The 116600 is a three-year reissue. Rolex unveiled it at Baselworld 2014, sold it through 2017, and replaced it at Baselworld 2017 with the 126600 — the 50th-anniversary Sea-Dweller with the red dial text and the larger case. Six years had elapsed since the 116660 Deepsea moved the Sea-Dweller line to 44mm in 2008. The 116600 walked the reference back to 40mm. Same Oyster diameter the 16660 and 16600 established, same 1220-metre depth rating, same helium escape valve at 9 o'clock — but with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel instead of aluminum, Parachrom Blu hairspring instead of the standard 3135 spring, Chromalight lume instead of Super-LumiNova, and a Maxi dial with enlarged applied indices. The "Sea-Dweller 4000" marketing name carried over from the 16660 and 16600 even though "4000" never appeared on the 116600's dial. Three years of production. No mark generations. Among the shortest production runs of any modern Rolex sport reference, and the last 40mm Sea-Dweller before the 126600 took the line to 43mm.
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116600 Sea-Dweller}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 116600 — 40 mm, Cerachrom, 2014–2017 | Rolexopedia
|description=Rolex introduced the 40 mm Sea-Dweller 4000 in 2014. Reference 116600 pairs a Cerachrom bezel and calibre 3135 with the line’s 1,220 m depth rating.
Rolex introduced the Sea-Dweller 4000, reference 116600, at Baselworld in March 2014. It brought the line back to a 40 mm case after the 44 mm Deepsea 116660, while retaining the Sea-Dweller’s 1,220 m depth rating and helium escape valve. The ceramic bezel, Chromalight display and calibre 3135 with a blue Parachrom hairspring were among its main updates. Rolex replaced it with the 43 mm reference 126600 in 2017.
==Core facts==
==Core facts==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 11:
Line 31:
| 116600
| 116600
|-
|-
| family
| model name
| Sea-Dweller
| Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000
|-
|-
| collector framing
| production
| "the last 40mm Sea-Dweller", "Sea-Dweller 4000"
| 2014–2017
|-
|-
| production
| case
| 2014 to 2017
| 40 mm Oystersteel, screw-down caseback and Triplock crown
|-
|-
| run length
| depth rating
| 3 years — one of the shortest modern Rolex sport-line runs
| 1,220 m / 4,000 ft
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 3135 with Parachrom Blu hairspring, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve
| Maxi black with applied white-gold-surround indices, Chromalight lume
| Black, with Chromalight-filled hands and hour markers
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| 97200 Oyster, Glidelock + Fliplock
| Oyster, reference 97200, with Glidelock and Fliplock extensions
|-
| predecessor
| 16600 (with a six-year 40mm-case gap, 2008 to 2014)
|-
| successor
| 126600 (2017, 43mm + red SEA-DWELLER text + cal 3235)
|-
| serial format
| random 8-character alphanumeric ("scrambled" scheme adopted across Rolex in 2010)
|}
|}
==Where it sits in the line==
==Place in the line==
The 116600 occupies a narrow position in the Sea-Dweller line. Between the 16600 ending in 2008 and the 116600 launching in 2014, the Sea-Dweller as a 40mm reference did not exist — the 116660 Deepsea ran at 44mm in the saturation-diving slot, and the Submariner Date 116610LN sat at 40mm but without the helium valve and 1220-metre depth rating. The 116600 closed that gap.
Three years later, the 126600 closes the 116600 in turn. The 50th anniversary of the Sea-Dweller line (the 1665's 1967 prototype delivery to SEALAB 3) calls for a tribute reference, and Rolex builds it at 43mm with the red "SEA-DWELLER" callback to the 1665 Single Red. The 116600 becomes the last small-case Sea-Dweller, the only modern Sea-Dweller without a Cyclops or red text, and the only Sea-Dweller with the Cerachrom-aluminum-bezel-vs-aluminum-insert distinction inside its three-year window.
Inside that window, the 116600 has no mark generations, no transitional dial anomalies, and no factory-colourway variants. Single dial, single bracelet, single movement specification. The 116600 is the cleanest variant set in the entire Sea-Dweller line.
