Rolex "Double Red" Sea-Dweller

Caseback

The Rolex "Double Red" Sea-Dweller Model Ref 1665 Circa 1967 to 1977, was the first Rolex Sports model to achieve cult status among Rolex collectors and enthusiast, but so little is known about its development and the few variations available.

Due to heavy misinformation from unauthorised Rolex information books, dealers, and even Rolex themselves, many collectors had believed this version only to be produced from 1971 to 1973.

Some have even suggested that its commercialisation was an "after thought" and a huge publicity hunting operation by Rolex after having lost out to Omega and its Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph to be the official watch of the American astronauts.

The discovery of two Rolex Sea-Dwellers ref 1665 Without Gas Valves and Unique dials configerations has not only revolutionised the theories behind the development of the Double Red Sea-Dweller but makes redundant all that was written before.

One had a Single Red Sea-Dweller dial with a serial number in the 1.6 million range and the other had a Unique Double Red Sea-Dweller/Submariner dial with a serial number in the 1.7 million.

Rolex Sea-Dwellers Without Gas Valves.

The Original Rolex Prototype Single Red Sea-Dweller Without Gas Valve

Model No.: 1665 Circa 1967 Serail Number 1.6 million range

Rare Prototype and Unique Rolex Stainless Steel Single Red Sea-Dweller, thin case and Without Gas Valve. This is one of the first Rolex Sea-Dweller to have been produced by Rolex Geneva, and presented to a diver of great distinction.

The existence of the Rolex Stainless Steel Single Red Sea-Dweller with Gas Valve has been well catalogued by BJSOnline so with this discovery we all move to a new level of learning and questions. Rolex Geneva have confirmed that only 30 Rolex Sea Dweller Cases were produced without the Gas Escape Valve.

Robert Palmer Bradley (Bob to his friends) was a legendary diver, a very popular and focused man.

This Unique Rolex Sea-Dweller was presented to Robert Palmer Bradley in November 1968 at the Kona Kai Club in San Diego, California. It was for the 500th Anniversary dive of the research Submersible DEEPSTAR 4000 owned by Westinghouse. Rolex has an advert showing The DEEPSTAR 4000 and Robert Palmer Bradley is one of the divers in the picture.

Robert Palmer Bradley became a submersible pilot after a forced retirement (due to injury) from the US Navy as a fighter pilot. In June 1969 he accepted a job as a pilot of the Submersible Pisces in Vancouver BC, and a few years later with International Hydrodrynamics, he built the Sea Otter and started his own company named The Artic Marine. In many projects he worked closely with Jacques Cousteau, and they were close friends.

Robert Palmer Bradley lost his life November 28th 1973 in a diving accident near Kitmat, BC. This was the first dive since being presented The Rolex Sea-Dweller that he was not wearing it. The watch was being serviced!!

Robert Palmer Bradley loved Rolex Dive watches, and his collection included many James Bond Submariners. He was surely a man ahead of his time. His Collection was passed down to his sons who for the last 30 years have worn and treasured the watches on a daily basis.

The Writer, Mr R. Frank Busby of Arlington Virginia, dedicated his book, Manned Submersibles-Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy to Robert Palmer Bradley. He wrote the following:

"Had I the chance to peel away the years and once again decide which path to follow, it would be towards the sea. I would do this for two reasons: Because it is the most intriguing subject and the most intriguing people are met on and under its surface. Bob Bradley was, what I can only call a delight and a rare privilege to know him."

"He possessed a sharp, sly sense of humor, a pioneer's sense of adventure and displayed a scholar's interest in the oceans. Naval Aviator, commercial diver, submersible pilot and graduate in marine biology are not credentials one would expect from a son of the prairies. But in a quiet, certain, almost casual manner, Bob dealt as easily with the deep oceans as he would have the wheatfields of his native Kansas."

"I miss him, so do the other friends he left. In a very real sense, an early pioneer of the deep oceans, William Beebe, described our loss":

"When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again".

