As many of you know, the Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 1665, particularly the version featuring two lines of red text, has always been one of my favourite watches.
The Sea-Dweller 1665 embodies everything that, in my view, a true Rolex tool watch should offer: strength, reliability, functionality, legibility and, above all, the ability to meet real practical needs, often under extreme conditions.
Here is an extraordinary Rolex 1665 DRSD that passed through my hands in recent months, with provenance from “Il Duca”, Fabio Pajoncini Ottaviani, the well-known Italian diver.
We should not forget that the first great Rolex sports watches, developed mainly from the 1950s onwards, had a very specific purpose: to serve professionals, explorers and people engaged in a wide variety of technical and scientific activities.
They were tool watches in the truest sense of the term: watches designed to do a job.
Think of the Milgauss, developed for scientists and technicians working in strong magnetic fields; the GMT-Master, created for airline pilots; the Explorer, linked to exploration and expeditions in extreme environments; or, of course, the Sea-Dweller, conceived for professional deep-sea divers and the most demanding underwater operations.
Here are three vintage Rolex advertisements that give a good idea of how a Rolex was meant to be used.
And that, to my mind, is precisely what gives these watches a charm that is almost impossible to reproduce.
Today we regard them as collectors’ pieces, sometimes worth enormous sums of money, but at the time they were, first and foremost, professional instruments.
The Sea-Dweller 1665 in its Double Red configuration is not only one of the most interesting and significant sports watches ever made by Rolex. For many enthusiasts, it is also a true grail watch: one they dream of adding to their collection one day.
The Double Red 1665 is now a legend of vintage Rolex sports-watch production, on a par with other icons such as the Daytona 6263 with its Big Red dial.
Here are two beautiful examples of the Rolex Daytona 6263 Big Red and the Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red, available on my website.
Those who have followed me for a few years know that I occasionally like to share the stories behind my purchases on the forum, especially when there is something unusual behind a particular watch.
Some of you may remember that several years ago I told the story of an attempt to buy a Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red, back when I was working with my friend Roberto Jatucka.
Unfortunately, that adventure did not end particularly well: the watch turned out to be a fake!
If you would like to revisit that story, you can read the full account here:
Today, however, I want to tell you about another Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red, another purchase and another little adventure.
Fortunately, this one had a much happier ending!
It All Begins in Valencia…
It is a spring afternoon, and I am in Valencia on a brief holiday.
As I often do during quiet moments of the day, I find myself casually browsing the catalogues of various online auction houses, looking for interesting watches.
Suddenly, something catches my eye.
Among the many listings is a photograph of a Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red with what appears to be a beautiful patina.
Since it is one of my favourite watches, I obviously cannot ignore it, so I open the listing, initially without particularly high expectations.
What I see, however, is truly incredible.
A Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red, apparently in exceptional condition, accompanied by its original box, guarantee and booklets.
On paper, in short, one of those watches you might come across once in a thousand.
Here are some of the photos published on the website of the Schwab auction house in Mannheim.
I decide almost immediately that this watch has to be mine.
Naturally, as often happens when something particularly special appears on the market, it only takes a few days to realize that you weren’t the only one to notice it! The bidding turns out to be fiercely competitive, and the final hammer price reaches a very significant figure, especially considering the circumstances.
We are talking about a watch purchased without ever seeing it in person, in a foreign country, from an auction house almost unknown in our sector.
Yet, despite all the reasons I should have been more cautious, something kept telling me that this particular example might be even better than it appeared in the few available photographs.
So I trust my instincts and eventually secure it for the crazy sum of over €50,000, including buyer’s premium!
Yes, you read that correctly.
A considerable sum, especially since at least three or four of us seemed determined to buy it at almost any price.
But I kept feeling that this was not simply a beautiful Double Red.
I believed there was something genuinely special about it.
A feeling that, as I would soon discover, was absolutely right.
Naturally, there was no way I was having a watch like this delivered to my home by courier!
So I decide to travel to Mannheim, Germany, and collect it personally.
Destination: Mannheim!
My flight leaves Bologna Airport early in the morning, bound for Frankfurt.
