There are some watches so important that they transcend the status of mere collector’s item, holding a significance worthy of a museum. At Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XIV taking place on 5 and 7 November 2021, there is a rare chance to pick up a slice of horological history, as it brings a Rolex ‘Deep Sea Special’ from 1965 (estimate CHF 1,200,000–CHF 2,400,000) under the hammer. 

Rolex may now be synonymous with its superlative diving watches such as the Submariner, but these famous designs were only made possible with the huge technical strides made by its experimental early underwater models. The Submariner – a watch within a second, outer watertight case, which you had to unscrew to wind up the watch – laid the foundations in 1922, quickly followed by Rolex Oyster, with its ground-breaking hermetically sealed case in 1926. And with the explosion in popularity of both professional and recreational diving came further innovation with the creation of the Submariner watch in 1953, able to withstand incredibly high ocean pressures up to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). 

The first prototype of the Deep Sea Special was trialled strapped to the side of the bathyscaphe Trieste submersible, first tested to 1,080 metres (3,543 feet) and later 3,150 metres (10,334 feet). A second prototype in 1960 went further still, taking on a challenging 10,916 metre journey to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans. In celebration of this incredible feat, a commemorative series of watches was produced, presented only to museums and trusted partners. Numbered 35, this model is one of only five that has been sold in the public sphere, with 12 years since the last example on the market. 

‘The Deep Sea Special fully deserves the Special in its name, the sheer idea of a watch that can withstand a dive of 10,000 meters (that is 10km) is simply mind boggling. However, more than the technical aspects and sheer rarity of this piece, it is its historical significance that needs to be highlighted,’ says Alexandre Ghotbi, head of watches, continental Europe and Middle East at Phillips Watches. ‘The Deep Sea Special is the watch that defined what Rolex is today, it is the philosophy behind its creation that led Rolex to focus on tool watches in general and dive watches in particular. Without the Deep Sea Special there would be no Submariner or Sea Dweller as we know it. The Deep Sea Special is a watch that was never available for public purchase and the arrival on the market of an example is a once in a decade event for collectors and watch aficionados to celebrate.’

phillips.com