The Rolex Deep Sea Special Prototype

A Watch Company can design the best looking watch cases, have perfect ingenious movements, have dials that are pleasing to the eye, but all this is meaningless if they cannot bring the product to The Market Place effectively.

Rolex were Masters at Marketing. Perhaps the most notable marketing event in Rolex history belongs to the Rolex Deep Sea Special, a huge – 57mm by 40mm by 39mm - Submarine-derived watch.

They took their cue from the World of Formla 1 Motor Racing, and understood that a Prototype Dive Watch had to be developed that would need to:-

- survive some of the harshest Deep Sea conditions know to Man

- achieve a World Dive Record and still be waterproof and functional

- be linked with an Historic Achievement

- resulting in World Wide Pubilicity.

Linking up with the Piccard Family was the perfect long term stratergy.

Since the early 1920s, Rolex had worked on the development of waterproof watches, the famous Oyster models. To put their Prototype Rolex Deep Sea Special on a trial on which no other watch had ever been, they contacted Professor Piccard to test watches during his diving experiments. Piccard accepted and Rolex engineers developed a watch fitted with a special case and a domed crystal in order to hold up to extreme pressure. Because of the tremendous pressure, the depth a diver can reach without special equipment is very limited; the deepest recorded dive by a skin diver is 127 meters (417 ft). To explore even greater depths, deep-sea explorers are forced to use specially constructed steel chambers to protect them. The Deep Sea Special was designed focusing on the same guidelines as a Bathyscaphe, in other words it was a specially pressurised constructed steel chambers to protect the movement and dial.

According to Rolex Geneva Archives, a small series of Deep Sea Special Watches were developed and participated in Piccards Bathyscaphe Dives in 1950, 1953 and 1960.

The initial MKI Deep Sea Special trials in 1950 were not successful, and Prototypes did not survive. The first prototypes of this watch were produced with meticulous care. The cases were turned by hand, a special glass was created and a new winding crown was cut and fitted. These prototypes were then tested, but after a short time they filled with water.

Information on these initial trials, location of trials, and exact results and reasons of failure, are understandably unavialble. Rolex Geneva would like to focus on successes rather than failures. At this time The Rolex Submariner ref 6200 had its launch postponed due to the failures of the Rolex MKI Deep Sea Special.

Back to the drawing board, Rolex engineers toughened and redesigned the case, and after three years of secret pre-trials, the Rolex MKII Deep Sea Special was ready.

 

Some adjustments were then made to the second series of test watches and these were subjected to a pressure of 6000 lbs per square inch. This batch of watches lasted longer under the test conditions.

Its resistance was successfully tested at the ETH in Zurich and on 30 September 1953, the Bathyscaphe Trieste and the watch fixed to its outside made their first dive to a record depth of 3150 meter. During this dive in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the island of Ponza, both Auguste and Jacques Piccard were on board of the bathyscaph. On 12th October Rolex received Piccard's memorable telegram confirming the success of the experiment with the words "Your watch perfectly resisted to 3150 meters".

Immediately the marketing arm of Rolex Geneva went into top gear and The Rolex Submariner ref 6204 was introduced at the1954 Basel Spring Fair. The Rolex Submariner, introduced in the early 50’s, laid down the tracks upon whcih most of their competitors would follow. From the rotating bezel, (used to gauge air-time when submersed), to the flip lock clasp and extension link (to wear outside a wetsuit with the minimum of fuss) - all Rolex innovations.

The Rolex Submariner ref 6204 with its small crown and depth level of 100m was a more commercial model, and for these reasons alone the introduction of the "Big Crown" Rolex Submariner ref 6200 depth level of 200m was held back a few months.

Rolex invented the business model for future generations. He who is first to the market place with a new product, wins. It is unimportant at that stage if the product has design faults or it does not live up to the guarantees made because these could be dealt with the introduction of a new and improved product. Remember Microsoft and Windows.

In 1958, the Trieste was acquired by the U.S. Navy and equipped with a new cabin to enable it to reach deep ocean trenches. Two years later, in 1960, Jacques Piccard and Navy Lieutenant Donald Walsh descended in the Trieste to the deepest known point on Earth - the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. The two men made the deepest dive in history: 10,915 meters (35,810 ft), again with a "Deep Sea Special" fixed to the outside of the bathyscaph. The watch hold up to a pressure of 1,150 atm or 1,150 kgs per cm2. The following day Piccard sent another telegram to Rolex in Geneva saying "Am happy to confirm that even at 11,000 meters your watch is as precise as on the surface. Best regards, Jacques Piccard".

As a newspaper of the time wrote

’this means that the Rolex Oyster has been to the highest, in reference to the Explorer equipped Everest expedition of 1953, and lowest points of the world surface’.

 

Rolex. An extraordinary and rare, historically interesting stainless steel, gold and gilt tonneau-shaped self-winding waterproof diver's wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and date Signed Rolex, Deep Sea Special No. 1, movement no. 419251, manufactured in 1953 Cal. 1000 nickel-finished lever movement, 21 jewels, the black dial with luminous dot, baton and triangular-shaped numerals, luminous spear hands and luminous arrow sweep centre seconds hand, in massive stainless steel case with deep domed crystal, special screw down winding crown, heavy gauge screw back engraved Rolex Oyster Deep Sea Special No. 1, the gilt metal terminals secured by steel pins, stainless steel steel and gold sprung and riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet with deployant clasp dated 4/53, case, dial and movement signed 43 mm. diam.

 

 

 

 

 

This extra-ordinary prototype Rolex Deep Sea Special first concieved around 1950, has its character and influence stamped on every reference Rolex Submainer to the present date and will have for the forseable future. From the Big Crown Rolex Submariner, to the Rolex Seadweller, to the Rolex Military Submariner, to the present day Rolex 50th Annaversary issue Submariner.

Design features such as case back engravings and thick cases on the Rolex Sea-Dwellers, Maxi dials on the military and Annaversary Submariners. Also Big Crown winders, Submariner hatch type Screw down case backs, thick and domed crystals, the list is endless.

The Rolex Prototype Deep sea Special IS the Mother of all Rolex Dive Watches.