1960-2010: Celebrating 50 years of underwater heritage

THE DEEPEST DIVE

In January 1960, Rolex accompanied the submersible bathyscaphe Trieste on the historic U.S. Navy dive to the Mariana Trench, reaching 10,916 metres (35,800 feet) onto the ocean floor.

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1960-2010: Celebrating 50 years of underwater heritage

THE DEEPEST DIVE

back to surface

1960-2010: Celebrating 50 years of underwater heritage

THE DEEPEST DIVE

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SEAL THE HATCH

On the evening of January 23, 1960 as the setting sun turned the surface of the Pacific Ocean deep orange, Swiss oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard and United States Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh packed up chocolate, nuts and their courage before lowering themselves through the narrow tube and into the cabin of the bathyscaphe, Trieste. Unaware that they were about to make history and even less aware of what might await them at the bottom of the ocean, Piccard and Walsh watched as assistant Giuseppe Buono closed the heavy cabin door from above and all daylight disappeared. While Buono opened the air vents from topside, the crew bolted it shut from the inside and their adventure began.

PROJECT NEKTON

After having purchased the vessel, organized and financed the entire endeavour, the U.S. Navy then spent nine months preparing the Trieste and her team to participate in Project Nekton, a series of scientifically conducted deep dives carried out near the island of Guam in the Western Pacific. Nekton was, according to a U.S. Navy press release, a high-level undertaking intended to provide "scientific knowledge of sunlight penetration, underwater visibility, transmission of man-made sounds, and marine geological studies." Strapped to the outside of the Trieste was a Rolex “Deep Sea Special”, the most advanced in a series of prototypes designed to withstand pressure that no human could ever survive. Together, the Rolex and the Trieste descended into uncharted waters.

THE BATHYSCAPHE TRIESTE

Engineered to explore the approximately seventy-one percent of the Earth’s surface that is covered with water, the bathyscaphe was a design of simple genius. Auguste Piccard, the brilliant and inquisitive inventor of the bathyscaphe and Jacques Piccard’s father, was fond of stating that he firmly believed “the first answer is never the right answer”. When the Piccards began to test the Trieste in 1953, the engineers at Rolex had been on their own quest for perfection for decades and were equally eager to embark on the bold series of missions that were to come. The participation of the U.S. Navy allowed Professor Piccard to put his creation into action and realize his dream of the ultimate underwater exploratory mission.

RIGOROUS TESTING

Rolex was present from 1953, when the Trieste was first launched, allowing the Swiss watch company to gain enormous experience and knowledge from the close collaboration in the years that would follow. In tandem with dives undertaken by the Trieste, Rolex carried out rigorous testing of the second version of its Deep Sea Special. In August 1953 the Trieste, with the Deep Sea Special strapped to the outside, descended to 1,080 metres (approximately 3,543 feet), then to 3,150 metres (approximately 10,334 feet) later the same year, finally reaching 3,700 metres (approximately 12,138 feet) in 1956.

64 DIVES

In early 1958 the U.S. Navy purchased the Trieste from the Piccards; Jacques was hired as a consultant to train personnel to maintain and operate it. The sphere of the Trieste - originally designed to withstand pressure at 6,000 metres (approximately 19,684 feet) - was then enlarged and perfected to withstand 11,000 metres (approximately 36,088 feet) of pressure. In all, the Trieste carried out 64 dives before the ship and her crew were ready for the ultimate test.

CHALLENGER DEEP

In jarringly rough seas on January 23, 1960 and with Piccard at his side, Walsh piloted the Trieste toward the silent darkness of the Mariana Trench. At almost 11 kilometres (approximately 6.8 miles) below sea level the area known as the Challenger Deep - the deepest known depression on the surface of our planet - was believed to be inhospitable to any life form, harbouring only skeletons. While the approximate location of the Trench was known, its exact coordinates were not and dynamite charges and sound propagation calculations were used to decipher the exact location some 320 kilometres (approximately 200 miles) off of the coast of Guam.

AN UNEQUALLED RECORD

At 10,916 metres (35, 800 feet), the pressure is over one metric tonne per square centimetre (approximately 1.1 U.S. tons per .15 of a square inch). To the surprise of the crew and, later, to the entire scientific community, with the help of the light provided by the bathyscaphe’s mercury vapour lamps, Walsh and Piccard witnessed something no man had seen: marine life at the very bottom of the ocean. When the Trieste surfaced nearly 9 hours later, it became the first vessel – manned or unmanned – to reach the deepest part of the Earth’s ocean. The record set that day one half a century ago remains unequalled by any manned vessel to this day. On January 25, 1960, a telegram arrived at the Rolex headquarters in Geneva. “Happy to announce that your watch works as well at 11,000 meters as it does on the surface”. It was signed Jacques Piccard.

ROLEX DEEP SEA SPECIAL

Ever since Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf named the first waterproof wristwatch the “Oyster” in 1926, Rolex has been studying the tools needed by professionals in extreme conditions. The Deep Sea Special was developed to demonstrate the efficiency of the waterproof Oyster. Direct descendants of the Deep Sea Special, the Submariner (launched in 1953), and the Sea-Dweller (launched in 1967) permitted, for the first time, those working in fields other than those dedicated to science and research to understand the technical marvel Rolex had produced. Both models became indispensible equipment for serious underwater exploration such as that undertaken by the professional divers of COMEX, the French dive specialists with whom Rolex worked to perfect their underwater watches. The Trieste dive made Rolex watches a part of the collective, professional conscience, and scientists have regularly relied on them ever since.

UNDERWATER EXPLORATION

Rolex has continually encouraged the world’s foremost scientists in their explorations, enjoying long relationships with some of the best-known ocean pioneers in the world. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the maverick undersea explorer, was an internationally known champion of the seas. Like him, Sylvia Earle, the intrepid U.S. marine biologist, understands the importance of exploration to man’s very survival on this planet. “We are dependant on the natural systems that sustain us. If we take care of the ocean and the rest of the natural world we're really taking care of ourselves.” With over 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle’s experience is an invaluable contribution to the vital task of education.

MAKING THE PLANET
A BETTER PLACE

The quest for perfection has been the driving force at the heart of every technological advance made by Rolex for more than one hundred years. In the preceding century, it became clear that this knowledge and determination could also be put towards actions that would make the planet a better place for future generations. As such Rolex has a long history of supporting endeavours to maintain the delicate equilibrium that exists between man and animal, and to preserving the Earth’s natural resources.

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1950

The first prototype of the Rolex Deep Sea Special is successfully depth-tested by expert divers.

1953

In tandem with dives carried out by the Trieste, a second version of the Deep Sea Special - even more solid and robust than the first - is strapped to the outside of the bathyscaphe and successfully tested at 1,080 metres (3,540 feet). It is submerged to 3,150 metres (10,330 feet) later the same year. When not being tested, the watch is stored in a specially made wooden box with an instruction sheet detailing how to wind and set the watch tacked to the inside of the lid.

1953

Launch of the first Submariner. The watch, equipped with the new, patented Twinlock system, is waterproof to 100 metres (330 feet).

1954

The second version of the Submariner, unveiled at the Basel fair in the spring of 1954, could already be worn to the astounding depth of 200 metres (660 feet).

1956

The second prototype of the Deep Sea Special finally reaches a depth of 3,700 metres (12,140 feet) during a new dive of the Trieste.

1960

Using the knowledge gained from the making of first two models, the third Deep Sea Special is created to withstand the most extreme conditions. This is the watch that, strapped to the Bathyscaphe Trieste, is found to be in perfect working order after having reached the Challenger Deep portion of the Marianna Trench at 10,916 metres (35,813 feet) below the surface of the sea.

1967

Launch of the Rolex Sea-Dweller, equipped with a graduated, rotatable bezel and its patented helium-escape valve. It reaches 610 metres (2,000 feet).

1978

Birth of the Sea-Dweller 4000, which can now reach 1,220 metres (4,000 feet).

1979

The Submariner reaches 300 metres (1,000 feet).

2003

A special 50th anniversary edition of the Submariner, fitted with a green bezel, marks the half-century since the first Submariner was created.

2008

Birth of the Rolex Deepsea. Equipped with the new, patented Ringlock system, this new generation diver’s watch can withstand depths of up to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet).

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- 100m

1953: Launch of the first Submariner. The watch, equipped with the new, patented Twinlock system, is waterproof to 100 metres (330 feet).

- 200m

The second version of the Submariner, unveiled at the Basel fair in the spring of 1954, could already be worn to the astounding depth of 200 metres (660 feet).

- 300m

1979: The Submariner reaches 300 metres (1,000 feet).

- 610m

1967: Launch of the Rolex Sea-Dweller, equipped with a graduated, rotatable bezel and its patented helium-escape valve. It reaches 610 metres (2,000 feet).

- 1,220m

1978: Birth of the Sea-Dweller 4000, which can now reach 1,220 metres (4,000 feet).

- 3,150m

1953: In tandem with dives carried out by the Trieste, a second version of the Deep Sea Special - even more solid and robust than the first - is strapped to the outside of the bathyscaphe and successfully tested at 1,080 metres (3,540 feet). It is submerged to 3,150 metres (10,330 feet) later the same year. When not being tested, the watch is stored in a specially made wooden box with an instruction sheet detailing how to wind and set the watch tacked to the inside of the lid.

- 3,700m

1956: The second prototype of the Deep Sea Special finally reaches a depth of 3,700 metres (12,140 feet) during a new dive of the Trieste.

- 3,900m

2008: Birth of the Rolex Deepsea. Equipped with the new, patented Ringlock system, this new generation diver’s watch can withstand depths of up to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet).

- 8,848m

If Mount Everest first conquered in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay equipped with Rolex Oyster watches, were set in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench, there would be 2,068 metres of water left above it, a depth greater than the altitude of St. Moritz.

- 10,916m

1960: Using the knowledge gained from the making of first two models, the third Deep Sea Special is created to withstand the most extreme conditions. This is the watch that, strapped to the Bathyscaphe Trieste, is found to be in perfect working order after having reached the Challenger Deep portion of the Marianna Trench at 10,916 metres (35,813 feet) below the surface of the sea.

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