製造商: Rolex 年份: Circa 1991 型號: 16600 機芯編號: 6’191’459 錶殼號碼: N421’575, repeated inside caseback 型號名稱: Sea-Dweller “COMEX” 材料: Stainless steel 機芯: Automatic, cal. 3135, 31 jewels 錶帶/ 錶鏈: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped “93160”, endlinks stamped “592B”, max length 180mm 錶扣: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp stamped “R2” 尺寸: 40mm diameter 簽名: Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed 配件: Accompanied by Rolex Japan service guarantee, Rolex Japan service invoice, outer packaging and fitted presentation box.
圖錄文章
For dedicated collectors of vintage Rolex sports watches, most would agree that one of the most celebrated and important collaborations was between Rolex and COMEX. The partnership between the two organizations witnessed their first serially produced wristwatch, the Rolex Sea-Dweller. While its aesthetics remain very much similar to the Submariner, an important feature developed by COMEX would set the two apart, the helium gas escape valve. Attached to the left side of the caseband, the helium gas escape valve allows gas to escape in one outward direction while retaining its waterproof capabilities, enabling for a much deeper depth rating.
While Rolex was the official timekeeping instrument for COMEX, a series of wristwatches featured the “COMEX” logo on the dial throughout its decades of relationship. The last reference to feature the “COMEX” logo on the dial was the Sea-Dweller ref. 16600. Released in 1988, the ref. 16600 enjoyed a long production run of 20 years and was discontinued in 2008. However, it was not until 1992 that the ref. 16600 was utilized by COMEX. Being the official professional dive watch for the French maritime company, the ref. 16600 was made with 200 examples featuring the “COMEX” logo on the dial between 1992 – 1997, with its batch number starting from 3200 and ending at 3400. During the period, the ref. 16600 was used in HYDRA - LUDION missions 1 and 2, which were historical undersea missions whose purpose was to study a new deep diving process using hydrogen instead of helium.
The present example Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 16600 COMEX with an “N” serial from circa 1991 bearing batch number “3220” inscribed in the correct manner for the period on the caseback, the present example is fresh to the market and is the 20th example of the ref. 16600 commissioned by COMEX.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
