The Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 was the firms first ever wristwatch to feature a helium gas escape valve to release pressure in a single way during deep explorations at the sea to conquer larger depths. In the late 1970’s, Rolex stopped its production for the Double Red Sea-Dweller which featured two lines of text in red on the dial and replaced it with the “Great White” dial, which no longer uses red lines of texts on the dial. The present example is fitted with a MK I dial, witnessed by the perfect alignment of the first two lines of texts on the bottom of the dial as well as featuring an “open 6”. The MK I dials were produced amongst the 5.18m to 6.2m serial, the present example bearing a 5.2m case fits perfectly within its production period and dates back to 1977. Boasting a strong case, the dial features luminous material that have aged evenly with an attractive pale yellow patina. An attractive example with beautiful vintage charisma, the bezel insert has furthermore faded into a gun-metal colour with grey blue hues that contrast nicely against its matte black dial.
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.