The following article was researched and written by Charlie Jarman after he came into the possession of possibly one of the rarest Rolex Sports watches. It is reprinted here with Charlie’s kind permission and all copyright is retained by the original author. I will let Charlie take up the story.................

Anyone who has done any research knows that the "single red" Sea Dweller was long a myth among collectors. A few pictures have been seen, but only five other "single red's" have had testimony of existence published or told. First, there is a Japanese website on the internet that shows this very watch. Second, an Italian collector emailed me saying he saw one last year in Italy (although that one may have been faked). Third is a UK collector who says he has owned two "single red" Sea Dweller's in the past. Fourth, Mr. Dowling notes he has seen one real "single red" approximately five years ago (he also mentioned seeing one fake a couple of years ago). The only other known (the 6th) "single red" Sea Dweller is now available for review here.

After acquiring the watch from the estate of a former professional diver, I set about to find out the answers to three questions - 1) Is the watch genuine? 2) If so, what is the history of the watch? 3) What is a rare example like this worth? The following is a synopsis of what I have learned...

IS THE WATCH GENUINE?

First and foremost, I thought it best to contact Rolex directly regarding the authenticity of the watch. I called the Rolex Watch Company USA in hopes I could verify the watch as genuine. Erica from Rolex service (the group that authenticates watches) verified the existence of the type #1665 Sea Dweller you see on this page. In a follow up telephone conversation Erica again confirmed the piece. She and one of the watchmakers discussed the description you see here prior to confirming the watch as genuine.

Although Erica could not authenticate the watch I have in hand (authentication cannot be done over the phone), she has three times verified the fact that this exact Sea Dweller (with 500m/1650ft dial) was produced.

The serial number on this watch is 1,820,xxx -- which is in the correct range for this piece. The serial number has been further verified by Rolex Geneva, via fax, as that of a 1968 Sea Dweller (though authentication was not otherwise verified). When asked, a UK Rolex expert said that the most important factor to authenticating this watch would be to know it's history. I believe that the answer to question #2 further substantiates the genuine nature of this piece.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE WATCH?

I approached this question from two angles. First, I was keenly interested in learning the history of this particular model of Sea-Dweller. Second, as a matter of verification, I needed to know who owned the watch and what kind of background might lead that individual to own an early Rolex Sea Dweller.