With no direct flights to Mannheim, the plan is fairly simple: land in Frankfurt, take a taxi to the auction house, collect the watch and return to Italy the same day.
A short trip organised entirely around the purchase of this Double Red!
I land in Frankfurt without any problems and, once outside the airport, book an Uber to Mannheim.
And here comes the first little coincidence of the day.
The Uber that comes to pick me up is completely red!
Just like the two famous red lines of text on the dial of the Sea-Dweller I am going to collect.
Surely that has to be a good omen!
After roughly an hour in the car, I finally arrive at the auction house.
The building looks rather unassuming from the outside, although everything seems tidy and well organised. And there is yet another red car parked in front of the auction house!
Incredible!
I go inside and am welcomed by the owner and his assistant, who, I discover, is of Italian origin.
We chat about this and that, naturally spending most of the time discussing the watch I have come to collect.
Then an opportunity arises that I had absolutely not anticipated.
They explain that the previous owner wants to meet me and hand over the watch in person, because he would like to know who has just bought his Sea-Dweller.
You can imagine my reaction!
How could I possibly turn down an opportunity like that?
Buying a watch from a fellow dealer or a client is one thing; having the chance to meet the person who has cared for it for decades and hear its story firsthand is something entirely different.
After a little anxious anticipation, the moment finally arrives.
Before me stands the previous owner, holding his — or rather, now my — Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red, still nestled in its beautiful original Rolex box with the famous Seahorse emblem.
It is difficult to describe how that moment felt.
Seeing this man personally hand me a watch that he had preserved for so long was genuinely moving.
I could clearly sense his reluctance to part with it, as though it represented something far more important than its monetary value.
And, as I would soon discover, that was exactly the case.
A Sea-Dweller That Looks Almost Brand New After Fifty Years!
I finally open the box and take the watch in my hands.
Guys, I almost faint!
This Sea-Dweller is simply incredible.
The patina, already beautiful in the auction photographs, is even more captivating in person. But what really leaves me speechless is its overall state of preservation.
I immediately reach for my loupe and carefully examine the case, its surfaces, edges and finishing.
And that is when I truly understand what I have just bought.
The watch is practically brand new, apparently never worn, with its original factory finishing perfectly preserved.
Personally, I cannot remember ever handling a Sea-Dweller 1665 in comparable condition.
I am not simply talking about a beautiful unpolished example, but a watch that seems to have been frozen in time from the moment it left the authorised dealer fifty years earlier.
At that very moment, I realise just how significant this purchase is and that my instincts, based on those few photographs I saw in Valencia, had not let me down.
There is, however, one detail that disappoints me a little.
As far as I can establish, the famous original green Rolex caseback sticker had been removed shortly before the auction, while the watch was being photographed and catalogued.
I cannot work out exactly who removed it — the former owner or someone else — partly because the conversation around me is in German. But the result is that the poor sticker, which had remained in place for decades, had been peeled off just days before my visit!
Worse still, it had been rather hastily stuck to a plastic sleeve used to hold the watch’s guarantee.
At that point, I simply decided to put it back on the caseback, exactly where it had always been. All it took was placing it back in position and applying a little pressure for it to adhere again, without using any glue, adhesive products, or other materials.
All I had to do was place it back in position and it adhered again, without any glue, products or other materials.
This photograph, taken while I was at the auction house, shows that the sticker still retained its original adhesive.
The Story of a Father and His Rolex
We start talking, and the gentleman finally tells me how this Sea-Dweller came into his family.
The watch had been purchased new by his father in 1976, around the time of his son’s birth (the very same son who later consigned the watch to the auction house), from the authorized Rolex dealer in Mannheim, not far from both the auction house and the family’s home.
To celebrate the birth of his son, he had decided to treat himself to a watch suited to his work, while also buying something that could one day be passed down to his son as a keepsake.
He worked as a technician in the oil pipeline industry, a profession in which the reliability and robustness of equipment were essential.
He had specifically chosen the Sea-Dweller because he was familiar with its qualities and considered it a particularly suitable tool for the type of work he did.
This brings me back to what I mentioned at the beginning of the article. The Sea-Dweller had been designed as a professional tool, intended to be used in particularly demanding conditions, certainly not to sit unused in a safe.
