Rolex

The Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 1665 was first introduced in 1967 as a collaboration between Rolex and Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises (COMEX), a french diving company. Their united goal was to improve the dive watch to create a piece that could withstand higher pressure at lower depths, in order to keep up with the advancements in saturated diving. The Sea-Dweller differed from its predecessor, the Submariner, by incorporating a thicker crystal, a thicker case, as well as a helium escape valve. While the Submariner Ref. 5513 could reach depths of 200 meters (660ft), the Sea-Dweller Ref. 1665 could now withstand the pressure of water 610 meters (2000 ft) below surface level.

Belonging to a commercial deep saturation diver named David Jenkins, the watch bears the marks of the work it was intended for. Accompanied by a letter as well as Mr. Jenkins's Diver's Log Book, issued in 1975 by the Associate of Offshore Diving Contractors (AODC), this Sea-Dweller served as a companion on over 120 dives across the North Sea. Jenkins was assigned to approximately 20 different vessels and oil rigs, where he worked on repairs, maintenance and salvages that involved surfaced-supplied diving as well as deep-saturated diving. The book documents specific details about each dive including the maximum depth, the gear that was used, the tasks the divers performed and the conditions they encountered.

After owning a Submariner which failed due to the depths he was reaching, Jenkins exchanged it for this “Double Red” Sea-Dweller. The maximum depth recorded in the dive log was 604 feet (184m). Oxygen and nitrogen become deadly below 50 meters due to the increase in pressure. To combat these effects on the human body, divers breathe a different form of oxygen and helium called heliox. They then go through controlled sessions of pressurization and decompression to allow their bodies to acclimate to the varying depths. In any kind of diving, coming up to the surface too quickly can result in decompression sickness or high-pressure nervous syndrome. On multiple occasions the dive log recounts how Jenkins and his co-workers experienced the “bends,” with one instance resulting in 6-months of leave.

The dangers of saturated diving do not end with the reactions of oxygen and nitrogen to the body–there are many more factors such as equipment stability and environmental conditions that play pivotal roles in the success of a dive. During one dive, there was a malfunction with the DP system which caused Jenkins to be dragged through the underwater platform, threatening to snap the umbilical cord which provided communication, air and hot water to his suit. During another dive he called to the dive bell halfway through his shift after a shark as large as 25 feet was seen in the area.

Many of the scratches on this Sea-Dweller Ref. 1665 come from these events recorded in the diver’s log book. They are evidence of the struggles and dangers that Jenkins faced hundred of feet below surface level, as well as evidence of the Ref. 1665’s Professional capabilities.

In Mr. Jenkins words:

“Unlike those other watches with boxes and certificates, this one’s got salt in its veins. Much like its owner, it’s been battered (and a little bruised). It’s seen and felt the real life of a commercial diver - not always simple, pleasant or pain free.

"Please don’t keep it on display in a box - it needs to get wet every now and then- and not in a swimming pool, take it out into the ocean where it belongs.”