When the Rolex Submariner was launched in 1954, it represented Rolex’s answer to the demands of the fast-growing community of recreational scuba divers – at the time, a novel sport. Soon, however, the company realized that it could also provide diver’s watches to professional institutions - such as COMEX - and began a collaborative Research & Development process with these companies to adapt the Submariner to the stricter requirements of professional diving endeavors such as testing them in new, underwater habitats. The results of this process was a series of “upgraded” Submariner watches featuring improved water resistance and, at times, the Helium Escape Valve, developed to prevent their crystals from popping out during decompression.

In 1971, a civilian version of these timepieces was launched with the Sea-Dweller line, the name inspired by the underwater habitats into which the scientists, and their watches, would dwell for extended periods of time.

The present piece belongs to this line of highly advanced divers’ wristwatches, and it is an example from the so-called “Double Red” series, featuring two lines of red text. Interestingly, the earliest examples of reference 1665 bear either the last three digits or - such as the present watch - the full serial number inside the caseback, a highly unusual detail for a standard production Rolex wristwatch. Normally, such a practice was adopted by the company for special order timepieces.

Of the different iterations of “DRSD” dials established by the collecting community, this exceptional example from 1975 is fitted with a well-preserved Mark III dial, with the red lettering of “Sea-Dweller | Submariner 2000” printed directly on the dial, “closed” 6s, thicker fonts, and a certain shape coronet. The condition of the dial is superb, with the black matte finishing perfectly intact, and the luminous hour markers also perfectly preserved, displaying the characteristic waffle texture and creamy hue.