Reference:16660 - Revision history

Admin: Deep correctness and anti-slop audit: qualify 16660 chronology, movement, dial, COMEX, and market claims

2026-09-22T22:59:24Z

Deep correctness and anti-slop audit: qualify 16660 chronology, movement, dial, COMEX, and market claims

Admin: Layout: move duplicate hero-named image out of lead zone into its matching section

2026-09-07T01:27:02Z

Layout: move duplicate hero-named image out of lead zone into its matching section

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:27, 7 September 2026
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	[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]

	The 16660 is the watch the 1665 should have been once Rolex had a decade of saturation-diving data to work from. Same case profile, same helium escape valve at 9 o'clock, same dive-bezel silhouette. Everything else changes, and the changes land simultaneously in one reference jump. The crystal moves from domed acrylic to flat sapphire. The bezel goes from bidirectional to unidirectional. The crown goes from Twinlock to Triplock. The depth rating doubles from 610m / 2000ft to 1220m / 4000ft. The movement gains quickset date through caliber 3035. Production runs roughly ten years, 1978 to 1988, with 1989 deliveries clearing into the 16600 takeover; parallel with the late 1665 for the first five years and on its own for the last five. Collectors call it the Triple Six for the three sixes in the reference number, not the depth rating and not a Satanism reference; the nickname crystallised in collector chatter after production ended and stuck. Rolex's own marketing copy called it the "Sea-Dweller 4000" after the new depth rating.		The 16660 is the watch the 1665 should have been once Rolex had a decade of saturation-diving data to work from. Same case profile, same helium escape valve at 9 o'clock, same dive-bezel silhouette. Everything else changes, and the changes land simultaneously in one reference jump. The crystal moves from domed acrylic to flat sapphire. The bezel goes from bidirectional to unidirectional. The crown goes from Twinlock to Triplock. The depth rating doubles from 610m / 2000ft to 1220m / 4000ft. The movement gains quickset date through caliber 3035. Production runs roughly ten years, 1978 to 1988, with 1989 deliveries clearing into the 16600 takeover; parallel with the late 1665 for the first five years and on its own for the last five. Collectors call it the Triple Six for the three sixes in the reference number, not the depth rating and not a Satanism reference; the nickname crystallised in collector chatter after production ended and stuck. Rolex's own marketing copy called it the "Sea-Dweller 4000" after the new depth rating.
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	===COMEX 16660===		===COMEX 16660===

			[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]

	Rolex delivered approximately 200 COMEX-engraved 16660 units to Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises (Marseille) between 1980 and 1984. The deliveries split into two production batches with internally distinct dial signatures.		Rolex delivered approximately 200 COMEX-engraved 16660 units to Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises (Marseille) between 1980 and 1984. The deliveries split into two production batches with internally distinct dial signatures.

Admin: Layout: restore the original lead caption

2026-09-06T22:58:51Z

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 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex ~~16660~~ Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"\|Rolex ~~16660~~ Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"]]		[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero refreshed

2026-09-06T22:53:10Z

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 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller ~~16660 (~~Triple Six).\|Rolex Sea-Dweller ~~16660 (~~Triple Six).]]		[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"\|Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero promoted to lead

2026-09-06T22:28:20Z

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]] › '''16660'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] › '''16660'''</small>

	[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|~~right~~\|~~250px~~\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]		<div class="rp-lead">
			[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]
			</div>

	[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]		[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]

Klaudiusz: Lead: move 2 stray image(s) out of the lead into the section that discusses them (hero stays the only lead image)

2026-09-06T22:13:48Z

Lead: move 2 stray image(s) out of the lead into the section that discusses them (hero stays the only lead image)

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:13, 6 September 2026
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	[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]		[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]
	[[File:Ref 16660 christies lot.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The 1978-1989 transitional Sea-Dweller introducing the 4000ft/1220m depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve.\|16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The transitional Sea-Dweller (1978-1989) that introduced the 4000ft depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve architecture.]]
	[[File:Ref 16660 mk1-matte.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.\|Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.]]
	[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]		[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]

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	===Matte MK1 Beyeler "Pallettoni"===		===Matte MK1 Beyeler "Pallettoni"===

			[[File:Ref 16660 mk1-matte.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.\|Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.]]
	Standard early-production matte dial. The "f" alignment tell: "f" of "4000ft" sits above the "E" of "SUPERLATIVE." Short coronet under 12. The bulk of 1978 to c.1982 production carries MK1.		Standard early-production matte dial. The "f" alignment tell: "f" of "4000ft" sits above the "E" of "SUPERLATIVE." Short coronet under 12. The bulk of 1978 to c.1982 production carries MK1.

