Rolex Double Red Sea-Dweller DRSD

 

The "Double Red" Sea-Dweller epitomises the very essence of a Rolex Sports Watch. It 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.

Its origins & development are closely linked with the evolution of deep sea diving, it is both aesthetically pleasing with the double red writing and also the most rugged of sports watches, with a staggering depth rating due to the innovative helium gas escape valve. It is the only Rolex watch to carry engravings on the caseback.

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 need 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 then 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. The Rolex "Double Red" Sea-Dweller ModelRef 1665 is now a "Must Have" in a Rolex Sport Collection.