Defying the pitch blackness of the abyss with the Chromalight.
Defying the impossible
Alongside divers who defy the greatest depths
Since 2008, the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea has continued the history of Rolex watches devised for deep-sea exploration. It is fitted with the Ringlock system and is waterproof to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet), a depth at which no human can survive while scuba diving. In this way, Rolex pushes its own technical limits with a watch as durable as the submersibles that descend to the abyss. Its unidirectional rotatable bezel with a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom insert, Chromalight display and reinforced waterproofness, make it the ideal companion for the heroic divers who defy extreme depths.
Withstanding pressure to a depth of 3,900 metres (12,800 feet).
Resisting extreme pressures
In 2008, Rolex further increased the resistance of its watches when it unveiled the Ringlock system that equips the Rolex Deepsea.
The patented architecture of its 44 mm case, crafted in Oystersteel or 18 ct yellow gold, comprises a thick, slightly domed sapphire crystal, a compression ring made from nitrogen-alloyed steel or blue high-technology ceramic, and a case back in RLX titanium. The device allows the watch to withstand underwater pressure at depths of up to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet).
As required by the standards for such timepieces, Rolex divers’ watches are tested to a depth 25 per cent greater than that shown on the dial. The Rolex Deepsea is, therefore, tested at 4,875 metres (16,000 feet). In order to do this, during the final control tests carried out as part of the Superlative Chronometer certification, each model is subjected to the corresponding pressure in an exclusive hyperbaric tank developed by Rolex in conjunction with Comex (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises).
In the darkness of the depths
To counter the total obscurity that reigns over the depths of the oceans, the intense black, D-blue or blue dial of the Rolex Deepsea features the Chromalight display. This uses an exclusive luminescent material that makes it easy to read the time in the deepest darkness.
This substance, developed by Rolex, guarantees a performance greatly superior to that of a traditional phosphorescent material, whether in its emission time, consistency or the intensity of its distinctive blue glow. It is applied to the Rolex Deepsea’s hands, hour markers and the capsule on its rotatable bezel.
The unidirectional rotatable bezel is equipped with a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom insert in black or blue that allows divers to safely monitor their time underwater. It is made of high-technology ceramic, a material that possesses unique resistance to shocks and scratches. The ceramic’s chemical composition means that it cannot corrode, and it is unaffected by ultraviolet rays, making its colour inalterable.
Boundless heroism
With its remarkable durability and simplicity of use, the Rolex Deepsea is capable of tackling depths that no human can survive. It reflects the values of a heroism that focuses on new horizons of knowledge: the exploration of the ocean depths.
This is what allowed the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, the experimental model that accompanied James Cameron on his historic dive into the Mariana Trench, to be developed in record time. On 26 March 2012, the explorer and filmmaker descended to 10,908 metres (35,787 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, with the watch attached to the articulated arm of his submersible.
