1. the rolex deepsea
The Rolex Deepsea was designed for extreme underwater exploration. An
intricate three-piece case architecture, the Ringlock System, enables it to
withstand the colossal pressure at depths of up to 3,90 0 metres (12,0 0 0
feet). The Rolex Deepsea has a bezel inlaid with a virtually scratch-resistant
black Cerachrom disc and a titanium caseback. The Rolex Deepsea is also
equipped with a unique bracelet, featuring a double extension system for
a perfect fit over any diving suit.
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2. david doubilet
Underwater photographer. Explorer. Artist.
Marine naturalist and protector of the Ocean habitat.
Author of a dozen books on the sea.
For 50 years, his passion has illuminated
the hidden depths of the Earth.
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3. spirit of the rolex deepsea
the deep sea special
prototypes
In the 1950s, Rolex carried out rigorous
the deepest dive testing of a watch prototype, called “Deep
In 1960, the US Navy’s experimental bathyscaphe, the Trieste, successfully descended into
Sea Special” In August 1953, the Deep
.
the Mariana Trench, the deepest known depression on the Earth’s surface.
Sea Special descended to 1,080 metres
With Lieutenant Don Walsh (USN) at the helm, accompanied by Jacques Piccard, the Trieste
(approximately 3,543 feet), then to 3,150
accomplished a feat so incredible that it forever raised the bar for deep-ocean exploration.
metres (approximately 10,334 feet) later the
Emerging from 10,916 metres (37,800 feet), the bathyscaphe was in perfect working order –
same year, finally reaching 3,700 metres
as was the Rolex Deep Sea Special prototype that had been attached to the outside during
(approximately 12,138 feet) in 1956. In 1960,
the historic dive. A performance that would cement Rolex’s place in history as the maker of
using the knowledge gained from the making
the most resistant and reliable watch ever.
of the first two models, the third Deep Sea
Special was created to withstand the most
extreme conditions. This is the watch that,
strapped to the Bathyscaphe Trieste, was
found to be in perfect working order after
having reached the Challenger Deep portion
of the Marianna Trench at 10,916 metres
(35,813 feet) below the surface of the sea.
sylvia earle
Renowned oceanographer. Scientist. Fearless explorer. A lifetime underwater: 7,000 hours, pioneering deep-sea
and counting. Her love of the deep, a gift to the world’s oceans. And those who will inherit exploration
them. What we refer to today as professional diving
only took off in the 1960s. There were many
difficulties to overcome: decompression sic-
kness, dive duration, water temperature and
the need for long periods of decompression.
COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise)
has played a pioneering role in this domain
and owes its prestigious reputation largely
to the exceptional personality of its founder,
Henri-Germain Delauze. This engineer, born
in the South of France in 1929, is a visionary
driven by an enterprising spirit.
The deep-sea expertise acquired in the course
of its work in high-pressure environments
and respiratory mixes has enabled COMEX
to expand its activities since the late 1980s
to include other hostile environments such
as outer space.
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4. spirit of the rolex deepsea
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5. an obsession with perfection
the rolex glidelock clasp
Created from 904L steel with its increased chromium content,
the corrosion-resistant double expansion bracelet on the new
Rolex Deepsea was designed for a life lived underwater. Its
patented Rolex Glidelock clasp lets divers expand the band the hyperbaric tank
To guarantee the waterproofness of the
to 18 mm in precise 1.8 mm increments, while the Fliplock Rolex Deepsea to the extreme depth of 3,900
extension links enable the band to be adjusted by an additional metres (12,800 feet), Rolex installed a speci-
fically designed piece of test equipment. The
26 mm. This remarkable extension allows for a secure and high-performance, stainless steel hyperba-
comfortable fit over the most protective diving suits. ric tank, which is cast in a single piece and
weighs 1.3 tonnes, simulates the pressure at
4,875 metres (16,000 feet) below sea level;
some 25% greater than the depth indicated
on the watch dial. At this depth, the pres-
sure exerted upon the crystal and the case-
back is equivalent to a force of 4.5 tonnes.
This high-tech equipment was developed
and manufactured by COMEX (Compagnie
Maritime d’Expertise), an internationally re-
nowned company specialising in underwa-
ter engineering and hyperbaric technology,
with which Rolex has been collaborating for
several decades.
the titanium caseback
The case architecture that enables the
Rolex Deepsea to resist the colossal pressure
exerted by water at great depths relies on a
surprising feature of the caseback. Made of
an extremely resistant, titanium alloy held
firmly against the high-performance com-
pression ring, it is the almost imperceptible
flexibility of this hardest of alloys that allows
the water pressure itself to hermetically seal
the case more completely the greater the
depth attained, by forcing the components
tighter and tighter together. Harder but less
flexible materials like ceramic would simply
crack under pressure.
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6. an obsession with perfection
the helium valve
Before going back out into the open air, a
professional diver who returns to the sur-
face after a deep dive must spend time in a
blue luminescence decompression chamber, where he breathes
To push the boundaries of visibility in dark environments, the a gas mixture containing helium.
In the chamber, the helium, an extremely
Rolex Deepsea emits a blue glow from three major feature light, volatile gas, infiltrates everywhere,
points of the watch face: the zero marker of its graduated also penetrating the watch. It escapes from
the watch at a slower rate than the reduction
bezel, the dial indices and the hour, minute and second hands.
of pressure in the chamber, with the result
that the pressure of the helium imprisoned
inside the watch is so great that irreparable
damage could occur.
After studying these parameters, Rolex
engineers created a helium valve fitted with
a spring: it opens when the difference in
pressure between the inside and outside of
the watch reaches 3 to 5 bars, allowing the
helium to escape and protecting the watch.
the ringlock system
An intricate three-piece case architecture has
been developed and patented for the Rolex
Deepsea. Called the Ringlock System, its
design is a lesson in technical superiority.
To begin with, a nearly indestructible nitro-
gen-alloyed stainless steel support ring is
set inside. The backbone of the watch, it can
withstand pressure that would crush a sub.
Providing incredible reinforcement to the
outside of the watch, a dense 5 mm dome-
shaped sapphire crystal protects the face.
Made from high-purity aluminium oxide, it
can withstand three metric tons of pressure
at 3,900 metres (12,800 feet). Finally, a remark-
able grade-5 titanium alloy caseback seals
the watch, making it virtually impenetrable.
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7. an obsession with perfection
rolex deepsea
44 mm
Officially certified Swiss chronometer (COSC)
Unidirectional rotatable bezel
Waterproof to 3,900 m/12,800 feet
Self-winding movement
Oyster bracelet
STEEL
Black dial
116660
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