Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 16660, 'Triple 6' Matte Black Transitional

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The first Sea-Dweller, the Reference 1665, debuted in circa 1967 and was designed with saturation divers in mind. The key differentiator between a Sea-Dweller and its little sibling, the Submariner, is that the SD always has a helium escape valve (or 'HEV') on the left case profile and a higher domed crystal with no cyclops magnifier. The earliest prototypes were actually Submariners with the added HEV on the left case profile, but it was the 1665 that first bore the Sea-Dweller name on the dial. Like virtually all Rolex sport models, the Sea-Dweller has seen a number of evolutions of the years, but not nearly as many as some of the other sports models in the family. That said, the Reference 16660 that we have here — also known as a 'Triple 6' — enjoyed just about a decade-long production run, but saw one major change within that time about half way through. T he early pieces feature matte black dials with applied Tritium plots, just as its predecessor did, whereas the second half of production introduced glossy black dials with the first applied Tritium-filled white gold indices. This particular example dates to circa 1984 and features the former of the two dials: matte black. It comes to us in excellent overall condition. The case las been lightly previously polished, respecting factory proportions and showing only light signs of wear throughout. Inside, the matte black dial is beautifully preserved, with a clean matte surface and evenly patinated Tritium plots, which are complimented by a perfectly matching handset. The Tritium pip fitted within the attractive, faded bezel insert also matches the dial and handset. It comes fitted to its correct Oyster bracelet with solid links and endlinks and a signed fliplock clasp. As if this piece didn't speak for itself, included is its boxes, booklets, COSC hangtag, serialized hangtag, signed steel anchor, extensive paperwork from Japan, and guarantee papers dating to 1984. The outer box even retains its little sticker that bears the reference number: 16660. Sea-Dwellers are amongst first 'enhanced' dive watches made for saturation diving with a number of technical firsts, were produced in far smaller numbers than its Submariner and Submariner Date siblings, and feature a very similar wearing experience, yet, we think, remain bargains. This superb example surely has multiple lifetimes left of wrist time, and is ready for its next owner.