==Production outline==
===Launch (Baselworld March 2014)===
Rolex unveiled the 116600 at Baselworld 2014 as the return-to-40mm Sea-Dweller. Retail availability began in 2015 through the Authorised Dealer network. Launch price set at approximately USD 7,100 in the US, CHF 9,900 in Switzerland, EUR 8,500 in Europe, SGD 13,560 in Singapore — positioned roughly 15 percent below the Deepsea 116660 and 20 percent above the Submariner Date 116610LN.
===Production run (2014 to 2017)===
Continuous production across three calendar years. AD allocation remained available until late 2016, then dried up as the discontinuation approached. The final 2017 AD allocations went to long-waitlist customers, with nine-month waits cited in forum coverage. Grey-market 2017 purchases at major retailers settled around mid-USD 8,000 by the discontinuation window. Final-year retail at AD reached approximately USD 10,400.
===Discontinuation (Baselworld 2017)===
The 126600 50th-anniversary Sea-Dweller launched at Baselworld 2017 and replaced the 116600 in the catalogue. The 126600 brought the 43mm case, red "SEA-DWELLER" dial text, sapphire Cyclops over the date, and caliber 3235 (with 70-hour power reserve and Chronergy escapement). The 116600 left production at the end of the 2017 Baselworld cycle.
==Movement notes==
The caliber 3135 is the same base movement the 16600 wore — but the 116600 generation gets the Parachrom Blu hairspring as standard. The Sea-Dweller line's first Parachrom outing happens here. Earlier 16600 examples were split — the Parachrom Blu rolled into the 3135 family progressively through the mid-2000s; the 116600 carries it from launch.
Specifications:
* 31 jewels
* 28,800 vph / 4 Hz
* Approximately 48-hour power reserve
* Quickset date, hacking seconds
* COSC chronometer certified (pre-2015 standard — ±6 seconds per day; this is before the Superlative Chronometer 2015 re-certification at ±2 seconds per day that the 126600 receives)
* KIF Elastor shock absorbers (Paraflex variant on later production)
* Free-sprung balance, full balance bridge
The cal 3135 architecture is otherwise unchanged from the 16600 generation. The 116600 inherits a movement that had been refined across two decades.
==Dial==
Single dial across the production run.
The face is matte black with applied indices surrounded by 18-karat gold edges — the "Maxi dial" framing introduced on the Submariner 16610LV "Kermit" in 2003 and standardised across the Rolex sport line in the late 2000s. The 116600's plots are enlarged relative to the 16600's, and the surrounds are wider. Mercedes hour hand is broader to match.
Lume technology is Chromalight — Rolex's proprietary alkaline-earth aluminate compound, brighter at peak emission than Super-LumiNova and emitting in a longer-wavelength blue glow that Rolex rates as visible for up to eight hours in dark conditions. The 16600 ended on Super-LumiNova; the 116600 launched on Chromalight. No transitional dial exists.
Dial text reads "SEA-DWELLER" in white only — no red text, no "4000" depth designation, no other configurations. The red "SEA-DWELLER" returns on the 126600 successor in 2017. The "4000" depth designation was retired from the dial when production left the 16600 era. The depth rating "1220m=4000ft" prints below the text in the matte sans-serif font that the Maxi-dial Sea-Dweller carries throughout.
There is no Cyclops over the date window — the long-standing Sea-Dweller no-Cyclops convention continues. The convention dates back to the 1665, where the unmagnified flat acrylic crystal was an operational requirement for saturation-pressure resistance. Sapphire crystals long ago made the Cyclops mechanically trivial on a dive watch, but the no-Cyclops tradition stayed. The 126600 successor finally breaks it.
The 6 o'clock chapter ring reads "SWISS MADE", consistent with the post-1998 Super-LumiNova and Chromalight era.
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==
===Case===
40mm Oyster, 904L Oystersteel — the higher-corrosion-resistance steel grade Rolex standardised across the sport line in the early 2010s. Lug-to-lug approximately 46.5mm, case thickness 15.0 to 15.5mm (slightly thicker than the 16600's 14.4mm to accommodate the Cerachrom bezel and the Glidelock clasp's machinery), lug width 20mm. Screw-down case-back.
