Watches that can withstand water are a common sight these days, but there was once a time when such a timepiece seemed impossible.
Even though Rolex had already created its first waterproof watch in the late 1920’s, the watchmaking company continued to pursue the daring and innovative idea of the “Diver’s Watch,” a watch that could withstand being deeply submerged in water. After several tests and attempts to achieve such a dream, Rolex finally revealed an experimental watch they called the Deep Sea Special. On September 30, 1953, the prototype was attached to the bathyscaphe FNRS-2, a self-propelled submersible vehicles specially designed for deep sea dives, that was owned by Professor Auguste Piccard. During this experiment, Rolex’s Deep Sea Special successfully withstood a water depth of 10,336 feet, a success that led to Rolex releasing the first divers’ watch to the markets of the world. The earliest of these timepieces was dubbed the Rolex Submariner. Each of the early Submariner models—especially the 6200, 6204, and 6205—sold immediately and gained numerous laudations.
However, Rolex did not want to stop with the amazing and unique Submariner models. The prestige watchmaking company pursued the concept of waterproof timepieces until they eventually revealed another noteworthy model in the history of wristwatches everywhere: the Rolex 7205/0 “Piccard.” In fact, this model was tested once again with Professor Auguste Piccard’s newest model of bathyscaphe, the Trieste. Together on January 23, 1960, the Trieste and the Piccard traveled to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, the world’s deepest ocean floor. Both the bathyscaphe and the Rolex watch survived an astonishing water depth of 35,798 feet. With this amazing and mind-blowing feat, Rolex gained notoriety and repute in the world of diver’s watches and the worldwide media. Consumers everywhere rushed to purchase this incredible and stunning Rolex Piccard, a wristwatch that would certainly leave a mark in the pages of timepieces and watchmaking endeavors.
To this day, Rolex still produces diver’s watches, including the marvelous Rolex Submariner and the fine-looking Sea Dweller, both of which are unequivocally the best choice for timepieces specifically made for those who go deep sea diving for their career or their hobby. Very few of Rolex’s competitors have been able to achieve such an incredible accomplishment while still maintaining precision and dependability. In fact, the diver’s watches manufactured by Rolex are considered to be the most accurate and reliable available on the market, a reputation that the famous watchmaking company has made into its mission and legacy.
Bert Levi Family Jewelers is not affiliated with Rolex SA, and nothing
in this content should be construed as an endorsement by Rolex. We
are not an Official Rolex Dealer, and if you are searching for a new
Rolex, you should visit Rolex.com in order to find an authorized
dealer. We buy and sell pre-owned Rolexes only.
