Details
CIRCA: 1997
CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CASE DIAMETER: 40 mm.
BRACELET MATERIAL: Stainless steel
BRACELET SIZE: Approx. 200 mm. overall length
DIAL: Black
MOVEMENT: Automatic
FUNCTIONS: Date
BOX: Yes
PAPERS: Yes
WITH: Undated Guarantee, one additional link, anchor keychain, COMEX pin, product literature, presentation box and outer packaging
REMARK: From the original owner
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Lot Essay

Consigned by the original owner, the present timepiece is offered in very good overall condition.

Reference 16610 was launched in 1989, replacing the reference 16800, and marked a key evolution in Rolex’s Submariner line. It was equipped with a sapphire crystal, a 300-meter (1'000ft) depth rating, and a robust caliber 3135 movement with a quick-set date function.

COMEX
Rolex established a historic partnership with COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise), a Marseille-based professional diving company specializing in deep-sea engineering for the oil industry. Henri-Germain Delauze founded COMEX in 1961, and it was at the top of saturation diving technology, pushing the boundaries of underwater engineering and human endurance.

In response to the demanding requirements of COMEX's professional divers, Rolex created specially designed timepieces that featured the patented helium escape valve (HEV). This crucial invention prevented the crystal from popping off by allowing trapped helium gas to safely exit the case during decompression.

Over the years, Rolex supplied several references to COMEX, each tailored to meet the brand’s evolving technical requirements:

Ref. 5513 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1971 - 1973
Ref. 5514 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1974 - 1977
Ref. 1665 Sea-Dweller, 200ft=600m: approx. 1977 - 1982
Ref. 1680 Submariner Date, 660ft=200m: approx. 1978 - 1979
Ref. 16600 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 2003
Ref. 16610 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1986 - 1997
Ref. 16660 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 1980 - 1984
Ref. 16800 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1982 - 1986
Ref. 168000 Submariner Date 1000ft=300 m: approx. 1988 - 1989

One of the most important partnerships in the history of industry and watchmaking is that between Rolex and COMEX. The resulting watches, produced in limited quantities and distributed only to COMEX divers, combine the demands of the most extreme underwater environments in the world with Rolex's unparalleled precision, and are among the most sought-after professional tool watches ever made.

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