The gentleman’s father had purchased it for precisely that reason, intending to use it for the very purpose for which it had been designed. Unfortunately, things turned out differently.
His father passed away prematurely, shortly after purchasing the watch, without ever having had the opportunity to wear it.
That Rolex, so eagerly desired and chosen to accompany him at work, therefore remained unused.
The family kept it in a safe, where it spent the following decades, surviving almost completely untouched to the present day.
And that explained the simply extraordinary state of preservation of the example I was holding.
It had remained that way because nobody had ever really worn it.
The watch also retained its original guarantee, bearing the father’s name and that of the Mannheim dealer where it had been purchased in 1976.
The previous owner, an exceptionally kind gentleman, also offers to write me a document setting out details of the watch’s history and provenance.
I appreciate this gesture enormously, especially because it allows a firsthand account of the family’s history to be preserved alongside the watch.
We continue talking for a while.
He tells me about his father, his work, his experiences and the watch he had wanted so much but sadly never had the chance to use because of his untimely death.
The conversation genuinely touches me.
Behind that Rolex, which only hours earlier had been an extraordinary object in an auction catalogue, there was suddenly a story of real people, memories and family ties.
A story that no certificate, guarantee or expert report could ever tell in quite the same way.
In english it says : I, Dirk Seifert, hereby confirm that I sold the Rolex watch bearing serial number 5204372 through Schwab Auction House.
The auction took place on Saturday, April 18, 2026. I received the watch as a gift from my father on the occasion of my birth. The watch was purchased from jeweler Hubert Nitsch.
Mannheim, April 23, 2026
Dirk Seifert
I must admit that hearing the story directly from the first owner’s son was genuinely moving.
For me, these are among the most beautiful aspects of collecting vintage watches.
It is not just about references, serial numbers, dials and condition.
It is also about the people who bought these objects, longed for them, wore them or, as in this case, cared for them throughout a lifetime.
Before saying goodbye, he also insists on taking a photograph together.
One Last Stop Before Heading Home
After a while, unfortunately, it is time to leave.
I say goodbye and thank the auction-house owner, his extremely kind Italian-German assistant and, of course, the previous owner, once again expressing my gratitude for his generosity and for sharing such a personal part of his family’s history with me.
My original plan is to head straight back to Frankfurt, catch my flight and return to Italy the same day.
But there is still one thing I absolutely want to do.
Visit the very jewellery shop that sold the Sea-Dweller in 1976!
The dealer, Hitsch, is right there in Mannheim, and since I am already in town, how could I possibly miss the opportunity?
So I ask the taxi driver to take me directly to the shop.
My aim is to obtain documentary confirmation that the watch was indeed sold there, perhaps from an old archive or through a written statement.
Once there, I explain the situation and show them the original guarantee.
Unfortunately, I am told that the sales records from that period are no longer available, so they cannot issue an official document confirming the sale.
Nevertheless, the visit brings a very interesting surprise.
The extremely kind lady I speak with carefully examines the handwriting on the guarantee and confirms that the handwriting and signature can be attributed to the father of the jewellery shop’s current owner!
A verbal confirmation, certainly, rather than an archival document, but another important piece in the watch’s history nonetheless.
Just imagine the satisfaction: fifty years later, standing in the same shop where the first owner bought that Rolex, holding its original guarantee, completed at the time, and even having the handwriting of the person who filled it out recognised!
I may not have obtained the certificate I had hoped for, but the visit was more than worthwhile.
After chatting a little longer with the lovely staff at Hitsch, I thank them for their kindness and finally set off towards Frankfurt Airport.
The Journey Home
On the way to the airport, I inevitably find myself thinking back over everything that has happened that day.
Sometimes I realise how lucky I am to do a job I love, one that, despite my many years in the industry, still excites me just as much as when I first started.
Of course, my work also involves negotiations, numbers, purchases, sales and all the everyday activities of a watch dealer.
But then there are days like this, which bring me these wonderful experiences and emotions!
Days when all of that takes a back seat and what matters most is once again my passion for watches and the stories they carry.
