The classic: Rolex Sea-Dweller, ref 16600

Text and photo: Ola Jacobsen

A bit sharper than the classic Submariner, but discreet enough not to stick out too much. That's maybe how you could summarise one of Rolex most appreciated and accessible divers, the Sea-Dweller 16600. The reference was manufactured between 1988 and 2009 and is thereby the longest-lived Sea-Dweller. Eqotime's Ola Jacobsen here offers a bit more facts about, and lovely photos of, one of the watch world's true classics.

The biggest differences from the little sibling Submariner are that the watch is considerably more robust and that it is equipped with a helium valve. Both of these features are crucial for the Sea-Dweller to be usable for saturation diving. That type of diving where divers spend several weeks in an environment with high pressure and breathe a mixture of oxygen and helium. The Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 has the same diameter as the Submariner but is a few millimetres thicker. Another difference is that the crystal lacks a magnifying glass over the date.

Rolex Sea-Dweller, ref 16600

• Case: 40.0 mm without crown, 14.5 mm thick. Made of stainless 904L steel.
• Helium valve – A one-way valve of titanium, so-called Helium Escape Valve, on the case side at 3 o'clock vents any overpressure during the decompression phase during saturation dives.
• Crystal – Sapphire crystal, 4 mm.
• Dial – Black lacquered brass with indexes in white gold.
• Hands – White gold. The luminous material consists of tritium, Luminova, or SuperLuminova, depending on year of manufacture.
• Bezel – Counter-clockwise rotating bezel with 60-minute scale, 120 clicks.
• Bracelet – ”Oyster bracelet”, stainless brushed three-part link with solid end links.
• Water resistance – 1220 meters.
• Movement – Calibre 3135. An automatic 28,800-movement with 48 hours power reserve. COSC-certified with a maximum rate deviation of –4/+6 sec.
• Complications – Three-hand time display, date.