===Bezel — Cerachrom ceramic with platinum-coated graduations===
The 116600 followed the 40 mm Sea-Dweller 16600, discontinued in 2008, and the larger 116660 Deepsea. It kept the earlier Sea-Dweller’s case diameter and depth rating, while adding a ceramic bezel and the Glidelock clasp adjustment. Rolex’s 2017 successor, the 126600, grew to 43 mm and added a Cyclops magnifier over the date. Its red dial lettering recalled the early red-text Sea-Dwellers.
The 116600's signature feature. The bezel insert is Cerachrom — Rolex's proprietary zirconium-oxide ceramic, scratch-resistant and colourfast under UV. The 60-minute scale is fully graduated (not just the first 15 minutes — a return to the MilSub-style minute track that the 5517 wore). Numerals and graduations are coated in platinum via magnetron sputtering: the bezel is engraved first, then platinum vapour is deposited in a vacuum chamber, then the surplus platinum is polished off everywhere except inside the engravings, leaving bright platinum graphics against the polished black ceramic surround. The pearl at 12 o'clock is lumed and matches the dial Chromalight.
“Sea-Dweller 4000” was the model name. The depth rating also appears as “4000 ft = 1220 m” on the dial. The informal name “SD4K” is used by collectors and sellers.
The Cerachrom-vs-aluminum transition makes the 116600 visually distinct from every Sea-Dweller before it. The 16600 wore an aluminum insert; every earlier Sea-Dweller wore aluminum. The 126600 successor continues with Cerachrom.
==Production and dial==
===Crystal and crown===
Rolex’s March 2014 launch material describes a black dial with large Chromalight hour markers and hands. The white-gold marker surrounds and enlarged plots give it the broad-index look collectors call a “Maxi” dial. The date sits at 3 o’clock beneath the flat sapphire crystal. The dial has white “SEA-DWELLER” lettering and the printed depth rating.
Flat sapphire, no Cyclops, sitting slightly proud of the bezel edge. Triplock screw-down crown with triple-gasket sealing. The crown carries Rolex's standard sport-line architecture for the period.
The published record documents this standard black-dial configuration. Production totals and proposed factory dial generations remain unverified. A specific watch may have received service parts, so condition and originality need to be assessed on the individual example.
===Helium escape valve===
[[File:Ref 116600 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Black Sea-Dweller 116600 dial with Chromalight hour markers and date|Black dial with Chromalight markers and date]]
One-way spring-loaded relief valve at 9 o'clock. Same operational architecture as every Sea-Dweller before it, sized for the 1220-metre depth rating.
==Movement==
===Caseback===
The 116600 uses calibre 3135, an automatic movement with date, 31 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour and an approximately 48-hour power reserve. Rolex’s launch specification identifies a blue Parachrom hairspring and COSC chronometer certification. Rolex says the alloy resists magnetic fields and temperature variation; its launch material also describes improved shock resistance.
Solid screw-down stainless steel caseback engraved with "ROLEX OYSTER" and twin coronets plus "ORIGINAL GAS ESCAPE VALVE" — the same engraved-caseback convention the 16600 carried. The Sea-Dweller's engraved caseback was a feature throughout the modern line and continues unchanged on the 116600. The 126600 successor keeps the engraving but with a thicker case profile.
Rolex introduced the Parachrom hairspring in 2005; its 2014 launch specification identifies the blue Parachrom spring in the 116600. Published accounts differ on when it reached late 16600 production, so an inspection of the movement is stronger evidence than a date inferred from the watch’s serial alone.
==Bracelet — 97200 with Glidelock and Fliplock==
The 97200 Oyster bracelet — 904L Oystersteel, solid centre and end-links, brushed centres with polished bevels. Lug width 20mm matches the case. The clasp carries two extension systems:
* '''Glidelock''' — 20mm of fine adjustment in 2mm increments across 5 positions. Toolless operation: lift the safety latch, slide the clasp leaf to the next notch, click into position. The notched teeth on the underside of the clasp leaf index against a sprung lever.