The Unique Prototype Double Red Sea-Dweller/Submariner

Model No.: 1665 Circa 1967 Serial Number 1.7 million range.

I believe this dial configuration to be unique, well I have never seen one like it, and its discovery will help us all to understand the Rolex think tank behind the final version of the Double Red Sea-Dweller dial.

My Conclusion on the Dials.

In the early 60,s Rolex had decided to introduce a Divers watch with a date function, this was of commercial importance. Today the Rolex Sea-Dweller Date and the Rolex Submariner Date are two of the Top selling watches in the Rolex Sports Watches range. That is forward thinking for you.

Rolex had two diving watches with date on the drawing board. The Rolex Submariner and The Rolex Sea-Dweller.

The original Prototypes Rolex Sea-Dweller had a thin case and was very similar to a Rolex Submariner case. Also the Rolex Sea-Dweller did not have a Gas Valve, did not have any markings on the caseback, and if it was not for the bubble on the plexi-glass of the Rolex Submariner, it would have been very difficult to tell them apart from a distance. And that was the problem.

Initially these Original Prototypes Rolex Sea-Dwellers were produced in a small batch circa 1967 and presented to the Worlds Top Deep Sea Divers, who then "Test Drove" them, and gave Rolex an indepth detailed report on dependability and stability on Deep Sea dives of below 200m to around 2000m.

Most of these Prototypes did not survive decompressions and Rolex understood that the Gas Escape Valve developed with Comex, and already fitted to early Rolex Comex Submariners ref 5513 and ref 5514, would needed to be fitted to the Rolex Sea-Dweller.

The immediate impact was that it made the watch visually different to the Rolex Submariner. Now the Rolex Design team had to deveolp a dial that was strikingly different to the Rolex Submariner Date and also a debate was still on going as the final commercial name for the watch.

- The Rolex Sea-Dweller

- The Rolex Sea-Dweller Submariner

- The Rolex Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000

Appropriate dials were designed and produced. Rolex in their wisdom decided to go with The Rolex Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000 and that is why the words Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000 now famously know as the Double Red Sea-Dweller, appear on dials.

Still there were a few inside the company who were still unhappy about the name given to the watch as they felt it was too long and there would be a confusion with The Rolex Submariner and the debate continued. But one thing that the majority agreed upon was the newly designed dial, it was significantly different to the Submariner dial.

Rolex went full circle and settled with Rolex Sea-Dweller, short and sweet.

Comex (Compagnie Maritime E d’Expertise) were a diving company based in Marseilles that specialised in deep sea diving for the oil industry. The Rolex Watch Company had very close contacts with the french diving company, and in collaboration they researched the problems caused to diving watches such as the Rolex Submariner model ref 5513 when divers de-pressurised in the chambers.

The divers found that the helium molecules trapped in a watchcase during the time spent in the pressurised chambers undersea caused a build up of pressure. This resulted in the balances to fail and, the glasses to be blown off when they were brought back to atmospheric pressure faster than the helium could escape the watchcase.

Rolex Comex Submariner Unique ref 5514 (with "Gas Escape Valve")

Patented by Rolex Watch Company in 1967 the "Gas Escape Valve" was born. It was fitted on the side of the watchcase at the discreet but visible nine o'clock position. This simple engineering masterpiece ensured that during decompression the gases were released from the watchcase.

The "Gas Escape Valve" was first fitted on the Rolex Comex Submariner model ref 5513 with Comex markings on the case and later Rolex produced a Unique Model ref for Comex, namely the Rolex Submariner model ref 5514.

The development of the "Gas Escape Valve" and its connections with COMEX gave Rolex the opportunity to develop and market a commercially unique diving watch. Features such as:-

-Markings on the case back (giving it the look of a Rolex Comex)

-Gas Escape Valve

-Date feature

-Part or Full serial number engraved inside the case back (only seen on Comex 5513 and Military Subs)

Some called it a "gimmick" as few if any consumer would ever be called to find themselves anywhere near 2000 feet undersea!

©BJSOnline.com, 2002.