Reference:1665 - Revision history

Admin: Deep correctness and anti-slop audit: qualify 1665 chronology, dial variants, bezel, and provenance

2026-09-22T22:36:15Z

Deep correctness and anti-slop audit: qualify 1665 chronology, dial variants, bezel, and provenance

Admin: Fix hero caption: the pictured watch is a Great White (all-white dial text), not Double Red — verified directly against the dial

2026-09-14T16:45:34Z

Fix hero caption: the pictured watch is a Great White (all-white dial text), not Double Red — verified directly against the dial

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:45, 14 September 2026
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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 ~~Double Red Mk II~~ — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, ~~the canonical 1970s Sea~~-~~Dweller configuration~~.\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 ~~Double Red Mk II~~ — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, ~~the canonical 1970s Sea~~-~~Dweller configuration~~.]]		[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 "Great White" — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, all-white dial text.\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 "Great White" — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, all-white dial text.]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: restore the original lead caption

2026-09-06T22:58:50Z

Layout: restore the original lead caption

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:58, 6 September 2026
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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller\|Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller]]		[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s Sea-Dweller configuration.\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s Sea-Dweller configuration.]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero refreshed

2026-09-06T22:53:09Z

Layout: hero refreshed

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:53, 6 September 2026
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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex ~~Sea-Dweller~~ 1665 ~~Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s~~ Sea-Dweller ~~configuration.~~\|Rolex ~~Sea-Dweller~~ 1665 ~~Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s~~ Sea-Dweller ~~configuration.~~]]		[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller\|Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero promoted to lead

2026-09-06T22:28:19Z

Layout: hero promoted to lead

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:28, 6 September 2026
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	<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] › '''1665'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] › '''1665'''</small>

			<div class="rp-lead">
			[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s Sea-Dweller configuration.\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s Sea-Dweller configuration.]]
			</div>

	The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller. It opens with a handful of Single Red prototypes hand-made in Geneva for SEALAB 3 and Tektite I aquanauts in 1967, runs through a sixteen-year civilian production cycle across three named dial generations, and finishes in 1983 when the Triple Six 16660 takes over. Inside that span sit the references that anchor saturation-diving collecting: the patent-pending caseback batch, the COMEX-numbered run, the Sultan of Oman crests retailed through Asprey, and the Great White rail dials whose typography matches the COMEX 600m print. Every modern Sea-Dweller traces back to this watch.		The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller. It opens with a handful of Single Red prototypes hand-made in Geneva for SEALAB 3 and Tektite I aquanauts in 1967, runs through a sixteen-year civilian production cycle across three named dial generations, and finishes in 1983 when the Triple Six 16660 takes over. Inside that span sit the references that anchor saturation-diving collecting: the patent-pending caseback batch, the COMEX-numbered run, the Sultan of Oman crests retailed through Asprey, and the Great White rail dials whose typography matches the COMEX 600m print. Every modern Sea-Dweller traces back to this watch.

	[[File:Ref 1665 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red Mk II — 40mm steel Oyster with helium escape valve, the canonical 1970s Sea-Dweller configuration.]]

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==

Admin: site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

2026-09-05T01:20:25Z

site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 5 September 2026
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	}}		}}

	<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] -> '''1665'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] › '''1665'''</small>

	The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller. It opens with a handful of Single Red prototypes hand-made in Geneva for SEALAB 3 and Tektite I aquanauts in 1967, runs through a sixteen-year civilian production cycle across three named dial generations, and finishes in 1983 when the Triple Six 16660 takes over. Inside that span sit the references that anchor saturation-diving collecting: the patent-pending caseback batch, the COMEX-numbered run, the Sultan of Oman crests retailed through Asprey, and the Great White rail dials whose typography matches the COMEX 600m print. Every modern Sea-Dweller traces back to this watch.		The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller. It opens with a handful of Single Red prototypes hand-made in Geneva for SEALAB 3 and Tektite I aquanauts in 1967, runs through a sixteen-year civilian production cycle across three named dial generations, and finishes in 1983 when the Triple Six 16660 takes over. Inside that span sit the references that anchor saturation-diving collecting: the patent-pending caseback batch, the COMEX-numbered run, the Sultan of Oman crests retailed through Asprey, and the Great White rail dials whose typography matches the COMEX 600m print. Every modern Sea-Dweller traces back to this watch.
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	==Core facts==		==Core facts==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable rp-facts"
	\|-		\|-
	! detail		! detail

Admin: site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

2026-09-05T00:36:33Z

site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:36, 5 September 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1665 Sea-Dweller}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 — Double Red, 'Great White', 1967–1983 \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 — Double Red, 'Great White', 1967–1983 \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller — 1967 to 1980, 40mm Oyster with helium escape valve. Patent Pending DRSD prototypes, Single Red, Double Red, Great White, and COMEX-marked dials documented. Cal 1570/1575.		\|description=The 1665 is the first Sea-Dweller — 1967 to 1980, 40mm Oyster with helium escape valve. Patent Pending DRSD prototypes, Single Red, Double Red, Great White, and COMEX-marked dials documented. Cal 1570/1575.
	\|keywords=Rolex, 1665, Sea-Dweller, Single Red, Double Red, Great White, DRSD, COMEX, Patent Pending, Cal 1575, helium escape valve		\|keywords=Rolex, 1665, Sea-Dweller, Single Red, Double Red, Great White, DRSD, COMEX, Patent Pending, Cal 1575, helium escape valve

Admin: Style: canonical '== Sources ==' heading spacing per AGENTS.md

2026-08-08T21:31:06Z

Style: canonical '== Sources ==' heading spacing per AGENTS.md

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 8 August 2026
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	See also the [[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].		See also the [[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	==Sources==		== Sources ==

