Collector Culture

During a dive, whether professional or amateur scuba diving, it is essential to keep track of time, so watches are an essential accessory. Brands such as Omega and Rolex, have often paved the way, stealing the spotlight in this field thanks to their continuous developments in water resistance, automatic movement, stainless steel and power reserve whilst staying true to their style. Rolex particularly, has largely been accepted as one of the finest quality diving watches.

Underwater exploration has developed spectacularly in recent years. To reach ever-greater depths and to be able to work for long periods in the water, man has built bells and caissons. In these spaces, the specialists live in an artificial atmosphere, composed of mixed gases, one of the main components being helium. It is therefore vital for a watch to be able to withstand the particularly fine and light molecules of this mixture, which slowly infiltrate the watch, without altering its operation. Conversely, during decompression, the gas mixture must be able to escape quickly to prevent the crystal from being ejected from the watch due to the pressure. In order to achieve this, Rolex has equipped its most recent Oyster model with a patented ‘gas escape valve’: the Sea-Dweller chronometer, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 610m.

Following ten years’ production of the Sea-Dweller "Double Red" ref.1665 (nicknamed because of the colour of the two lines inscribed on its dial), Rolex presents a new Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 in 1977 with entirely white writing.

These watches are known in collector lore as the "Great White" (getting the nickname from the colour of the text on the dial). Several dial versions exist, including the fashionable "rail dial" version, and the value ​​of these watches has, in recent years, increased dramatically due to the relatively short period of time during which they were produced. The title "Submariner 2000" has now been dropped to provide greater product differentiation between the Submariner and the Sea-Dweller.

What makes the "Great White" special for many collectors, is that it is the latest Sea-Dweller model to use a Plexiglas crystal. Also worth mentioning, is the change to the "ROLEX" engraving on the case-back on the new ref. 1665. While the Double Red Sea-Dweller had the Rolex name engraved across it, the Great White had it curved along the periphery of the case back fluting.

Although the Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 "Great White" had been in production for less than five years, there are in fact five dial variations to speak of - Mark 0 to Mark IV.

With the exception of the Mk0, the Mk2 dial is the rarest configuration. The configuration of the SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED wording creates symmetry between the first two and last two words, leading to what has become known as the "Rail Dial" .

The MK2 "Rail Dial" dial is arguably the most desirable, as it is the same style used on the COMEX 600 metre dials which makes this variant both rare and sought after. Rolex had it produced from 1978 to 1981.

This configuration is found in other references (i.e. the 1655) and is therefore not exclusive to the Sea-Dweller. However, it is the only Sea-Dweller reference to have this feature apart from a COMEX!

Interestingly, Rolex continued to manufacture the Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 “Great White” until the early 1980s even when the new Sea-Dweller ref. 16660 was introduced in 1980. Both Sea-Dweller models were available side-by-side for a number of years.

From a Collector’s point of view

Whilst initially designed with water resistance in mind, the “Great White” has shown resilience and versatility under other extreme circumstances.

We caught up with Matthieu Delcros, founder of the prestigious 16 Montaigne , a Cannes-based luxury reseller of luxury watches and handbags who shares the deep emotional ties that the “Great White” has offered one of his long standing clients, Pierre, who acquired the watch in Abu Dhabi in 1979.

Delcros explains: Pierre was in the exploration and production field in the oil sector in the late 70s, learning from experienced men who were dubbed “men in black" because during certain drillings oil spurted from the well, and consequently were covered in oil. An unavoidable fate for any driller and not for the faint hearted. In that challenging and risky job every second that passes is an adventure in itself. As you can imagine he lost count of the amount of watches he broke on the job, so during a break in Abu Dhabi, Pierre acquired a ROLEX watch, a Sea Dweller Great White 1655.

During his purchase in store, he began to pay dollar after dollar, when a young teenager parked his Rolls-Royce outside the shop door. Upon entering the store, the young man pointed to a Rolex Day-Date in platinum and diamonds indicating that he wanted to purchase it.  He opened the box and put the watch on his wrist, throwing the box that fell to my feet. He took out a wad of cash which he threw to the seller and left quietly. Rather taken aback from the scene, Pierre went back to pouring his dollars on the countertop. Pierre recalls the payment must have been wrong by about 60 dollars, however, still surprised at the scene, evidently the salesman said to him: That's fine Sir, it's OK!!

The acquisition was one of the many anecdotes Pierre was able to share with Delcros, who was entrusted with re-selling the watch last month. “Having known Pierre for most of my life, I can tell for a fact that his “Great White” must have travelled around the world at least 7 times, on all continents and in extreme weather conditions (-55 to +53°C). It has however always held up the test of time despite the blows”.

He adds smiling “It has been a pleasure to help Pierre find a new owner for this long lived watch, which had not only bathed in oil, sand, at sea but also in camel dung”.

Yes you read that correctly, Pierre had lost his watch during one of his missions, and mockingly his colleague had enquired if dung could tell time. Luckily, he found it and the watch became his lucky-charm.

But the “great white” was not only a source of amusement for Pierre it was also a source of comfort at times, particularly during the Iran-Irak conflict where he was carrying out several surveys of drilling masts and equipment. He’d frequently think ‘What am I doing here?’ but his Rolex was a reminder that he wouldn’t be here indefinitely.

It’s these incredible stories and attachment that led Matthieu and his wife to create 16 Montaigne. A family run business, which encompasses the ultimate “Art de Vivre” where culture merges with lifestyle and historic luxury brands. An online platform for enthusiasts and collectors to buy, sell and share their love for collectibles.