Rolex Sea Dweller Patent Pending, Ref 1665 in Stainless steel, Circa 1967

Vintage Rolex watches, such as the Rolex Sea Dweller was originally developed in conjunction with COMEX, a French company that specializes in engineering and deep diving operations. In the 1960s COMEX needed a diving watch for their professional divers to use while working on deep-sea oil rigs. These watches needed to be waterproof up to a certain depth to ensure they would perform properly. Rolex made modifications to their regular Submariner watch and created the Sea Dweller. By 1967 the new Sea Dweller, Ref 1665, was fitted with a helium escape valve and offered for commercial sale. Sea Dweller Ref 1665 was produced for approximately ten years, from 1967 to 1977. The black dial and luminescent hands and numerals mark the signature of the watch. This watch is without helium Valve.