After a six-year hiatus, Rolex resurrected the Sea

DEEP
DIVE
REDUX
After a six-year hiatus,
Rolex resurrected the
Sea-Dweller last year
in a new, improved
version.
BY JENS KOCH
PHOTOS BY MARCUS KRÜGER
April 2015 WatchTime 69
TEST
Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000
SPECS
ROLEX SEA-DWELLER 4000
Manufacturer: Montres Rolex SA, rue
François-Dussaud 3-7, CH-1211 Geneva,
Switzerland
Reference number: 116600
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Movement: Automatic manufacture
Caliber 3135, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels,
stop-seconds function, rapid-reset
function for the date display, Kif shock
absorption, Glucydur balance with
Microstella nuts for fine adjustment, blue
Parachrom hairspring with Breguet
terminal curve, 48-hour power reserve,
diameter = 28.5 mm, height = 5.37 mm
Case: Stainless steel, flat sapphire crystal
without nonreflective coating, screwed
crown, fully threaded screw-in stainlesssteel caseback, water resistant to 1,220 m
Bracelet and clasp: Oyster stainless-steel
bracelet, Glidelock secured folding clasp
with lengthening in small steps and
Fliplock extension mechanism for divers
he Sea-Dweller debuted in 1967 as the
Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000. It was
styled after the Submariner, which had
been introduced in 1953, but the SeaDweller had a thicker case and a heliumescape valve. At the time, it was notable
for its 2,000-foot (600-meter) water resistance. The Sea-Dweller ultimately reached
a 4,000-foot (1,220-meter) depth rating
before it was replaced in 2008 with the
Deepsea, which is rated to 3,900 meters.
Last year, due to popular request,
Rolex brought the Sea-Dweller 4000
back, adding a few new features. At 15.1
mm thick, it occupies a middle ground
between the 18-mm-thick Deepsea and
the more streamlined, 12.5-mm-thick
Submariner, which is water resistant to
300 meters.
Even though its basic design is more
than 60 years old, the watch still looks
modern. One reason is its new bezel. It
has a high-tech ceramic insert which is
scratch resistant, an improvement over
the easily marred aluminum bezel insert
used on its predecessor. The bezel turns
smoothly, passing through the notches in
half-minute increments, making a pleas70
WatchTime April 2015
ant clicking sound like the combination
lock on a safe. It is easy to grasp, thanks
to its serrated outer edge. Its indexes and
numerals are filled with platinum dust, a
luxurious detail that complements the
dial’s costly white-gold hands and markers.
The watch’s Glidelock clasp is another
upgrade. Sturdy and easy to operate, it
enables the wearer to lengthen the
bracelet in 2-mm increments, up to a total
of 20 mm. It’s useful on hot days when
you welcome a little more air between the
bracelet and your wrist, or when you’re
playing sports and your wrist swells. A
safety bail with an easily lifted opening
rocker prevents the clasp from opening
when you don’t want it to. A Fliplock
Rate results:
Deviations in seconds per 24 hours
Dial up
+4
Dial down
+3
Crown up
-1
Crown down
Crown left
Crown right
0
+6
-6
Greatest deviation of rate
12
Average deviation
+1
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
293°
Hanging positions
259°
Dimensions: Diameter = 40 mm,
height = 15.1 mm, weight = 163 g
Price: $10,400
THE SEA-DWELLER, LIKE THE DEEPSEA,
IS EQUIPPED WITH A TRIPLOCK
CROWN WITH FIVE INSULATORS TO
KEEP MOISTURE OUT OF THE CASE.
The Sea-Dweller
has a helium valve
on the side and
single-minute
calibrations on
the bezel.
April 2015 WatchTime 71
extension mechanism lets the wearer add
another 26 mm to the bracelet’s length,
so it can fit easily over the sleeve of a diving suit. The Sea-Dweller shares this feature with the Deepsea, but not with the
Submariner. The bracelet is supple and
comfortable on the wrist. The sides of the
bracelet and clasp are polished, while the
upper surfaces are satin finished. The
same combination of polished and satin
finishes is used on the watch’s case.
The Sea-Dweller, like the Deepsea, is
equipped with a screw-in, Triplock
crown with five insulators to keep moisture out of the case. It is easy to grasp.
The case is made of 904L steel, which is
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WatchTime April 2015
resistant to saltwater corrosion. The caseback is smooth, as is the inner surface of
the clasp, contributing to the watch’s
wearing comfort.
