proud to offer an extremely rare example of a Rolex 'Patent Pending' Mark 1 Sea-Dweller reference 1665 from 1969. The present owner originally purchased this rare timepiece from a diving buddy in 1987, wore it diving once, and then kept it in his safe for the next 40 years.
Wonderfully attractive and well-preserved, the original dial and hands have turned to a warm custard color which contrast nicely against the red text and matte black dial.
The Mark 1 Sea-Dweller 'Patent Pending'
Launched in 1969, the Mark 1 Sea-Dweller 'Patent Pending' is an extremely rare timepiece in which only approximately 300 examples were believed to have been manufactured. Created in 3 different batches identified by their serial numbers (2.11M, 2.12M, and 2.14M (a few specimens in the 1.7M range as well)), the present lot being from the last batch, it is believed that these watches were given to deep-sea divers to test Rolex's newly developed helium escape valve technology, in which as the name suggests, their patent was pending. The primary issue with dive watches at extreme depths had been the buildup of helium gas within the case which would increase during decompression to the point of watch failure, making the crystal explode off of the watch. Rolex's new creation allowed the helium gas to escape the case through the valve on the side while not letting water into the watch. After many successful tests thanks to these divers, the Sea-Dweller model became commercially available in 1970.
Wonderfully attractive and well-preserved, the original dial and hands have turned to a warm custard color which contrast nicely against the red text and matte black dial.
The Mark 1 Sea-Dweller 'Patent Pending'
Launched in 1969, the Mark 1 Sea-Dweller 'Patent Pending' is an extremely rare timepiece in which only approximately 300 examples were believed to have been manufactured. Created in 3 different batches identified by their serial numbers (2.11M, 2.12M, and 2.14M (a few specimens in the 1.7M range as well)), the present lot being from the last batch, it is believed that these watches were given to deep-sea divers to test Rolex's newly developed helium escape valve technology, in which as the name suggests, their patent was pending. The primary issue with dive watches at extreme depths had been the buildup of helium gas within the case which would increase during decompression to the point of watch failure, making the crystal explode off of the watch. Rolex's new creation allowed the helium gas to escape the case through the valve on the side while not letting water into the watch. After many successful tests thanks to these divers, the Sea-Dweller model became commercially available in 1970.