Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea Two-Tone

The model presented today is undoubtedly one of Rolex's modern interpretations of some of its cult models, which have helped it continue to hold a leading position in the watchmaking industry. On one hand, it continues the tradition of the famous Sea-Dweller, specifically the original one with the dial nicknamed the “Single Red”, on the other hand, it now has the iconic “Cyclops” over the date (a distinctive feature of Rolex in general), and last but not least, it is the first model of the brand to receive a completely new case size – 43 mm and a wide bracelet. The end result – a new representative in the lineup of the brand's steel models, for which demand significantly exceeds supply and which trade on the secondary market at their official price. The model was first introduced at Baselworld 2017 and from the very beginning, it polarized the opinions of the brand's admirers due to all these new things that the manufacturer incorporated into it. This model began to be offered at authorized dealerships after July 2017, and the one offered today is in fact one of the very first, as it was sold in September 2017 – this makes it even more interesting, as the practice with the brand's rare models shows that the first series are the most sought-after. I am sure that most of the colleagues reading this forum are aware that Rolex calls its water-resistant cases Oyster. I.e., if this name is present in the watch's designation, it means that you can boldly explore the ocean depths - and of course, the Sea-Dweller meets this qualification 100% - developed as the improved version of the Submariner, it offers water resistance of 1220m. The dial of the watch is very clean and easily legible, and the luminescence of the hands and indices facilitates its use at night – it is in a pleasant to the eye bluish color and glows sufficiently brightly and for a long time. Undoubtedly, the Sea-Dweller cannot be compared in popularity with the Submariner, but this is precisely one of the reasons why it is much liked and sought-after. Possessing all the positive qualities and improved characteristics, it provides its owner with one more very important feature – it is different! Yes, this is precisely what is liked by the people who prefer the Sea-Dweller over the Submariner – because the differences are noticeable to the naked eye – the size of the case, the helium escape valve, the thicker case, and the wider bracelet distinguish this watch from the Submariner. Regardless of the fact that the Sea-Dweller is a professional instrument, as was the manufacturer's intention from its very launch, it is clear to everyone that for a long time now it has become a luxury attribute – and for a long time, this function of it has prevailed over the original reason for its creation. Perhaps for this very reason, Rolex does many things in this model so that the appearance and the overall impression that the watch creates prevail over its functionality. The first thing that makes an impression is the sapphire – Rolex is notorious for the fact that they do not put anti-reflective coating on the crystals of their watches – there are several versions for the reasons, but the one I like the most is that Rolex does it so that the appearance of their watches does not change for a long time and generations of its owners can enjoy this consistency. For the case back of the watch, Rolex uses a simple solid case back (as, by the way, in all its models) – in the case of the Sea-Dweller, it has the inscriptions “Rolex Oyster” and “Original gas escape valve” along its edge. As we all know, for its watches Rolex uses noble 904L steel – the difference with the usual 316L for other brands is in the greater resistance (especially against salt water), and in this particular model “everything yellow is gold” – the bezel, crown, middle links of the bracelet, hands, and indices – everything is made of 18-karat gold and in combination with the main blue color of the dial gives a great finish as a final result. It is a widely known fact that Rolex can be called fanatics when it comes to the steel they use – a large part of the metallurgical processes are done in-house to guarantee a consistent quality of the raw material – many watches have passed through my hands, but I can say with absolute certainty that no other brand devotes so much attention and effort to the quality of the final product from the point of view of the case finishing – and as a result, a unique quality and presence is inevitably achieved. As for the gold elements, Rolex also has its own foundry and produces cases and parts not only for its own watches but also accepts orders for many other manufacturers. The overall impression is complemented by the watch's diver's bezel – its purpose is clear, to time how long you are underwater – trivial, isn't it. As with the previous Sea-Dweller, the bezel insert is ceramic. Here again, the material is a special creation and is different from the massively used materials, which is why Rolex calls it - "Cerachrom." The traditional “pip” at 12 o'clock, and behold the final product – similar to the Submariner, the Sea-Dweller is offered with a three-piece steel bracelet with a profile that tapers towards the clasp and a central link of yellow gold – which makes it very comfortable. Where is the difference from previous generations? Mainly it is in the size – the new Sea-Dweller is equipped with a wider bracelet, which is much more balanced for this case size with its 22 mm and also allows the lugs of the new model to be visually thinner than the previous one, bringing it closer to previous versions (and last but not least, responding to the criticisms of the ardent fans of the “submariners”), the clasp is equipped with a micro-adjustment system – called Glidelock. The idea is that you can adjust the size of the bracelet within a few millimeters on the go. We all know that our wrists change their size depending on the weather, humidity, temperature, etc. – well, the guys from Rolex offer an ideal solution for such cases. It is important to know that this Glidelock system is offered only with the Submariner and the Deepsea – another big plus for this model. The other difference is the movement – the new Sea-Dweller has the honor of carrying within it the new caliber 3235, which has an increased power reserve of 70 h, a seriously improved automatic winding system in which the rotor is now on a ball bearing, and its efficiency is increased by 15%. As for the lubrication, the reversing wheels, as one of the problematic areas from the point of view of friction, are Teflon-coated! The new 3235 has 14 integrated patents and more than 90% new components, and it is also twice as accurate as the official COSC chronometer.