THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 1665
YEAR: 1981
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
The Sea-Dweller is to this day, the only sports Rolex that was born out of necessity. Unlike the Millsub which was effectively an altered 5513, the Sea-Dweller was created because the state-of-the-art dive model Rolex had to offer just wasn't up to the ever-changing sub-sea landscape.
In the 60s sub-sea exploration was developing at a rate of knots. Rolex found themselves in a horological race to the bottom, going head to head with Omega. They needed to produce the first "professional" dive watch, capable of being used by saturation divers who were often diving beyond 300m. Omega won the battle with the Seamaster 600, or PloProf as it's known, with the help of Comex and their divers.
It's fair to say Rolex won the war though. With help from the SEALAB Divers known as Aquanauts in the US Navy, they initially modified a 5513 to include a valve that allowed Helium to escape from the case once decompression occurred. It wasn't entirely successful, so a completely new design with a new case was born. By 1971 Rolex had formed a partnership with Comex after Omega's rocky relationship with the French Diving company ended. Rolex agreed to supply all watches to Comex for free in return for detailed real-world reporting and testing of their products.
The 1665 reference was produced from 1967 to 1983 (although they were only sold to civilians from around 1971). Until 1977, they are affectionately named "Double Red Sea Dwellers" thanks to the red texts. The present example, dating back to 1981, is the last member of the 1665 family - the MK4 "Great White". The watch remains in fantastic condition after 4 decades of life; the case has been polished before but stays full, with strong lugs and crown guards. The dial is perfect - the tritium lume on the markers and hands have aged to an even, creamy hue. The hands are free from oxidation, the original MK3 insert has kept its colours, and the original silver date wheel is still present. The original full link F stamped bracelet is still present and In great shape.
Amazingly, the original outer and inner boxes, tags, anchor, booklets, wallet, calendar, the original guarantee, translation papers, and all of the Rolex service paperworks have all survived the test of time. The movement is running very healthily at +2 s/d, 275 amps, with a 0.2 ms beat error.