The Rolex Sea-Dweller is one of those watches which gets somewhat overlooked. Being in the shadow of the popular and sought-after Rolex Submariner keeps down its value as a vintage and used watch, despite the fact that the Sea-Dweller was designed as a more robust diving watch capable of being used a depths far greater than the Submariner.
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| Wearing my 1991 Rolex Sea-Dweller as part of a smart casual look - image Tom Edwards Photography |
The diameters of the two watches were until recently the same at a reasonable 40mm, although the Sea-Dweller is slightly deeper, with a thicker case to withstand higher pressures. It also has a discreet helium escape valve on the side of the case opposite the crown (which I think is pretty cool) and no cyclops magnifier over the date. Rolex fans get very heated over details like the cyclops - I have no preference either way, but some do.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller is now a large and chunky 43mm and has been joined by a rather blingy 44mm Sea-Dweller Deep Sea.
The older 40mm versions of both of these watches have a quiet, functional beauty which encourages their use for everything from smart business use to workaday wear in the garden, garage or on the boat. Here I wear my 1991 version of the Sea-Dweller here with a smart casual look based around a check jacket and linen trousers from New & Lingwood, but I could equally have worn it with a suit or jeans and jumper.
All in all, the 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller makes a useful all-round watch that, for me, has the advantages of even greater robustness (not that I'm going to check it) and less obvious styling than its sibling, the Submariner or the new, larger and more flashy watches. For more on the modern versions, see Rolex's website.
Click here for more Watch Style features.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller is now a large and chunky 43mm and has been joined by a rather blingy 44mm Sea-Dweller Deep Sea.
The older 40mm versions of both of these watches have a quiet, functional beauty which encourages their use for everything from smart business use to workaday wear in the garden, garage or on the boat. Here I wear my 1991 version of the Sea-Dweller here with a smart casual look based around a check jacket and linen trousers from New & Lingwood, but I could equally have worn it with a suit or jeans and jumper.
All in all, the 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller makes a useful all-round watch that, for me, has the advantages of even greater robustness (not that I'm going to check it) and less obvious styling than its sibling, the Submariner or the new, larger and more flashy watches. For more on the modern versions, see Rolex's website.
Click here for more Watch Style features.
