A Rolex Titanium Watch Has A Record-Breaking Water Resistance Of 36,000 Feet
The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge is the brand’s first watch made of RLX titanium, as well as its first commercially produced watch that can dive to 36,000 feet. The new Deepsea is the result of Rolex’s well-documented expertise in deep dive watches and partnerships with famous divers, including collaborations with French diving company Comex (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises), culminating in the Deepsea model that famously accompanied filmmaker and explorer James Cameron on his historic 2012 descent into the Mariana Trench. Cameron’s vessel descended to a depth of just under 37,000 feet while wearing a Rolex.
It features an intense black dial and large luminescent hour markers. Waterproof to a depth of 11,000 metres (36,090 feet), with a unidirectional 60-minute rotatable bezel, the Deepsea Challenge is an extension of the experimental watch created in 2012 to accompany James Cameron in the Mariana Trench.
Rolex has developed a line of production divers with unheard-of capabilities after ten years of research and development. The new Deepsea also pays homage to the dives made by Jacques Piccard and Lieutenant Don Walsh aboard the Trieste in the 1960 Mariana Trench expedition, which also featured a Rolex prototype, as well as the dive made by Cameron. Thus, the words “Mariana Trench” and the dates “23-01-1960” and “26-03-2012” are inscribed on the Deepsea Challenge.
As profound as the depths of the ocean may be, they open up new horizons for humanity. But reaching these yet undiscovered locations requires withstanding extreme pressure.
Rolex
The new Deepsea Challenge is 30% lighter than the one Cameron wore to the trench thanks to the use of RLX titanium in the case, which is a crucial feature for a watch that measures 50 mm in width and 23.3 mm in thickness (the crystal alone is 9.5 mm thick). The case’s capacity to withstand the intense pressure encountered at great depths is further improved by the inclusion of a helium escape valve and Rolex’s patented Ringlock system. The Triplock crown from the company’s Deepsea Challenge also features three sealed zones and Chromalight technology for the best visibility.
It contains the in-house caliber 3230, with Superlative Chronometer certification and a 70-hour power reserve. It is priced at $26,000 at retail – and will no doubt cost roughly twice that on the secondary market in the coming weeks.
THE OYSTER PERPETUAL ROLEX DEEPSEA IN OYSTERSTEEL WITH A CERACHROM BEZEL INSERT IN BLACK CERAMIC AND AN OYSTER BRACELET.
ROLEX