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	===Helium escape valve===		===Helium escape valve===

			[[File:Ref 16660 christies lot.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The 1978-1989 transitional Sea-Dweller introducing the 4000ft/1220m depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve.\|16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The transitional Sea-Dweller (1978-1989) that introduced the 4000ft depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve architecture.]]
	Same Swiss patent CH492246 architecture (filed June 1970) as the 1665, but the 16660's HEV carries an enlarged spring chamber and updated gaskets to handle the doubled depth rating. The venting threshold and refill timing remain calibrated to saturation-diving decompression profiles. Monochrome characterises the upgrade as "larger, more reliable" than the 1665's original.		Same Swiss patent CH492246 architecture (filed June 1970) as the 1665, but the 16660's HEV carries an enlarged spring chamber and updated gaskets to handle the doubled depth rating. The venting threshold and refill timing remain calibrated to saturation-diving decompression profiles. Monochrome characterises the upgrade as "larger, more reliable" than the 1665's original.

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	The cleanest documented professional-diving 16660 provenance chain is the Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Lot 92 Godart to Johansson chain detailed in the COMEX auction anchors. Two divers across 23 years, with the 1991 transfer at 450m North Sea saturation as a documented historical-event marker.		The cleanest documented professional-diving 16660 provenance chain is the Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Lot 92 Godart to Johansson chain detailed in the COMEX auction anchors. Two divers across 23 years, with the 1991 transfer at 450m North Sea saturation as a documented historical-event marker.


	==Print bibliography==		==Print bibliography==
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	* Skeet, Martin + Urul, Mehmet (Nick). ''Vintage Rolex Sports Models.'' Schiffer Publishing. 4th edition 2014, ISBN-13: 9780764346330. Sea-Dweller coverage present but light on the 16660 specifically; the book is heavier on 1950s-1970s production.		* Skeet, Martin + Urul, Mehmet (Nick). ''Vintage Rolex Sports Models.'' Schiffer Publishing. 4th edition 2014, ISBN-13: 9780764346330. Sea-Dweller coverage present but light on the 16660 specifically; the book is heavier on 1950s-1970s production.
	* Hodinkee, Reference Points: Understanding the Rolex Sea-Dweller (2018), the canonical English-language Sea-Dweller editorial reference.		* Hodinkee, Reference Points: Understanding the Rolex Sea-Dweller (2018), the canonical English-language Sea-Dweller editorial reference.


	== Related references ==		== Related references ==

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

2026-09-05T01:20:26Z

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]] -> '''16660'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] › '''16660'''</small>

	[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]		[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]
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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)

2026-09-05T00:36:34Z

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

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:36, 5 September 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 'Triple Six' — First 4000ft, 1978–1988 \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 'Triple Six' — First 4000ft, 1978–1988 \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The 16660 is the Sea-Dweller's first sapphire-crystal generation, first 4000ft / 1220m depth rating, first unidirectional bezel, first Triplock crown, and the last Sea-Dweller on caliber 3035. Production 1978-1988. COMEX 16660 ~200 units 1980-1984 in two batches (matte 3001-3099 + glossy 3100-3199). Phillips Geneva XI 2020 record CHF 239,400, Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Godart/Johansson dual-diver lot.		\|description=The 16660 is the Sea-Dweller's first sapphire-crystal generation, first 4000ft / 1220m depth rating, first unidirectional bezel, first Triplock crown, and the last Sea-Dweller on caliber 3035. Production 1978-1988. COMEX 16660 ~200 units 1980-1984 in two batches (matte 3001-3099 + glossy 3100-3199). Phillips Geneva XI 2020 record CHF 239,400, Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Godart/Johansson dual-diver lot.
	\|keywords=Rolex 16660, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, cal 3035, COMEX 16660, MK1 MK2 dial, spider dial, Stern Lemrich Beyeler, Phillips Geneva XI 2020 Lot 128, Godart Johansson, Andrea Piccinini		\|keywords=Rolex 16660, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, cal 3035, COMEX 16660, MK1 MK2 dial, spider dial, Stern Lemrich Beyeler, Phillips Geneva XI 2020 Lot 128, Godart Johansson, Andrea Piccinini

Admin: Style: normalise breadcrumb arrow to canonical '->' (reference-audit.md convention)

2026-08-09T23:45:54Z

Style: normalise breadcrumb arrow to canonical '->' (reference-audit.md convention)

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:45, 9 August 2026
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	}}		}}

	<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] → '''16660'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] -> '''16660'''</small>

	[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]		[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]

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

2026-08-08T21:31:08Z

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 ==

	* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra		* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra