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A truly remarkable timepiece, direct from the original owners family, this absolutely gorgeous 1969, Rolex Double Red Sea-Dweller is in all original, unpolished condition featuring a stunning, near mint Mark 1 dial with extremely rare, bright red, unfaded signature, housed in the famous "Patent Pending" case with original bezel insert, pip and helium escape value, set on its original 9315/285 Oyster bracelet with rare and correct "Pat. Pend" divers extension. This first edition DRSD is by far the most sought after of all the reference 1665's on the market and in truly wonderful, honest condition with superb provenance directly from the original owners family. You will find a picture of the original owner and an account of his life, written by his niece, posted in this listing. A tragic story, but one that exemplifies the nature of the work this incredible tool watch was designed for.
Circa: 1969
Style: Tool, Sport
Case & Bracelet: Solid stainless steel case measuring 40mm in diameter excluding the original Twinlock screw-down crown, by 47mm lug tip-to-tip, showing honest wear throughout with some scratching from a life of deep-sea saturation diving while working on oil rigs off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The original bezel and insert are in remarkably good condition with the original luminous filled pip still in place at the 60 minutes marker. The case is still showing signs of its original chamfers, is stamped between the lugs at 12 o'clock with the model number 1665, then at 6 o'clock with its serial number in the 2.1 million range dating it to approximately 1969. Fully signed on the back, Rolex, Oyster Gas Escape Valve, (Patent Pending), then inside with all of the correct markings, Montres Rolex SA, Geneva, Switzerland, Patented, Stainless Steel, 273, 1665, IV.67. This date stamp is also correct for a 1969 example of this model since Rolex used already manufactured case backs for the first few years of production. The original bracelet is showing consistant age and wear to the case with a bit of stretch, marked
9315 on the backs of the largest links, 285 on the endlinks, with the date code of 1/70 (1st 1/4 1970) on the clasp blade, also correct for an example sold in this period. The rare "Pat. Pend" stamp on the divers extension is key to the complete originality of an early Mk1 model 1665 like this one. The bracelet is full length with 12 total links including the endlinks and will fit up to a 7 inch wrist.
Dial: Incredible near mint 100% factory printed original matte black dial with all of the correct characteristics of the Mark 1 printing. Especially remarkable is the bright red colour of the double red SEA-DWELLER, SUBMARINER 2000 stamp, most often faded to pink or even white in many examples. The original tritium luminous has turned a gorgeous light cream colour, matching the original hands to perfection.
Movement: High grade Rolex in-house calibre 1570 automatic movement in excellent working condition, and correctly signed Montres Rolex SA, Twenty Six 26 Jewels, Adjusted 5 Positions And Temperature, Swiss, 1570. The rotor shows a small amount of cosmetic imperfection, but the rest of the movement plates and parts are in excellent condition. Running strong and keeping very good time.
This watch is being sold on consignment with us, so does not come with an in-house warranty, but has been fully tested and is in excellent working condition, keeping good time. A service is recommended if the intended use is daily wear.
Box & Papers: This watch comes with a printed copy of the families provenance story, but no original box or paperwork.