The Rolex Sea-Dweller Reference 126600 is the premiere dive watch that all dive watches aspire to, but none can match. With support for a waterproof depth of 4,000 feet, divers can be sure that this timepiece will help them keep accurate time as they plan their decompression stops.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 126600 has ties to the original timepiece launched in 1967. However, the new timepiece was rereleased at Baselworld in 2017 with quite a few changes.
No other timepiece in the Rolex lineup achieve the superior qualities that Hans Wildorf aspired to so dramatically as the Sea-Dweller. It has precise timekeeping and is labeled as a Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified right on the dial. It is precise within -2/+2 seconds per day and tested and certified by the most rigorous standards.
In fact, this certification is further protected by the components inside the timepiece itself. Its oscillator is a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring and it has high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers. So, even diving and banging around the timepiece, this unique watch will take a beating and still keep its accuracy intact.
It has a powerful bidirectional self-winding automatic movement powered by a new 3235 caliber movement. The perpetual rotor provides a new 70 hours power reserve. Although most of the Rolex lineup now has these new features the next feature sets the Sea-Dweller apart, achieving something Wilsdorf worked towards his entire life.
Hans Wilsdorf pursued waterproofness in his timepieces like nobody in history. Initially he made a statement with the waterproof Oyster case and then with the triplock triple waterproofness system as part of the winding crown mechanism. This was a great improvement on the patented mechanism he acquired in the 1920’s.
However, with the addition of the helium escape valve, the reference 126600 can get to depths and retain waterproofness that no other watch (save for the Sea-Dweller DeepSea) can achieve. If there ever was a crowning achievement for the great Rolex crown, this would be the timepiece that possesses all of the features it could ever need.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller Reference 126600
The Rolex Sea-Dweller Reference 126600 is the newest Sea-Dweller and has quite a few new features over the older versions of the timepiece. The biggest and most noticeable difference is the larger 43mm case. The older Sea-Dwellers conformed to a smallish 40 mm case, but this new reference 126600 is big and bold.
Certainly a larger timepiece is welcomed by the consumers world-wide who have been buying larger quantities of larger timepieces. However, Rolex didn’t do this just to satisfy a consumer need. The larger timepiece has a more powerful caliber inside and the additional space gives it more room to give it the nearly 1 extra day of power reserve over the older model. At nearly 3 days of reserve power, it is unlikely that it will ever run out if you wear this timepiece every other day.
2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Sea-Dweller. And Rolex left some of its history in its rear view mirror. The new Sea-Dweller Reference 126600 has a date window with a Cyclops lens. Unlike the Sea-Dweller Reference 116600 which had no date and no lens, this new timepiece comes makes the date window the 2nd most noticeable change.
Less noticeable changes on the 126600 include a larger lug width on the band – 22mm over the former 20 mm lug. The new Chromalight technology glows up to 8 hours now which is 2x the amount for the older SuperLuminova. It also glows a pleasant blue which is very good when you are diving in the dark depths of the ocean or anywhere where there is darkness.
Rubber B Tang Buckle series bands for the new Rolex Sea-Dweller
Rubber B has 3 model bands for the Sea-Dweller pictured above. The Tang Buckle Series, the Combat Strap and the Original with Glidelock deployant buckle support. Rubber B has the best made Swiss straps for the new Rolex Sea-Dweller. For more information please visit our page here.
