Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: NINE Hong Kong Monday, November 25, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1980
    Reference No: 1665
    Movement No: D130’602
    Case No: 6’153’788
    Model Name: Sea-Dweller
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped 93150, endlinks stamped 593, max length 180mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Deployant clasp staped I.11
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Dial, case, movement, bracelet and clasp
    Accessories: Further delivered with photos of the original owner diving with the watch and two letters.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Designed in collaboration with the French deep-sea diving expedition company, COMEX, 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. With the first prototype based on the Rolex Submariner 5513, the Sea-Dweller has advanced its capability since then.

    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 MK1 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”.

    With the present ref. 1665 put into full use by the original Japanese owner during his diving adventures, it is evident through the condition of the watch that it was worn more as a tool than an accessory. Always on his wrist, the watch is an important instrument to utilize underwater as it allows the diver to calculate the elapsed time under water as well as the amount of oxygen left in the tank. A doctor by trade, the original owner was witnessed wearing the watch during his inauguration to become a licensed diver in Tokyo 36 years ago as well as a photo of the passionate diver sporting the present Sea-Dweller during his dive in Amed, Bali.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    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.

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851

Ref. 1665
A fine and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with sweep center seconds, gas escape valve and bracelet

Circa 1980
40mm Diameter
Dial, case, movement, bracelet and clasp

Estimate
HK$65,000 - 140,000 
€7,400-15,900
$8,300-17,900

Sold for HK$150,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
thomasperazzi@phillips.com
+852 2318 2001

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: NINE

Hong Kong Auction 25-26 November 2019