Rolex, the company that invented the world’s first waterproof watch, has been a leader in making watches that can survive in water. In the late 1960s, however, deep-sea experiments required a different kind of watch — one that could withstand the extreme pressures of saturation diving. From this initial need, fake Rolex reinvented the diving watch, creating the first Marine inhabitant.
The French deep-sea diving company, COMEX was among the first to experiment with saturation diving – a method of diving in which helium replaces nitrogen in the air, allowing divers to work at much greater depths and for extended periods of time without the need to resurface. The numerous hours spent in pressurized chambers would force helium molecules inside the divers’ replica watches, and during decompression, the trapped helium would expand, causing the crystals to pop clean off their fake Rolex watches.
The solution to Rolex’s pressurization problem came in the form of a helium gas escape valve on the Sea-Dweller. These valves allowed trapped helium molecules to exit freely, without generating pressure inside the watch. The first-ever helium escape valves appeared on standard reference 5513 Submariners that were prototypes made specifically for COMEX. These Submariners received 5514 reference numbers and were never released to the public.
Experimentation with these modified Submariners led Rolex to create the Sea-Dweller, tripling their previous depth rating. The first-ever Rolex Sea-Dwellers were modified Submariners, and they did not feature helium gas escape valves. It is said that 30 such watches were created, although few remain as many failed at some point or another during saturation dive testing.
What’s more, when the first ocean watch was made, Rolex had patented a helium relief valve but had not yet patented it. The reference to the people who lived at sea in 1665 is significant to Rolex’s history, as it represents the brand’s long-standing commitment to producing high-quality timepieces that perform well in extreme conditions. Once advances in diving technology created a demand for a new kind of diving watch, the Rolex replica would meet it with a watch that exceeded all necessary specifications.