Chromalight, Rolex’s cool blue luminous substance, is applied at 12, 6 and 9
o’clock on the dial, and at the zero index
marker on the bezel. It is also applied to
the dot on the seconds hand so its continuous motion can be used to verify that
the watch is still running. The Chromalight glows very brightly and is visible
even in twilight. The crystal, which is
made of sapphire, is flat. It does not have
the signature Rolex Cyclops magnifying
lens over the date display.
Caliber 3135’s
embellishments are
only visible when
the solid caseback
is removed.
TEST
Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000
The Sea-Dweller 4000 contains the
automatic manufacture Caliber 3135. It
is regarded as one of the best automatic
movements on the market, due to its
robust construction, including a sturdy
balance bridge instead of the more common balance cock, and a balance spring
made of Parachrom, an antimagnetic
niobium-zirconium alloy. A Breguet terminal curve contributes to the regular
breathing of the hairspring. The balance
is finely adjusted by means of Microstella
nuts on its inner surface. Two knurled
screws are used to adjust vertical play.
The movement is decorated with a
cloud pattern on the bridges, brushed
THE WATCH HAD A MEAN DEVIATION
OF JUST 1 SECOND, BUT THE
GREATEST DEVIATION WAS A FAR
LESS PRAISEWORTHY 12 SECONDS.
matte surfaces on all steel components
and a sunburst pattern on the partly
pierced rotor. The edges are beveled and
screw heads are polished. The red of the
anodized aluminum winding wheel and
the blue of the Parachrom balance spring
From left to right, the Submariner, Sea-Dweller 4000 and Deepsea
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WatchTime April 2015
add dashes of color. Only watchmakers
will be able to admire these embellishments, as the caseback has no window.
In our tests, the Sea-Dweller showed a
record-worthy gain of just 2 seconds per
week on the wrist. Its performance wasn’t
TEST
Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000
A stepwise
lengthening
mechanism is
incorporated into
the clasp. There is
also a divers’
extension.
SCORES
ROLEX SEA-DWELLER 4000
Bracelet and clasp (max. 10 points):
Well-crafted steel bracelet and practical,
secure, folding clasp with two
lengthening mechanisms
9
Operation (5): The rotatable bezel clicks
authoritatively into each notch and is as
convenient to operate as the screw-in
crown. Rapid-reset mechanism for the
date and a stop-seconds function make it
easy to set this watch with precision. 5
Case (10): High-quality craftsmanship is
evident in the neatly polished and satinfinished surfaces; the ceramic bezel
assures scratch resistance.
9
Design (15): The Sea-Dweller inherited
its successful design; only the date
display isn’t perfect because it’s too close
to the dial’s center.
14
Legibility (5): The hands contrast well
with the dial and the blue luminous
material glows clearly in the dark.
5
Wearing comfort (10): The multistep
lengthening mechanism ensures that you
can always find exactly the right length;
smooth surfaces on the clasp, bracelet
and case further enhance the wearing
comfort.
10
Movement (20): This time-honored
manufacture caliber is engineered for
robustness, longevity and an accurate
rate.
18
Rate results (10): The greatest deviation
among the several positions is too high,
but the daily gain is extremely small; the
watch runs very precisely on the wrist. 7
Overall value (15): The price seems high,
but it’s justified by the high quality of
all details and by the near certainty
that this watch will preserve its value
over time.
13
TOTAL:
76
WatchTime April 2015
90 POINTS
quite so perfect on the Witschi Chronoscope X1 timing machine, where it
showed a maximum deviation of 12 seconds. However, the mean deviation
among all the positions was just 1 second
per day.
At $10,400, the Sea-Dweller is priced
halfway between the Submariner Date
($8,550) and the Deepsea ($12,050). All
three watches contain the same movement, boast equally fine craftsmanship
on their cases, bracelets, dials and hands,
and have scratch-resistant ceramic bezels.
Although all three are likely to retain
much of their value, the Submariner
offers the best cost-benefit ratio for anyone basing his decision on design rather
than functionality. However, if you really
intend to go diving with one of these
watches on your wrist, you should consider the Sea-Dweller or the Deepsea
because of their greater water resistance
and the extension mechanisms on their
bracelets. (The Deepsea, like the SeaDweller, has a helium escape valve.) The
Deepsea has an imposing 44-mm case; if
you prefer a smaller model, the SeaDweller is for you.
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