In Switzerland, when they discontinued the much-loved Sea-Dweller in 2008 amidst great consternation from the brand faithful, it took them another six years before they succumbed to audience pressure and launched its replacement, the Sea-Dweller 4000, which is a well-known particular best replica watch.
In between, the languorous watchmakers released the Kraken of all timepieces, the hulking great 44mm Deepsea. Certified to a depth rating of 12,800ft, it was aimed at a niche group of superhuman divers with one especially strong arm, and practically did away with their need for a weight belt.
As much as it’s admired for its technical prowess, the Deepsea has never quite captured the imagination of purists in the same way as the replica Sea-Dweller, and on its somewhat low-key reintroduction at Baselworld 2014, the updated SD4K was welcomed back like a long-lost friend.
The Sea-Dweller occupies that tricky middle ground between the behemoth-like Deepsea and the legendary Submariner. Never selling in as great a number as its little brother, it’s fair to say it has lived its life rather in its shadow.
It was also the first model to be launched featuring Rolex’s patented Helium Escape Valve (HEV). Developed in conjunction with the US Navy and French deep dive specialists Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises, or Comex, the valve allows for the safe release of Helium molecules that accumulate in the watch during long saturation dives.
While its looks were very much based on the Submariner replica watch, which debuted a good 14 years before the Sea-Dweller made an entrance, Rolex traditionalists have always been split over the two watches’ appearance. Until its most recent incarnation, the Sea-Dweller has never featured a Cyclops lens over its date window, a staple on the Submariner since the mid-sixties. Although undoubtedly making it easier to read the numbers underneath, the lens has divided fans since its inclusion, with many feeling the Sea-Dweller remains the more streamlined, symmetrical and, crucially, easier to read without it.
For professional divers, omitting the Cyclops seems to make more sense to a large extent. Aesthetics aside, in the dangerous environments in which the Sea-Dweller was designed to operate, a clearly legible dial would be much more important than knowing what day it is.
For collectors, that means the 2014 Sea-Dweller has now become a very significant piece, as shown by the huge increase in demand for the watch on the pre-owned market.
The new model continues with the Cerachrom bezel from its predecessor, an obvious inclusion for a saturation diver’s watch considering its additional strength and imperviousness to seawater.
While there are huge swathes of the faithful severely displeased with the changes to the Sea-Dweller’s appearance, the fake Rolex at least gone towards placating them with a brief trip down memory lane. The red text on the dial harks back to the watch’s first incarnation, ‘Double Red’.
Therefore, to draw a conclusion, the Sea-Dweller has always had a stronger sense of exclusivity than the ubiquitous Submariner. More likely to be used for its original purpose than the Sub, it’s worn with just as many wetsuits as business suits.
As a watch to live with every day though, you’d struggle to find one tougher or more durable. It’s going to be a waiting game to determine whether the new bigger size will catch on with loyal followers, but throughout its history Rolex replica has never shied away from a discussion—and what today qualifies as controversial usually becomes highly collectible at some point down the line.
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