The new Rolex Deepsea timepieces

Rolex Deep Sea Reference 12660

It is easy to overlook the Rolex Deepsea timepiece since we typically talk about the more widely used timepieces such as GMT, Submariner, Day-Date, and Yachtmaster, to name just a few.  However the newly released 2018 versions of this timepiece are worth talking about.  

The dark sea blue to black gradient dial on the 12660 shown above was first launched in 2014 as part of James Cameron and National Geographic Society's combined Deepsea Challenge expedition.  In this expedition, famed director, James Cameron of Titanic and Avatar, descended 35,787 feet to the ocean's deepest point, located in the Mariana Trench.  

The timepice has a 50-minute Cerrachrom insert in black ceramic that allows divers to monitor underwater time and decompression time for safety.  The Deepsea is made of corrosion-resistant ceramic and the black bezel is molded with platinum.  It uses knurled edges offering a better grip for gloved divers wanting to adjust the bezel position.

The crystal is domed 5.5 mm-thick scratch-resistant sapphire.  Although the timepiece accompanied Cameron in his historic dive, it is specifically built to the incredible depths of a third of that depth - an incredible 12,800 feet.  It uses a triplock waterproofness system and a helium escape valve to provide exceptional performance at such incredible pressure and depth. The case is made from a large 44mm Oystersteel with Oystersteel bracelet, and it utilizes a Folding Oysterlock clasp and Glidelock extension system.

The caliber 3235 provides 70 hours of power reserve.  The chromalight hour markers and hour, minute and seconds hands provide long lasting blue luminescence.  The date aperture at 3 o'clock provides accurate date calculation and the high performance Paraflex shock absorbers provide accurate time in challenging situations.  

To the left is the all-black dial version of the same Deepsea timepiece.  All the other powerful features are the same.