Born in the Mariana Trench - Rolex Deepsea
The Rolex Deepsea is built for extreme depths. Its story begins long before the production model – with a legendary expedition.
Four hours and 43 minutes: that’s how long it took to descend into the dark uncertainty of the ocean depths – a place that no one had ever been to before. And where life, it was assumed, couldn’t possibly exist. A black abyss, most probably the scene of some weird goings-on.
It was a journey on which a watch wrote history – and still retells it today.
On 23 January 1960, Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and US Navy officer Don Walsh embarked on one of the most daring underwater expeditions of all time. Their destination: the Mariana Trench, around 11,000 metres below sea level, the deepest place on Earth. Their submersible: the Bathyscaphe Trieste, weighing in at 13 tonnes. With one very special detail: strapped to the exterior of the deep-sea vessel was the Rolex Deep Sea Special prototype. Not a production model, in other words, but a technical manifesto – with a highly domed sapphire crystal over a heavily reinforced case. Its appearance alone left no doubt: this is a watch that can take a beating.
Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh ventured to the deepest place on Earth in 1960.
INCREDIBLE PRESSURE
The Deep Sea Special was exposed to the full pressure of the depths: over a tonne of weight per square centimetre was exerted on the special glass. But when the Trieste resurfaced a few hours later, the timepiece was still working perfectly. “Happy to announce your watch as precise at 11,000 metres down as on the surface,” Jacques Piccard telegraphed to Rolex immediately after completing the dive.
It was a triumph of engineering – and its aura can still be basked in today. Because anyone who wears a Rolex Deepsea has far more than just a hint of adventure on their wrist: they’re sporting a piece of technological and expeditionary history. The brand with the crown in its logo advertises the watch as nothing less than “the wristwatch for the conquest of the deep”. Which it most certainly is, given its impressive credentials: you could take the instrument down to a depth of 3900 metres, if you were able, and the brand guarantees it would work. What’s more – that’s Rolex for you – there’s a safety margin of 25 percent: the timepiece is tested under a pressure equivalent to a depth of 4875 metres – a figure that is far beyond what even professional divers can realistically achieve.
Many owners will never go diving with the watch on their wrist anyway. That’s not even relevant: they can simply enjoy their watch for its clean, instrument-style design, the distinctive, grippy bezel, the generously applied luminescent material and the sturdy construction. And the fact that, despite its sporty DNA, it is always a perfect match for the urban lifestyle. Plus, it’s a good feeling to be equipped for any adventure with a rugged watch.
It is said that only seven specimens were ever made of its mother, the Deep Sea Special, or DSS for short. One of these is on display at the Beyer Chronometrie Museum.
On a side note, they did indeed find life at the bottom of the Mariana Trench: a solitary flatfish swam past the porthole of the Trieste.
Pierre-André Schmitt is considered one of the foremost watch journalists in Switzerland. For beyond, he takes a closer look at Rolex models.
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