THE ROLEX ‘COMEX’ SUBMARINER

Rolex ‘COMEX’ Submariner ref. 5514 / Credit: Watch Centre

The Rolex Submariner is widely regarded as the most iconic dive watch. However, the Rolex Sea-Dweller, launched in 1967, was the next step for Rolex in creating the ultimate underwater wrist-companion. Thirteen years prior, in 1954, the Submariner was released; able to go to depths of 200m – arguably inadequate for a commercial diver. The Sea-Dweller, therefore, served as a way to improve upon the capabilities of the Submariner, defining Rolex as the brand for rugged and dependable tool watches.

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COMEX or Compagnie maritime d’expertises, a French diving company, began to work with Rolex to develop the best possible dive watch. The relationship between the two companies spanned twenty-seven years, from 1970 to 1997. Over this period of time, Rolex produced nine COMEX watches, exclusively from the Submariner or Sea-Dweller ranges.

One defining feature of these timepieces during the COMEX era was that of the helium escape valve – HEV (also called the gas escape valve). To the majority of people, indeed those who don’t dive professionally, the HEV may not hold much importance. However, for those who are dive professionals, such as COMEX’s commercial divers, this particular addition to Rolex’s dive watches proved most useful. A common problem amongst divers was that the build-up of helium gas caused the crystal of watches to pop out, the HEV stops this problem by giving the helium a valve through which it could ‘escape’. Whether it made the watch more adept for deeper diving is a contentious theory, but Rolex equipped many of their COMEX references with the HEV, nonetheless.

The First Rolex ‘COMEX’ Submariner

The first watch created by Rolex for COMEX, in 1970, was the Rolex Submariner ref. 5513, that featured the HEV. They also later produced the ref. 5514 with the HEV, a reference made exclusively for COMEX. Reportedly, only 154 of these watches were produced making them impossibly difficult to find on the vintage watch market. One of the next watches was the 1680, produced without a valve for one year between 1978 and 1979. The subsequent COMEX Submariners would now be produced without a valve and spanned references 16800 (matte or gloss dial), 168000 (glossy dial), and 16610.

Rolex ‘COMEX’ Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 / Credit: HQ Milton

During the production span of the COMEX Submariner ref. 5514, Rolex produced the first COMEX Sea-Dweller, the ref. 1665, in 1977. This was the first Sea-Dweller reference to sport “COMEX” on the dial; it also was the Sea-Dweller with the original “600m” dial. Estimates peg the total production count at 300 for the COMEX ref. 1665 in the late 1970s.

Following the ref. 1665, Rolex produced the COMEX Sea-Dweller ref. 16660, of course, sporting the HEV much like the 5514 Submariner. The 16660 was produced in two dial variants, gloss and matte, the latter supposedly with only 50 examples. Finally, Rolex produced the COMEX Sea-Dweller, reference 16600, between 1992 and 1997. Again, this reference was produced in a very limited quantity, presumably 200 pieces.

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One of the defining aspects of the Rolex-COMEX relationship is the limited production quantity, Rolex didn’t commercially release any of the COMEX models. Instead, they were commissioned and offered only to COMEX and their commercial divers. This, apart from the watch’s technical features, positions the COMEX Sea-Dwellers and Submariners amongst the most collectible of vintage Rolexes. It is safe to say that when they do come up for sale, which is a rare occasion in itself, they will undoubtedly fetch very high prices. Rolex for more than the last half a century, has established themselves as, not only one of the most popular modern brands, but arguably one of the most collectable vintage watch brands as well. There are many highly collectible models that are revered by collectors, like the Paul Newman Daytona. However, it is safe to say that very few vintage watches offer the exclusivity of Rolex’s COMEX Submariners and Sea-Dwellers.