Men’s Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665

Vintage Watch Condition Examination:

This watch is in vintage condition with surface wear to the bracelet, case and bezel. The case is strong with scratches and some nicks on the top of the lugs. The bezel ring has remained sharp and the black bezel insert is in great condition with some wear and scratches. The pip in the bezel at 12 is a later replacement. The dial is in great condition with light patina. The hands are in great condition with some patina on the borders. The lume in the hands and on the dial have aged to a matching pale yellow color. The bracelet is in very good condition with some scratches and light stretch.

Description: Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Great White

Pre-owned Rolex Sea-Dweller ref 1665 (1979) in general are some of the rarest vintage Rolex sports models out there. Rolex introduced the celebrated model in 1967 and they still make it today. The Sea-Dweller was developed for use by professional deep-sea saturation divers, particularly with its inclusion of a “Helium Escape Valve” or “HEV” on the 9 o’clock side of the case to help the watch survive decompression from dry, pressurized environments. The earliest Sea-Dweller examples had red printing and are called “Single Red” or “Double Red” due to the one or two-lines of red text on the dial. Rolex stopped using Red text on the Sea-Dwellers around 1978 and moved to all white text.

The example we have here is circa 1979 and has all white text. Collectors refer to these as “Great White Sea-Dwellers. This Sea-Dweller has a Mark 1 dial and is in great condition. The watch has been well preserved over the years and is ready for a new home.