Sea-Dweller ID

[Raza]

Hey, a buddy of mine from another forum has a Sea-Dweller and he was wondering if I could help him figure out what generation it was. He sent me this photo:



I know very little about Sea-Dwellers, so I’m hoping you could ID it for me!

[chuckmiller]

Is it the model number or the serial number you may find etched into the case under the bracelet end link?

[shameless]

Hi buddy i had one in the early 70s that would have been an early one from the late 60s , this was before i got into watches otherwise would still have it or traded for a small house ! Think there were maybe 4 variants of sea dweller i think this would be post 77'because of the layout of the dial taxt, not sure of the variant no but if the case its only 77 to discontinued in 83' tell him to , i envy him my friend , think i paid about £200 and traded airking for it , those were the days my friend , hope you are well buddy good ti see old names still here , regards Peter

[Raza]

Is it the model number or the serial number you may find etched into the case under the bracelet end link?

I think he’s just looking for the model number. Like the internal Rolex generational code, like how my Submariner is a 114060 and Steve McQueens was a 5512 or something like that.

[Raza]

Hi buddy i had one in the early 70s that would have been an early one from the late 60s , this was before i got into watches otherwise would still have it or traded for a small house ! Think there were maybe 4 variants of sea dweller i think this would be post 77'because of the layout of the dial taxt, not sure of the variant no but if the case its only 77 to discontinued in 83' tell him to , i envy him my friend , think i paid about £200 and traded airking for it , those were the days my friend , hope you are well buddy good ti see old names still here , regards Peter

So you’re saying post 1977? That should narrow it down a bit. I remember they made the Sea-Dweller in the 40mm size for a while, I think I was looking at them before I got my Submariner (and back when I still didn’t mind date complications). That must have been 2010-2012? It definitely looks like an older, sort of pre-Glidelock era of Rolex.

I think it’s a 16600, which would date it between 1989 and 2009. Doubt it’s a 16660 because the lume hasn’t yellowed.

[shameless]

I think all sea dwellers were made in 40mm from conception up until newer releases that now measure 43mm

[chuckmiller]

Remove the back cover and have a look. That will tell all. If doing that destroys the o-ring then it's time for a service anyway. If the gasket survives then lube it and put the cover back on.

[Samanator]

Agree on that one that it is from the 70’s. The 43 I believe was 2014, but I need to check my pictures to confirm that. The one before that was pretty thick and had the first ceramic bezel on a sea dweller..


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[Samanator]

Remove the back cover and have a look. That will tell all. If doing that destroys the o-ring then it's time for a service anyway. If the gasket survives then lube it and put the cover back on.

That’s not so easy because you need the fine tooth case socket that fits the rear bezel. Generally, they’re too tight to use one of the balls on.

As shameless said the member should be between the two looks behind the bracelet so you don’t need to remove the case back.


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[Raza]

Agree on that one that it is from the 70’s. The 43 I believe was 2014, but I need to check my pictures to confirm that. The one before that was pretty thick and had the first ceramic bezel on a sea dweller..


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You really think 70s? With lume that hasn’t gone cream colored? In that picture, it looks pretty white still to me, which makes me think it’s Luminova or SuperLuminova, which would make it way more recent, 16600 gen or thereabouts.

EDITL: Nevermind, he confirmed that the dial says “T Swiss T<25“, so it has to be a pre-Luminova model, meaning early 16600 is the newest it could be because that’s the generation they transitioned from tritium.