History of the Sea-Dweller

To understand the history and development of the Rolex Sea Dweller (a deep-diving version of the Submariner), one has to understand the history and development of commercial diving. Largely in response the United States’ increasing need for gasoline (and subsequent energy crisis) oil companies began to go deeper below the ocean’s surface than ever before in search of oil reserves. Special deep sea divers developed techniques for reaching these depths – saturation diving was born. Parallel efforts by the U.S. Navy, the French commercial diving firm COMEX (the French diving company who developed the decompression chambers and employed all the divers training in saturation diving) and diving legend Jacques Cousteau were developing a way for man to live on the ocean floor by breathing a gas mixture made up of a majority of inert helium combined with oxygen.

The Solution For Decompression

“Saturation diving” as the new method was called, greatly increased possibilities for living underwater by removing the need to frequently come to the surface to decompress. Instead, saturation divers would spend time in a decompression chamber in order to regulate their bodies back to life above sea level. COMEX approached Rolex to help solve a unique problem divers were experiencing during decompression – the crystals of their watches were blowing off upon decompression at the end of their time on the seabed. Helium atoms (which are small enough to permeate a watch crystal) were passing through the watch crystal and collecting in the space between the watch crystal and dial. During decompression, the helium would slowly build in pressure until the watch crystal literally blew off. A new dive watch was needed, and Rolex responded with the now-legendary Sea Dweller.

Rolex Sea Dweller Milestones