Rolex Sea-Dweller, Double Red, ref. 1665, 1973

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

Very Rare Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 in Stunning Pre-Owned Condition with Beautiful Buttery Lume and the Iconic Double Red Signature, 1973 - Pure JOY! Introduced in 1967, the Rolex Sea-Dweller was developed in collaboration with professional deep-sea divers to meet the demands of saturation diving. Building on the success of the Submariner, it featured increased water resistance and the introduction of a helium escape valve, allowing trapped gas to exit the case safely during decompression. Designed as a true professional tool watch, the Sea-Dweller has remained purpose-built throughout its evolution, favouring functionality and robustness over embellishment. Today, it stands as one of Rolex’s most technically significant and respected sports watches. What's on Offer This Rolex Sea-Dweller, reference 1665, is the highly coveted Double Red variant, distinguished by the two lines of red text on the dial. This subtle detail renders this Sea-Dweller one of the most important ever produced. Dating to 1973, the black Mark III dial is beautifully preserved, identified by the flat bottom on the Rolex coronet and the fact that the "D" in Sea-Dweller lines up with the "R" in Submariner. It features an original brushed silver date aperture with open 6s and 9s, and iconic Mercedes hands. The hands and oversized hour plots (maxi-plots) are filled with pleasing vanilla-yellow tritium luminous material that has aged evenly across the dial. Aside from some faint marks just below the right lug hole, the stainless steel case and Oyster bracelet remain in superb condition. The rotating bezel is also well preserved, with clear markings and a sharp serrated edge. In certain light, the bezel insert has a blueish grey hue, which we hope will eventually become translucent (a detail much coveted by collectors). The watch also features a period-correct Triplock crown, denoted by the three dots under the coronet engraving. The Triplock crown uses multiple O-ring gaskets (two inside the tube and one under the crown) to seal the watch under water up to 2000ft, as indicated on the dial.