* '''Fliplock''' — fold-out diver's extension adding 26mm of length (Wikipedia gives 27mm; Monochrome cites 26mm — print 26mm with attribution if cited). For wear over a 7mm dive-suit cuff.
The combined Glidelock and Fliplock gives the 116600 the most-adjustable Sea-Dweller bracelet through the modern line. The 16600's clasp had only the Fliplock; the 116600 adds the fine-adjust Glidelock. The 126600 keeps both but on a 21mm-lug bracelet with broader clasp.
==Differences against the 126600 successor==
The 126600 launched in 2017 as the 50th-anniversary Sea-Dweller. The deltas against the 116600:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! attribute
! 116600 (2014–17)
! 126600 (2017 onward)
|-
| Case diameter
| 40mm
| 43mm
|-
| Lug-to-lug
| 46.5mm
| approximately 50mm
|-
| Date Cyclops
| None
| Sapphire Cyclops at 3
|-
| Dial text
| "SEA-DWELLER" white only
| "SEA-DWELLER" in red — single-red callback to the 1665
|-
| Movement
| cal 3135, 48h, Parachrom Blu
| cal 3235, 70h, Chronergy escapement, Syloxi balance, Superlative ±2s/day
|-
| Bracelet lug width
| 20mm
| 21mm (broader Glidelock clasp)
|-
| Bezel
| Cerachrom black, platinum-coated graduations
| same recipe, scaled to 43mm
|-
| Anniversary framing
| none
| 50th anniversary of the Sea-Dweller (1967 prototype delivery)
|}
The 126600 itself has MK1 and MK2 dial variants — early-run examples with a stick "1" in "1200m" and no coronet at 6, later-run with a coronet at 6 and refined "1" — relevant as a "MK1 premium" line because the 116600 has no comparable in-life dial variants.
==Case and bezel==
==Market==
The 40 mm Oyster case is made from Rolex’s 904L steel, now marketed as Oystersteel. It has a screw-down Triplock crown, a helium escape valve and a fluted screw-down caseback. Rolex rated the watch to 1,220 m (4,000 ft).
===Launch and during-production pricing===
[[File:Ref 116600 ceramic-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Black Cerachrom bezel insert with platinum-coated graduations on a Sea-Dweller 116600|Cerachrom bezel insert and platinum-coated graduations]]
USD 7,100 retail at 2014 launch climbed to approximately USD 10,000 by 2018 secondary market. UK retail reached approximately GBP 10,000 by 2017 discontinuation. CHF 9,900 launch in Switzerland, EUR 8,500 in Europe.
The black Cerachrom insert has a unidirectional 60-minute scale. Rolex’s 2014 specification says its engraved numerals and graduations receive a thin platinum coating by physical vapour deposition. The full minute scale is marked around the bezel. A sapphire crystal covers the date, which is shown without magnification.
===Post-discontinuation curve===
The helium escape valve belongs to the Sea-Dweller’s saturation-diving design. During decompression, it releases helium that has entered the case while preserving the watch’s water resistance. The valve’s history and patent are covered on the [[Reference:sea-dweller#Helium escape valve|Sea-Dweller family page]].
The post-discontinuation market climbed from approximately EUR 10,000 at the 2017 discontinuation to a peak of approximately EUR 17,000 in the 2021-22 cycle. The peak came as broader Rolex sport-line prices spiked across the 2020-22 window.
==Bracelet and clasp==
===Current market (2025-26)===
The 116600 was supplied on an Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock safety clasp. Rolex’s launch specification identifies the bracelet as solid three-piece links in 904L steel and lists both extension systems: Glidelock adjusts the fit in 2 mm steps across approximately 20 mm, while the Fliplock link adds 26 mm. Both systems adjust by hand.
