When the Rolex Submariner was launched in 1953, it represented Rolex’s answer to the demands of the fast-growing community of recreational scuba divers, at the time a novel sport. Soon, however, the company realized that it could also provide diver’s watches to professional institutions - such as COMEX. Thus, the Submariner was adapted to the stricter requirements of professional diving endeavors - such as the new underwater habitats which were being developed at the time. The results of this process is a series of “upgraded” Submariner watches featuring improved water resistance and, at times, the Helium Escape Valve, developed to avoid the glass popping off the watch during ascent after prolonged sojourn in the habitat.
In 1971, a civilian version of these timepieces was launched with the Sea-Dweller line, the name inspired by the scientists, and their watches, who would dwell underwater for extended periods of time.
The present Sea-Dweller 1665 is notably a highly sought-after "Double Red" example, featuring two lines of red text. This detail is found only in early examples, as in 1977 it is abandoned in favor of full white graphics (the so-called “Great White” Sea-Dweller).
The dial of the Double Red Sea-Dweller presents an evolution over time, each iteration identified as a Mark. This specimen features a Mark 3 dial, characterized by a number of traits: the “SUBMARINER 2000” designation features smaller font than the “SEA-DWELLER” one, the red writing is applied directly onto the black background without the underlying white plot seen on earlier versions, and the Rolex crown is very well defined.
When admiring its caseback, however, a whole new layer of historical importance comes to light, as the watch was not simply bought by a civilian, but rather it was used for 3 years (1974-1976) by Mr. Gino Salotti, a deep water diver operating on oil rigs in the North Sea, as the engraving to the back commemorates. The danger such employment presents are remarkable even today, but in the seventies they must have been momentous. The selection of a Rolex timepiece for this job underlines the supremacy in the compartment of tool watches the company enjoyed during the past century.
The watch was publicly for the first time in 2018 in this very saleroom and offered by the original owner, which makes this watch a "two owner since new" piece, this is a rare occasion for the collector of professional timepieces to own a wristwatch which truly lived through the hardships of deep-water diving.