Finding a vintage watch preserved by its first owner, accompanied by its original documents and a family history told directly by someone who lived it, is special in itself.
But finding a Rolex sports watch from the 1970s, practically brand new after fifty years, with its factory finishing still intact, its box, guarantee and such fascinating provenance, is difficult to put into words for an enthusiast like me.
And to think it all began almost by chance one afternoon in Valencia, as I casually browsed listings from various online auction houses.
What had seemed like a simple photograph of a beautiful Double Red Sea-Dweller became a journey, a series of encounters and, above all, a story I am delighted to share with you.
Because that, ultimately, is part of what makes the world of vintage watches so fascinating: we never know what story lies behind the next watch we pick up.
And this time, I really must say, I was particularly fortunate.
Finally Back Home
Once home, I immediately decide to photograph the watch, naturally with all the care and attention such an example deserves.
Its condition is nothing short of fabulous, to the point that even the smallest knock could compromise its exceptional state of preservation, which has remained virtually unchanged for fifty years.
Among other things, seeing the original black enamel still present in practically all the engravings on the caseback is absolutely incredible!
The case shows only the faintest superficial marks, probably caused by the few occasions on which the watch was moved over the years. These are microscopic marks, barely visible even in photographs taken with my macro lens.
It is astonishing to examine a Rolex sports watch from the 1970s preserved in this condition and appreciate the quality of its original factory finishing, free from the alterations caused by decades of wear and polishing.
The width and geometry of the chamfered edges, the precision of the brushed surfaces, the sharpness of the case lines and the extraordinary care with which Rolex made the steel bezel, with its characteristic sandblasted recesses.
Details we often take for granted, but which on an example like this offer genuine evidence of how these watches left the factory.
I must admit that before I even started taking photographs, I spent at least an hour in the quiet of my studio simply examining and studying it through my loupe.
Another incredible detail? Not a single link had ever been removed from the bracelet! Absolutely astonishing.
Beyond its extraordinary condition, the watch retains all its original components, consistent with the production period: Mark 4 dial, Mark 3 Fat Font bezel insert, caseback with circular finishing and the full serial number engraved on the inside, and Oyster 93150 bracelet with VB date code.
Another small detail worth mentioning concerns the bracelet end links: when the watch was found, it was fitted with 580 end links rather than the 585s normally intended for the Sea-Dweller. Considering that, according to the previous owner, the watch had never been worn and that, based on my own examination, it remains in completely untouched condition, I am certain that it left the factory in this exact configuration, probably due to the availability of components at the time of assembly, or simply because of an error made by the watchmaker responsible for fitting the bracelet.
When I had my watchmaker remove the bracelet to verify and photograph the serial number, a procedure carried out with the utmost care to avoid leaving even the slightest mark, I decided to replace the 580 end links with a pair of NOS 585s that I had kept for years, as I considered this configuration more appropriate from a collector’s perspective.
This photograph was taken by my watchmaker after removing the bracelet with the utmost care, to avoid leaving even the slightest mark, check that the serial number matched and fit the 585 end links. As you can see, there is no trace of wear between the lugs: even a watch worn only a few times would inevitably show some friction marks there. The only visible impression is the one left by the upper part of the 580 end link which, being lower than the 585, rested against the case at that exact point.
Naturally, I have kept the original 580 end links, so the watch can be returned to its as-found configuration.
As for the accessories, there was some confusion in the auction-house photographs: the Datejust booklet and folded bracelet link shown in the listing did not belong to the Sea-Dweller.
That hardly matters, because the accessories genuinely belonging to the watch are extraordinarily complete: original box, outer box, period guarantee, calendar, translation booklet, German-language Ihre Rolex Oyster booklet and, of course, the precious provenance letter personally given to me by the previous owner.
All in all, a truly exceptional ensemble, both for the watch’s condition and for its history and accompanying documentation.
And I think that, after all these words, it is finally time to let the pictures speak for themselves.
Allow me to introduce what I consider to be one of the best-preserved Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 Double Red examples currently on the market.
A simply extraordinary watch, the kind that comes along only rarely in a collector’s lifetime and for which, every now and then, it is truly worth doing something a little crazy!
