The Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller are both great timepieces and to the casual observer, they look like the same watch. However, there are significant differences that may swing your preference from one dive watch to the other.
Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller Similarities
To be clear, we are going to compare the date version of the Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller will be the standard version. The Submariner has a reference of 126610LN and the Sea-Dweller has the reference 126600. Both timepieces are powered by a Calibre 3235 automatic movement. They have an oscillator with a paramagnetic blue parachrom hairspring and high-performance paraflex shock absorbers. This protects the accuracy and resiliency of both watches from impact when diving. Both are precise within -2/+2 seconds per day which is one of the key features that Rolex looks at when applying the “superlative chronometer” designation.
Both timepieces support a central hour, minute, and second hand. They have a date aperture at the 3 o’clock position with a cyclops lens on the protective sapphire glass for easy readability of the date. The date rapid setting and stop seconds provide the ability to quickly and easily set the time on the watch precisely and easily.
The new caliber 3235 is an in-house movement that was released at Baselworld in 2017 but didn’t make it into the Submariner until 2020. Due to Rolex’s retreat from Baselworld this year (2020) and the closure due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, the announcement of the new Submariner came out seemingly quietly. However, this is a welcome advancement and something that was widely predicted each year since the release of the 3235.
The 3235 contains 14 patents which include the paramagnetic oscillator made of nickel-phosphorus which makes it insensitive to magnetic interference. It also has a new chronergy escapement is an enhancement to the mainspring action, allowing 15% more energy transfer to the balance wheel.
The new design involves a smaller and skinnier set of components and a geometric design that creates better leverage on the pallet fork. This gives the new caliber a much higher power reserve of 70 hours. This is a significant increase over the previous caliber 3130’s power reserve of 48 hours. More importantly, the new 3235 also has an accuracy up to the Rolex “superlative chronometer” standard – something that the 3130 didn’t have a claim to.
The Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller each are built with Oystersteel on their case. They have a Triplock triple waterproof system built into the screw-down crown. The black dial provides spectacular visibility against the white hour markers. The unidirectional rotatable ceramic bezel is engraved with 60-minute graduations and numerals at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 around the bezel. The 0 or 60-minute position is marked with a wide triangle and a luminescent dot which can be visible when diving or at night time.
Both timepieces feature the Rolex oyster-designed case and an Oyster bracelet. The bracelet is also made of matching Oystersteel with its time-honored 3-piece links. They have a safety clasp and Rolex’s Glidelock extension system. More importantly, both timepieces use Rolex’s Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence in the dark.
3 Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller Differences
The first difference between the Submariner and Sea-Dweller is the fact that the Submariner is designed specifically for recreational divers. It supports a depth of 1,000 feet. This is more than sufficient for all but the elite divers.
As time went on, Rolex continued to develop its diver timepieces to go deeper and deeper. The Sea-Dweller is a significant achievement, being one of the few deeper divers made. It supports a depth of 4,000 feet.
The second difference is that the Submariner sports a 41mm case, while the Sea-Dweller has a beefier 43mm case. The larger case of the Sea-Dweller also contains a flip-lock extension link on its bracelet. It is a slight difference over the Rolex Submariner which only has the Glidelock extension system.
The third main difference, and most important to deeper divers is the helium escape valve provided on the Rolex Sea-Dweller. This valve provides a way to have the timepiece decompress as the divers rise to the surface.
The problem with diving without this enhancement is that the expensive Sapphire crystal would often trap gasses into the timepiece, putting increased pressure on the glass and eventually popping the sapphire off the timepiece. Of course, that would destroy a beautiful and functional timepiece. The escapement valve solves that by allowing these gasses to release naturally and keeping the pressure normalized for the timepiece to keep working and avoid devastating damage to the Rolex.
Minor Differences Between the Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller
The Sea-Dweller has its lettering in Red on the dial, as opposed to white on the Submariner dial. Although the older Sea-Dweller and the current Sea-Dweller DeepSea did not have the cyclops lens, the new Sea-Dweller does have the cyclops allowing excellent date window visibility.
For significant deep sea divers, the Sea-Dweller offers the Deepsea model that supports an even deeper 12,800 feet of waterproofness depth. Although this is a major difference between the mere 1,000 feet of depth supported by the Submariner, only the most aggressive divers would even take notice of this distinction. The Deepsea also is slightly larger with a 44mm case.
Casual observers, would immediately notice the visual differences of the options provided by the Deepsea and Submariner collections. The Deepsea offers the all-steel with black dial and bezel option, the Rolesor (2-tone) gold and steel option and the Deepsea model with the Blue to Black graduated dial coloring and green lettering for Deepsea.
The Submariner has more combination options. Besides the Oystersteel model with black bezel and dial, it has a green dial option in Oystersteel, a blue dial option with white gold, a no-date option, yellow gold and Oyster Steel version with both a black dial and black bezel, and a blue dial and blue bezel combination. It also has two all-yellow gold models – one with a blue bezel and dial and the other with a black bezel and dial.
Rubber B Bands for the Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller
Divers are no longer limited to wearing a steel band on their wetsuits. Rubber B has designed a multitude of bands for the Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller.
Designed with 100% vulcanized rubber, Rubber B bands are made for comfort and long-lasting strength. Each band is custom-designed in Switzerland and hand-sewn with Hydroturf Marine Thread.
The multitude of colors gives the diver many options to choose from when trying to enhance the design of their timepiece. Although the Jet Black will often look spectacular with the black dial and bezel of the models we compared above, the Navy Blue and Arctic White can be used with the blue bezel / dial Rolex models.
Rubber B has designed a wide variety of watch bands for each model Sea-Dweller, DeepSea, and Submariner. This includes models that support the Rolex clasp, one that comes with a 316L tang buckle, a model with an industrial strength Velcro closure, and the new Combat Strap which looks like Kevlar and twill but is actually 100% Rubber. For more information visit our Rolex Bracelet page here.
Rubber B Straps for the Rolex Submariner:
Rubber B Straps for the Rolex Sea-Dweller:
