Rolex Vault › All references › Sea-Dweller
Sea-Dweller · 1967 to 1977 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Double Red”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range: 7 public auction results (Christie's) from the last 3 years, buyer's premium included.
Median public auction result (Christie's) for each year with 2 or more sales, buyer's premium included. Dashed line marks the 1975 retail price.
Born for COMEX saturation divers with the first helium escape valve, and nicknamed for the two red lines of text on the dial. It is one of the blue-chip references of vintage tool Rolex.
Four dial marks (Mk I through IV) each price differently, and the early 'Patent Pending' casebacks carry huge premiums. Expertise pays for itself here.
The helium escape valve was invented for this watch after COMEX divers kept returning Submariners with the crystals blown clean off: helium atoms seeped in during saturation dives and had nowhere to go on the way up. Rolex's fix, a one-way valve, is still on every Sea-Dweller today.
The 'Great White' all-white-text version succeeded the Double Red in 1977 and trades at roughly half the money, the standing value play within the reference. Patent Pending casebacks, Mk I dials, and COMEX-issued examples form the six-figure summit.
Our verdict: A for the patient collector. Scarcity is near-absolute and provenance is everything: buy the seller, the dial mark, and the paperwork.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Black aluminum dive bezel |
| Notable dials | Two red lines 'Double Red' (DRSD); Later all-white 'Great White' (1977-83) |
| Caliber | 1575 |
| Production | 1967 to 1977 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2026 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Double Red · sold for CHF 20,320 | $25,925 |
| Dec 9, 2025 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ Double Red, tropical dial | $35,560 |
| Apr 14, 2025 | Christie's auction · Online sale ↗︎ Double Red Mk4 · sold for HKD 239,400 | $30,832 |
| Nov 6, 2024 | Christie's auction · Online sale ↗︎ Double Red · sold for CHF 20,160 | $22,904 |
| May 26, 2024 | Christie's auction · Hong Kong live sale ↗︎ Double Red Mk3 · sold for HKD 252,000 | $32,261 |
| May 7, 2024 | Christie's auction · Online sale ↗︎ Double Red · sold for CHF 27,720 | $30,488 |
| Nov 6, 2023 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Double Red · sold for CHF 27,720 | $31,094 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.