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During the late '60's, commercial work in the oceans by professional diving organizations created a need for watches capable of withstanding submersion to great depths. In collaboration with COMEX - a French diving company - Rolex developed its “Submariner” model to meet the stringent technical demands of professional deep-sea diving.
COMEX divers needed not only watches able to resist water at great depth, they also faced the danger of explosive decompression caused by helium penetrating the interior of the watch.
Rolex collaborated with COMEX to develop a solution by installing a one-way pressure escape valve on the side of the watch case. The one-way valve will begin to equalize the pressure inside the watch when the difference between the exterior and interior of the watch exceeded 2.5 kg. per sq. cm.
The Helium Gas Escape Valve (HEV) was tested on the Single Red and Double Red Sea-Dwellers, between 1967-1969. Once testing was successfully completed, COMEX placed a special order with Rolex for dive watches featuring the HEV - the thin case Sea Dweller, for the top divers only - and the Submariner.
The 5513 COMEX watches with HEV that followed were mostly produced with a plain matte dial, without the Comex logo. The following model, the 5514, was specially made for COMEX and early batches featured the Comex logo on the dial. The 5514 Comex Submariner was never sold by retailers.
This watch features a Swiss ETA 2789 low beat movement, a relumed HR dial, and a genuine Rolex 703 crown and tube. The crystal is a T19 Service Dome reshaped to bring it closer in shape to a T19 Dome. The insert is a genuine Rolex fat font ghost insert from the late '70's/early '80's. The case has been fully reworked and reshaped, brushed and polished, and the HEV is functional.
Thanks for looking!
COMEX divers needed not only watches able to resist water at great depth, they also faced the danger of explosive decompression caused by helium penetrating the interior of the watch.
Rolex collaborated with COMEX to develop a solution by installing a one-way pressure escape valve on the side of the watch case. The one-way valve will begin to equalize the pressure inside the watch when the difference between the exterior and interior of the watch exceeded 2.5 kg. per sq. cm.
The Helium Gas Escape Valve (HEV) was tested on the Single Red and Double Red Sea-Dwellers, between 1967-1969. Once testing was successfully completed, COMEX placed a special order with Rolex for dive watches featuring the HEV - the thin case Sea Dweller, for the top divers only - and the Submariner.
The 5513 COMEX watches with HEV that followed were mostly produced with a plain matte dial, without the Comex logo. The following model, the 5514, was specially made for COMEX and early batches featured the Comex logo on the dial. The 5514 Comex Submariner was never sold by retailers.
This watch features a Swiss ETA 2789 low beat movement, a relumed HR dial, and a genuine Rolex 703 crown and tube. The crystal is a T19 Service Dome reshaped to bring it closer in shape to a T19 Dome. The insert is a genuine Rolex fat font ghost insert from the late '70's/early '80's. The case has been fully reworked and reshaped, brushed and polished, and the HEV is functional.
Thanks for looking!
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