Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000: Return of the ’40

This Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 (Ref. 116600) was among the most warmly received debuts at Baselworld 2014. Having been supplanted in the Rolex catalog by the 44 mm DeepSea in 2009, the older 16600 Sea-Dweller has remained a firm favorite on the pre-owned watch market since that time. Rolex, sensing an opportunity to pick low-hanging fruit and generate some buzz, reintroduced the 40 mm model with little advance notice at March’s Baselworld trade show.

The Rolex DeepSea of 2009 was Rolex’s response to the challenge posed by a new generation of gargantuan sports watches. During the 2000s, models from Audemars Piguet and Hublot stole the thunder that Rolex had owned for eighty years in the sports watch segment (dating back to the original Oysters of the 1920s). The DeepSea offered oversize watch fans an option with a five-point crown, but Rolex may have alienated more loyalists than it gained with the 2009 release.

In launching the DeepSea as a replacement for the Sea-Dweller rather than producing both as catalog companions, Rolex broke a continuum of Sea-Dweller models dating to the program’s inception in 1967. That year, Rolex entered an agreement with the French COMEX deep submergence engineering concern. The product of this collaborative development effort yielded a modification of the Submariner with special adaptations for extended use at extreme depths.

Initially rated to 2000 meters, the first Sea-Dweller officially was an extension of the Submariner line, and it was only available to COMEX personnel in prototype form. A thicker crystal that omitted the Rolex “Cyclops Eye” date magnifier, special case construction to survive extreme depths, and a helium-release valve at 9 o’clock on the case flank were to become iconic of the model.

In 1971, the Sea-Dweller (Ref. 1665) joined the Rolex public catalog as a production model in its own right, and 1978 brought the introduction of the original Sea-Dweller 4000 meter (Rolex Ref. 16660). This model, successor, the 16600 of 1988, remained in production until the 2009 arrival of the DeepSea.

As of this March, Rolex has yielded to those customers seeking a link to the Sea-Dweller heritage without the mass and dimensions of the DeepSea. The new Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 features the same compact dimensions of its celebrated predecessor while including all contemporary Rolex refinements. The burly crystal, unmarred by a Cyclops magnifier, presents a handsome alternative to the Submariner’s (Ref. 116610) domed visage. Although thick, the watch wears like a Submariner on the wrist, and it never approaches the bulk of the DeepSea.

A helium-release valve is present and correct, and while the device may be of true utility to few owners, it remains a champion conversation-starter.

Developed expressly for original client COMEX, the signature helium-release provided relief for the watch’s crystal during the process of decompressing divers. Due to the mix of gas used in diving chambers (bells) at depth, the content of the watch case begins to mirror the dissolved helium gas in the blood of deep sea divers. While the gas can escape naturally during measured decompression of the affected personnel, the consequence for traditional dive watches is a crystal blowout. Rolex’s helium-release valve allows the inert gas to vent outward while retaining the hermeticity of the watch against inward water pressure.

Naturally, the Sea-Dweller also features Rolex’s latest refinements including a scratch resistant ceramic-coated bezel, the shock and magnetism-defying Parachrom Blue balance spring, and Rolex’s Paraflex shock absorption system. A Caliber 3135 automatic movement features a 48-hour power reserve. Owners of the original Sea-Dweller models can only dream of a bracelet and clasp as robust and innovative as this 4K’s Oyster bracelet and Oysterlock clasp. The bracelet features a gorgeous combination of polished and brushed facets, and its silken feel against the skin is a testament to Rolex’s philosophy of continuous refinement. The clasp features a 26 mm diving extension for use over a wet suit or winter coat. Separately, the clasp’s Glidelock system allows micro-adjustments in 2 mm increments up to 20 mm, which can eliminate the need to travel to jewelers for occasional adjustment.

The Sea-Dweller 4000 may be the Rolex to own for Summer 2014. As the hottest new sports watch release from Rolex this year, the 4K may be *the* Rolex of the year. Given the enduring appeal of the model and its death-defying comeback-by-popular-request, there are few better bets for enduring value than a Rolex Sea-Dweller.