	===Primary and specialist===		===Primary and specialist===

Admin: Fact fix (cross-page sweep from Reference:sea-dweller): Gross dive is 1969 Duke Univ/USN 1000ft, serial as 2,128,xxx batch - no 28-day June-July 1970 event is sourced; Single Red count attributed to Pereztroika census, Lloyd's real role kept. Sources: Rolex Passion Report (Gross account), Jose Pereztroika serial census

2026-08-08T17:28:32Z

Fact fix (cross-page sweep from Reference:sea-dweller): Gross dive is 1969 Duke Univ/USN 1000ft, serial as 2,128,xxx batch - no 28-day June-July 1970 event is sourced; Single Red count attributed to Pereztroika census, Lloyd's real role kept. Sources: Rolex Passion Report (Gross account), Jose Pereztroika serial census

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:28, 8 August 2026
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	===Prototype era (1967–c. 1971)===		===Prototype era (1967–c. 1971)===

	The earliest 1665s are the Single Red Sea-Dwellers. Fewer than a dozen confirmed surviving examples, hand-built in Geneva for the US Navy's SEALAB 3 programme, the Tektite I saturation experiment, and early COMEX experiments. T. Walker Lloyd at Rolex USA ~~gave~~ the count ~~as ten~~. The first valve prototype belonged to Dr Ralph W. Brauer of COMEX Physalie 1/2/3. SEALAB 3 took its delivery in late 1968 and early 1969. Berry Cannon's fatal decompression accident on 15 February 1969 was on a man wearing a valved Single Red.		The earliest 1665s are the Single Red Sea-Dwellers. Fewer than a dozen confirmed surviving examples, hand-built in Geneva for the US Navy's SEALAB 3 programme, the Tektite I saturation experiment, and early COMEX experiments. T. Walker Lloyd at Rolex USA hand-picked the divers who received them; the census count of at least eleven examples is Jose Pereztroika's. The first valve prototype belonged to Dr Ralph W. Brauer of COMEX Physalie 1/2/3. SEALAB 3 took its delivery in late 1968 and early 1969. Berry Cannon's fatal decompression accident on 15 February 1969 was on a man wearing a valved Single Red.

	Patent-pending caseback DRSDs follow in the same window. Marcello Pisani's batch-level forum work places hand-engraved Patent Pending production in three discrete clusters: a 1.7M serial range, then mid-1969 batches at 2.117M and 2.128M, then a Q3-1969 batch at 2.247M. The 2.1M-and-up batches all carry an inside-caseback engraving of the last three digits of the case number. The very-early 1.7M range does not. That inside-back stamp is the anti-fake tell: Perezcope used the absence of it to expose a "Patent Pending" lot at Christie's Hong Kong in 2024 as a previously-sold Mk II with swapped parts.		Patent-pending caseback DRSDs follow in the same window. Marcello Pisani's batch-level forum work places hand-engraved Patent Pending production in three discrete clusters: a 1.7M serial range, then mid-1969 batches at 2.117M and 2.128M, then a Q3-1969 batch at 2.247M. The 2.1M-and-up batches all carry an inside-caseback engraving of the last three digits of the case number. The very-early 1.7M range does not. That inside-back stamp is the anti-fake tell: Perezcope used the absence of it to expose a "Patent Pending" lot at Christie's Hong Kong in 2024 as a previously-sold Mk II with swapped parts.
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	The Mk I lacquer fades pink while the Mk II lacquer reacts with ultraviolet to chocolate brown. The two patinas come from the same factory in adjacent batches and from different chemistries: Mk I from Beyeler, Mk II from Stern.		The Mk I lacquer fades pink while the Mk II lacquer reacts with ultraviolet to chocolate brown. The two patinas come from the same factory in adjacent batches and from different chemistries: Mk I from Beyeler, Mk II from Stern.

	Documented Patent Pending recipients include the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit. Charles E. Gross's loaner ~~#2128225 sat in a 28~~-~~day simulated~~ saturation dive to ~~1000 feet in June and July 1970~~. Charles Rayner's #2128269 wears a Mk 0 DRSD dial, an outlier even inside the Mk I batch.		Documented Patent Pending recipients include the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit. Charles E. Gross, at the EDU from 1967, drew a loaner from the 2,128,xxx batch; his 1000-foot saturation dive with the US Navy at Duke University dates to 1969. Charles Rayner's #2128269 wears a Mk 0 DRSD dial, an outlier even inside the Mk I batch.

	===Double Red Sea-Dweller, Mk II===		===Double Red Sea-Dweller, Mk II===
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	===US Navy Experimental Diving Unit===		===US Navy Experimental Diving Unit===

	The USN EDU at Panama City, Florida received a loaner batch of Patent Pending DRSDs ~~in 1970~~ for operational evaluation. Charles E. Gross~~'s case 2128225~~ was issued ~~for a 28~~-~~day~~ saturation ~~simulation~~ to ~~1000 feet at the Panama City chamber facility, June through July 1970~~.		The USN EDU at Panama City, Florida received a loaner batch of Patent Pending DRSDs for operational evaluation. Charles E. Gross, at the EDU from 1967, was issued an example from the 2,128,xxx batch; his 1000-foot saturation dive with the US Navy at Duke University dates to 1969.

	==Auction record==		==Auction record==

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:18:11Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:18, 4 August 2026
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	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
	\|published_time=2026-05-16T03:32:27Z		\|published_time=2026-05-16T03:32:27Z
	\|modified_time=2026-07-~~18T12~~:55:~~00Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:41Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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