1665, 'Great White' Sea-Dweller, Rail Dial, Steel

The ref. 1665 Sea-Dweller rewrote the rules of what was possible with a dive watch. This ‘Great White’ marks the first time Sea-Dweller appeared solo on the dial, axing the Submariner designation of its COMEX-bred predecessor, the Double Red. In its place is stark, authoritative confidence in the Sea-Dweller as a separate model.  

Technically, this 1665 was relatively unchanged from the late evolution Double Red. It featured the patented helium escape valve a 9 o’clock, massively domed acrylic crystal, and 2000ft=610m depth rating that few would see. The 1665 was, by now, legend. It was born of saturation diving, engineered beyond the needs of nearly anyone who ever wore one, and built during an era when Rolex still treated its sport references as tools first, status symbols last. 

The Great White spanned production from introduced in 1977 until roughly 1983. Interestingly, this is roughly half as long as the Double Red. In this time, it spanned four dial ‘Marks’, each with its own character. This is a Mark 2 ‘Rail Dial’, a style briefly produced in the late 1970s for two years alone. It is so characterized by the spacing between ‘Superlative Chronometer’ and ‘Officially Certified’ lining up. Another unique detail of the ‘Rail Dial’ is the ‘T Swiss T < 25’ designation which no other Sea-Dweller presents. Why did Rolex revise the dial printing yet again and why did this version disappear so quickly? The answers aren’t always clear. That’s part of the appeal. 

This example from 1979 presents a beautifully-preserved dial with aged tritium which has hit a honey-tone with age. The Great White Rail Dial is not a 1665 which shouts like it predecessors. It is a variant which does not seek the spotlight. It rewards time, a little obsession, and research. Example like this very complete set are a delight to behold, for the case architecture, details, and history. Like most great vintage Rolex, it is the obsessives with trained eyes who most greatly delight in examples like this: not particularly rare, just excellent. 

This 1665 presents in exceptional condition overall. The case here is peppered with light hairlines but has beautiful full proportions and sharp edges. All chamfers are full with sharp lug edges everywhere. Its dial sports lightly tan tritium, matching in the handset and under UV. Its calibre 1575 is running well in specification on our timing equipment. It comes with its full original set including punched papers, hang tags, manuals, and boxes.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.