Aggregate dealer-market data as of May 2026 places median sale at USD 13,500 to 15,500, with 46 recorded sales in January 2026 and a median time-to-sell of 35.5 days — faster than 83 percent of tracked sport-line references. The 1-year price trend runs at -2.1 percent, the 5-year at -15.8 percent. Aggregator risk scoring puts the 116600 at 62 out of 100, driven by fixed inventory and the downward trend from the 2021-22 peak. Active asking prices on the major dealer markets sit at approximately USD 14,000 average, with a spread from USD 11,000 to USD 20,000. Full-set 2017 examples occupy the top of the range.
==Successor==
The 116600 trades at a meaningful premium to its CHF 9,900 launch price even after the correction from the 2021-22 peak. No singular auction-record headline lot exists — the reference is a current-modern collectible rather than an auction-podium reference.
In 2017 Rolex replaced the 116600 with the 43 mm 126600. The newer watch retained the 1,220 m rating and Cerachrom bezel, and introduced calibre 3235, a red “SEA-DWELLER” line and a Cyclops over the date. Rolex presented it as the Sea-Dweller’s 50th-anniversary model. The 116600 remains the 40 mm ceramic-bezel Sea-Dweller in this part of the line.
==Forum-tier collector positions==
==Related references==
The 116600's three-year production made it a forum-discussion lightning rod from the moment it discontinued. Three lines of argument dominate the threads:
* [[Reference:16600|Sea-Dweller 16600]] — 40 mm predecessor with an aluminium bezel insert.
* Sea-Dweller Deepsea 116660 — the 44 mm model that preceded the 116600.
* Sea-Dweller 126600 — 43 mm successor introduced in 2017.
* [[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller family guide]]
'''"Last 40mm Sea-Dweller"''' — The argument that the 116600 closes the small-case Sea-Dweller chapter that the 1665 opened in 1967. Every Sea-Dweller from the 1665 through the 16600 wore a 40mm case; the 116600 returned the line to that diameter for three years; the 126600 broke the 40mm tradition. The 116600 is the last reference in the 40mm lineage.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 116600 main monochrome.webp|Full watch, shown at its 2014 introduction
'''"Goldilocks Sea-Dweller"''' — Tool-watch positioning. The 40mm case at 1220 metres reads more "tool" than the 43mm 126600, while the Cerachrom bezel and Maxi dial keep the watch modern enough for daily wear. Forum threads on long-term ownership consistently land on this framing.
== Sources ==
'''"Bridge generation"''' — The 116600 sits between the vintage Sea-Dweller line and the modern Sea-Dweller line. It has the Cerachrom bezel of modern Rolex but the no-Cyclops convention of vintage Sea-Dweller. It has the Parachrom Blu hairspring of the late-3135 generation but the case dimensions of the 16660 and 16600. Owners describe it as the cleanest summary of what the Sea-Dweller had become before the 50th-anniversary repositioning.
* [https://watch-wiki.org/index.php?title=A_new_generation_Oyster_Perpetual_Sea-Dweller_4000 Rolex, "A new generation Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000", Rolex; archived transcription at Watch-Wiki, 2014-03-26]
* [https://www.rolex.com/en-us/about-rolex/history/1971-1992 Rolex, "Rolex History — 1971–1992", Rolex]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2014/06/up-close-with-the-rolex-sea-dweller-4000-ref-116600-with-live-photos-and-price.html SJX, "Up Close With the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 Ref. 116600", SJX Watches, 2014-06-23]
Long-term wear reports across major collector forums describe the Cerachrom bezel as scratch-resistant in practice (consistent with Rolex's claims), the Chromalight lume as holding the rated "up to 8 hours" of useful glow, and the 97200 bracelet as substantial enough on the wrist that the 15mm case thickness reads thinner than the number suggests. Rolex Service Centre overhauls in the published reports run USD 800 to 1,000 standard; full overhauls with crystal, bezel insert, and gasket replacement reach USD 1,300 to 1,600.
Rolex introduced the Sea-Dweller 4000, reference 116600, at Baselworld in March 2014. It brought the line back to a 40 mm case after the 44 mm Deepsea 116660, while retaining the Sea-Dweller’s 1,220 m depth rating and helium escape valve. The ceramic bezel, Chromalight display and calibre 3135 with a blue Parachrom hairspring were among its main updates. Rolex replaced it with the 43 mm reference 126600 in 2017.
