Rolex has always produced watches that I have gravitated towards. For a long time, though, I grappled with some of the modern baggage that the brand has taken on. Modern Rolex sports watches have a certain bling factor that turns me off. The problem is that vintage Rolex watches are either unobtainable or, if I want to take one for a swim, at risk of failing underwater! This is where the neo-vintage Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 enters the fray.
“Neo-vintage” is a term that loosely describes watches produced circa two decades ago. The great thing about neo-vintage watches is that, in many cases, manufacturers applied the design coherence of familiar model lines but with great (smaller) sizes and some of the key technical innovations we might want. These include, importantly, sapphire crystals. Plexiglass is a common point of failure in maintaining water tightness on a vintage watch. Sapphire crystals provide an added degree of peace of mind when, like me, you take your timepiece into the ocean nearly every day.
Not my first Rolex
Last month, I walked into a vintage watch shop and walked out with a Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600. It had been a long time coming. You see, I already own a Rolex, a vintage Oyster Perpetual ref. 1002 from the 1960s. It’s a beautiful and elegant example of a vintage Oyster. It was my mother’s, and I’m now its lucky owner.
The ref. 1002 is a time-only 34mm watch with pure Rolex DNA. I had long lusted after a vintage Rolex sports model, though. It would have to be one of the brand’s dive watches. Equally as important, it would have to be something that I could afford with months of saving.
Why the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600?
When pursuing a sports Rolex model, I had a clear enough notion of what I wanted. As mentioned, it had to be a dive watch, which removed the Explorer series from the running. It also had to be neo-vintage because I like the more relaxed tool-watch impression that an aluminum bezel provides. This meant that modern Rolex Submariners and Sea-Dwellers, including the Deepsea, were off the table. Suddenly, I had narrowed my search to just a few references, specifically the Rolex Submariners of the early to mid-2000s and the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600.
Even within these rather narrow parameters, I wanted a watch with Super-LumiNova, not tritium, on the dial. This is because I wanted the lume feature intact. Tritium degrades over time, and this was not something I was after. This meant that it would likely have to be a Rolex dive watch produced after 1999/2000 and before the mid-2010s.
Learning more about neo-vintage Rolex
Luckily for me, there are several fantastic watches within that date range. But the more I read about these options, the more I honed in on the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600. It helped that my colleagues here at Fratello had already written some useful features about the watch. It’s fair to say I was partly inspired by Jorg’s writings on the subject as well as RJ’s thoughts.
These articles by my colleagues helped inform my search. I was not particularly worried if the case had been polished during a Rolex service once. Some collectors refuse to purchase a used watch if it has been polished at all. As long as Rolex had carried out the polishing job, though, I had no issues with this.
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A matter of personal taste
The reason I honed in on the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 is that it fit the bill on the multiple factors I was seeking. It’s also something a little different, with an enhanced specification set that doesn’t detract from the overall ergonomic experience. The added thickness of the watch (compared to a Submariner) mostly disappears since it’s primarily in the bulging case back, which nestles into the wrist.
The Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 debuted in 1988 as the next generation of the professional-spec Sea-Dweller line. It was a long-running reference that stayed in production for 20 years. The Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 was one of the brand’s first watches to feature 904L steel (now called Oystersteel) in its build. It also happens to be my favorite neo-vintage Rolex sports model.
A solid set of specifications
The 16600 has a 40mm case with a 14.5mm thickness. Inside beats the Rolex 3135, an automatic caliber with a 48-hour power reserve. This chronometer-rated movement was used extensively by the brand and is renowned for its reliability and accuracy. Protecting the caliber is a solid steel case back that helps ensure water resistance to 1,220 meters (4,000 feet). The watch comes complete with a 904L steel Oyster bracelet with a matching safety clasp to prevent accidental opening.
This was a purchase based on emotions as much as “reason”
All these specs help support the logical reasons why I bought the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600, but they don’t cover the emotional reasons why I chose it. You see, I always liked the Sea-Dweller story, with the watch line emerging from the technical advancements required to meet the demands of deep-sea diving.
The Sea-Dweller is the more technically capable, tool-specific version of the Submariner. In a sense, it’s the ultimate Submariner. It also happens to lack the bulbous Cyclops that divides so many enthusiasts. I quite like the fact that this Rolex has a date without that magnifier poking out.
Concluding thoughts
It was quite a somber experience walking out of a shop with such a serious Rolex sports watch strapped to my wrist. You would think it would be one of natural joy, and there was joy, of course. But there was also a sense of “things are now getting serious” in that moment. It was also a moment I got to share with my father, which was quite special. Now, both of the Rolex watches in my small collection have a connection to one of my parents.
I’m glad it has worked out that way. This is a watch that is now a part of the family, and it will be getting wrist time not only from me but also from my dad. Hopefully, we can add some more scratches and scuffs along with the memories that will accompany them. So, is the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 my endgame watch? I think it just might be.