

Given the extraordinary quality of the Sea-Dweller, it comes as no surprise that the legendary saturation divers from the Marseille-based COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise) relied on the 16660 for their underwater missions between 1980 and 1984. A total of 200 pieces were in fact delivered to them in two consecutive batches: the first 50 watches were fitted with an older-looking matte dial while the remaining 150 examples displayed the later glossy dial with circled indexes.
The present first series example is dated from 1982 and reveals a charmingly preserved two-line transitional matte dial with a white date disc, a newly introduced detail on the ref. 16660. Furthermore, the case bears strong proportions and a homogeneously patinated bezel insert while the back is engraved with the COMEX internal reference 3066 which falls within the range for COMEX refs. 16660 displaying the matte dial.
In addition to its captivating history, the Triple six COMEX, such as this lot, combines the best of vintage aesthetics with the latest technological advancements which could be found in a watch in 1982.