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Lot Essay
Highly rare and visually striking, the present Rolex 'Double Red' Sea-Dweller reference 1665 is distinguished by its exceptional 'tropical' brown dial, offering a warm and nuanced contrast to the iconic red signature and beautifully aged tritium hour markers. The watch is further identified as a Mark II dial variant, characterised by the smaller second line of red text, the so-called 'smudge' coronet, and the desirable tropical transformation of the dial: features that make such examples particularly sought after among collectors.
The inside of the caseback is stamped with the final three digits of the serial number, '920', along with the engraving 'IV.67', indicating production in the last quarter of 1967.
The 'Double Red' Sea-Dweller reference 1665
Introduced in 1969, the Sea-Dweller reference 1665 was developed in response to the needs of professional deep-sea divers. Early examples were issued for testing in extreme underwater environments, particularly to evaluate Rolex’s newly developed helium escape valve.
At significant depths, helium molecules could penetrate the watch case during saturation diving and, upon decompression, cause internal pressure to build to the point of failure, often resulting in the crystal being forced off the watch. Rolex addressed this issue with the introduction of the helium escape valve, allowing accumulated gas to safely exit the case while maintaining water resistance.
Following successful field testing, the Sea-Dweller was officially introduced to the market in 1970, establishing itself as one of the most robust and technically advanced professional dive watches of its era.
The inside of the caseback is stamped with the final three digits of the serial number, '920', along with the engraving 'IV.67', indicating production in the last quarter of 1967.
The 'Double Red' Sea-Dweller reference 1665
Introduced in 1969, the Sea-Dweller reference 1665 was developed in response to the needs of professional deep-sea divers. Early examples were issued for testing in extreme underwater environments, particularly to evaluate Rolex’s newly developed helium escape valve.
At significant depths, helium molecules could penetrate the watch case during saturation diving and, upon decompression, cause internal pressure to build to the point of failure, often resulting in the crystal being forced off the watch. Rolex addressed this issue with the introduction of the helium escape valve, allowing accumulated gas to safely exit the case while maintaining water resistance.
Following successful field testing, the Sea-Dweller was officially introduced to the market in 1970, establishing itself as one of the most robust and technically advanced professional dive watches of its era.