The Restoration of a Rolex "Double Red" Sea-Dweller 1665
By: John B. Holbrook, II
August 10, 2009
Copyright 2009

Over the past few years, I've gained an appreciation for vintage Rolex sport watches, and have enjoy finding and restoring several reference 1680 "Red" Submariners.  Even more rare and valuable than the Rolex Red Submariner 1680 is the "Double Red" Sea-Dweller reference 1665.  It is, to a very large extent, the "holy grail" of vintage Rolex dive watches.  Recently, I acquired a reference 1665 and did a complete restoration on the watch.  It should be noted that Ed Delgado and his website www.doubleredseadweller.com were of great assistance to me in this process.  Ed is a good friend and also currently the moderator of the Vintage Rolex Discussion Forum on my site WATCH TALK FORUMS.  

The reference 1665 Sea-Dweller began in 1967, with Rolex first releasing some prototype models which were variations of the Submariner (note that the word "Submariner" appears on the Sea-Dweller dial until about 1977).  Rolex worked closely with the French diving company COMEX in producing this variation on the Submariner, and was the world's first diving watch with an automatically deploying helium escape valve.  The 1665 Sea-Dweller was also unique from the Submariner in that it was capable of reaching far greater depths - the 1665 was rated for 2000 ft./610 meters vs. the 600 ft./200 meters depth rating of the 1680 Submariner.  The reference 1665 Sea-Dweller was produced from approximately 1965 to 1983.  Here's a "before" photo of the 1972 reference 1665 "double red" Sea-Dweller I recently acquired: 

As I mentioned before, the serial number on this model (351xxx) dates it to 1972, and it has what Double Red Sea-Dweller (often abbreviated DRSD) collectors classify as a Mark III dial.  Though it is difficult to tell in the above "before" photo, the dial and hands of this watch are in exceptionally good condition, making a prime target for performing restoration.  Compared to some of the other restoration projects I've undertaken, this watch was in relatively good shape.  I replaced several parts with authentic Rolex components including the winding crown, acrylic domed crystal, and the bracelet (curiously, the previous owner had tried to put an authentic Sea-Dweller bracelet from a later reference on the watch, which is why you're seeing a gap between the end links and the case ends in the "before" photo).  I also elected to retain the original faded bezel on this watch as opposed to replacing it with a newer black bezel insert as I have with reference 1680's I've restored.  Many vintage Rolex collectors prefer the look of a nicely faded bezel like this watch has and will pay a premium to acquire faded bezels on their watches.  Doing this required that I try and source a replacement tritium pearl or "dot" for the 12 o'clock marker, as it was missing (it's quite common for the bezel pearl to have become dislodged on vintage dive models).  A clean, oil, and adjustment was performed on the Rolex caliber 1575 (which, like the dial, was in excellent condition prior to the restoration work) and a light polish job was done to remove some of the case blemishes which had accumulated over nearly 40 years.  Here's what the watch looked like after a couple of weeks with my watch maker and the restoration work was completed:

With the restoration work complete, it is now possible to see just how gorgeous the dial on the DRSD really is - the hands and markers have a nice matching creamy patina highly sought after by collectors, and both the hands and markers are nearly blemish free.  Here's a few more shots from some different angles:

Here's the old style helium escape valve:

Here's a photo of the case back - apparently this watch was originally owned by a member of the US Marines, who engraved the watch with his own name and social security number:

I could not be more pleased with how the restoration turned out - this is truly an exceptional piece.  If you're considering trying to acquire and restore a 1665, keep in mind that Rolex USA no longer services most vintage watches, and would replace the dial and hands of any watch they do service with a modern equivalent - they DO NOT send back the original dial and hands.  It's best to research a qualified and experienced third party watch restoration service with strong credentials in Rolex restoration work.  Even when an expert is doing the restoration work, you really do need to do a LOT of research and have considerable expertise in order to source the parts necessary to have the work done - nearly all the parts I replaced on my DRSD I had chase down on my own, which as no easy task.  But the results were well worth it:

I'm always on the look out for vintage Submariners, Daytonas GMT's, and Sea-Dwellers to add to my collection.  If you have one you'd like to have find a good home, please contact me at john@rolexreferencepage.com.