Core facts
detail
value
reference
116600
model name
Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000
production
2014–2017
case
40 mm Oystersteel, screw-down caseback and Triplock crown
Black, with Chromalight-filled hands and hour markers
bracelet
Oyster, reference 97200, with Glidelock and Fliplock extensions
Place in the line
The 116600 followed the 40 mm Sea-Dweller 16600, discontinued in 2008, and the larger 116660 Deepsea. It kept the earlier Sea-Dweller’s case diameter and depth rating, while adding a ceramic bezel and the Glidelock clasp adjustment. Rolex’s 2017 successor, the 126600, grew to 43 mm and added a Cyclops magnifier over the date. Its red dial lettering recalled the early red-text Sea-Dwellers.
“Sea-Dweller 4000” was the model name. The depth rating also appears as “4000 ft = 1220 m” on the dial. The informal name “SD4K” is used by collectors and sellers.
Production and dial
Rolex’s March 2014 launch material describes a black dial with large Chromalight hour markers and hands. The white-gold marker surrounds and enlarged plots give it the broad-index look collectors call a “Maxi” dial. The date sits at 3 o’clock beneath the flat sapphire crystal. The dial has white “SEA-DWELLER” lettering and the printed depth rating.
The published record documents this standard black-dial configuration. Production totals and proposed factory dial generations remain unverified. A specific watch may have received service parts, so condition and originality need to be assessed on the individual example.
Black dial with Chromalight markers and date
Movement
The 116600 uses calibre 3135, an automatic movement with date, 31 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour and an approximately 48-hour power reserve. Rolex’s launch specification identifies a blue Parachrom hairspring and COSC chronometer certification. Rolex says the alloy resists magnetic fields and temperature variation; its launch material also describes improved shock resistance.
Rolex introduced the Parachrom hairspring in 2005; its 2014 launch specification identifies the blue Parachrom spring in the 116600. Published accounts differ on when it reached late 16600 production, so an inspection of the movement is stronger evidence than a date inferred from the watch’s serial alone.
Case and bezel
The 40 mm Oyster case is made from Rolex’s 904L steel, now marketed as Oystersteel. It has a screw-down Triplock crown, a helium escape valve and a fluted screw-down caseback. Rolex rated the watch to 1,220 m (4,000 ft).
Cerachrom bezel insert and platinum-coated graduations
The black Cerachrom insert has a unidirectional 60-minute scale. Rolex’s 2014 specification says its engraved numerals and graduations receive a thin platinum coating by physical vapour deposition. The full minute scale is marked around the bezel. A sapphire crystal covers the date, which is shown without magnification.
The helium escape valve belongs to the Sea-Dweller’s saturation-diving design. During decompression, it releases helium that has entered the case while preserving the watch’s water resistance. The valve’s history and patent are covered on the Sea-Dweller family page.
Bracelet and clasp
The 116600 was supplied on an Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock safety clasp. Rolex’s launch specification identifies the bracelet as solid three-piece links in 904L steel and lists both extension systems: Glidelock adjusts the fit in 2 mm steps across approximately 20 mm, while the Fliplock link adds 26 mm. Both systems adjust by hand.
Successor
In 2017 Rolex replaced the 116600 with the 43 mm 126600. The newer watch retained the 1,220 m rating and Cerachrom bezel, and introduced calibre 3235, a red “SEA-DWELLER” line and a Cyclops over the date. Rolex presented it as the Sea-Dweller’s 50th-anniversary model. The 116600 remains the 40 mm ceramic-bezel Sea-Dweller in this part of the line.
Related references
Sea-Dweller 16600 — 40 mm predecessor with an aluminium bezel insert.
Sea-Dweller Deepsea 116660 — the 44 mm model that preceded the 116600.
Sea-Dweller 126600 — 43 mm successor introduced in 2017.
Full watch, shown at its 2014 introduction
Black dial and date
Cerachrom bezel detail