I’ve always been a Sea-Dweller fan. My first Rolex Sea-Dweller was the 16600, and the major draw to me was the fact that it did not have a date magnifier (aka cyclops), and the fact that at 40mm, it is very similar to the Rolex Submariner, but a little thicker. The Rolex Double Red Sea Dweller is a serious dive tool watch, and even the regular models were produced in much lower numbers than the Submariner.

After some years into watch collecting, I started looking into vintage watches and landed up with this much prized vintage 1665 Mk 4, famously nicknamed the Double Red Sea-Dweller. What’s so unique about the DRSD? For starters, it bore the very unique “Submariner 2000” wording. It was featured on all of the DRSD dial variants, but since the production of the double reds stopped, the Sea-Dweller never bore the same 2nd line of red text, ever again. In fact, no other Rolex watch ever bore a double red text ever since, which is what makes this DRSD model so special.

Needless to say, for vintage matte tritium dials, the aging patina is a beautiful feature. Although the Rolex Double Red Sea Dweller mk4 is the most common, and my particular piece has some slight imperfections- but finding one with gorgeous patina, is something else! It is gorgeous to have on the wrist and I always look forward to wearing it. A rare vintage watch, with a beautifully aged dial. The domed plexi makes the lume plots even more captivating, which is a major distraction when driving!

Any downsides to a Rolex Double Red Sea Dweller? Of course being vintage, rare and rather sought after, the prices for these beauties are hefty when you compare to what you could get for a modern watch, but given those exact same points, it is worth every penny to me. For the same money, yes I could buy a precious metal sports Rolex with some spare change. Having those too in my collection, I can assure you, it doesn’t invoke the same feelings and emotions as a vintage piece.