Reference:16660 - Revision history

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2026-06-29T01:18:28Z

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	\|published_time=2026-05-16T03:32:31Z		\|published_time=2026-05-16T03:32:31Z
	\|modified_time=2026-06-~~28T23~~:37:~~19Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:17:05Z
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2026-06-29T01:17:05Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

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2026-06-28T23:37:19Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:37, 28 June 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex ~~16660~~ Sea-Dweller "Triple Six" — ~~Cal 3035 Throughout,~~ First ~~Sapphire SD~~, ~~COMEX Two-Batch~~ \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 'Triple Six' — First 4000ft, 1978–1988 \| BezelBase
	\|description=The 16660 is the Sea-Dweller's first sapphire-crystal generation, first 4000ft / 1220m depth rating, first unidirectional bezel, first Triplock crown, and the last Sea-Dweller on caliber 3035. Production 1978-1988. COMEX 16660 ~200 units 1980-1984 in two batches (matte 3001-3099 + glossy 3100-3199). Phillips Geneva XI 2020 record CHF 239,400, Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Godart/Johansson dual-diver lot.		\|description=The 16660 is the Sea-Dweller's first sapphire-crystal generation, first 4000ft / 1220m depth rating, first unidirectional bezel, first Triplock crown, and the last Sea-Dweller on caliber 3035. Production 1978-1988. COMEX 16660 ~200 units 1980-1984 in two batches (matte 3001-3099 + glossy 3100-3199). Phillips Geneva XI 2020 record CHF 239,400, Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Godart/Johansson dual-diver lot.
	\|keywords=Rolex 16660, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, cal 3035, COMEX 16660, MK1 MK2 dial, spider dial, Stern Lemrich Beyeler, Phillips Geneva XI 2020 Lot 128, Godart Johansson, Andrea Piccinini		\|keywords=Rolex 16660, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, cal 3035, COMEX 16660, MK1 MK2 dial, spider dial, Stern Lemrich Beyeler, Phillips Geneva XI 2020 Lot 128, Godart Johansson, Andrea Piccinini
	\|image=Ref 16660 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 16660 hero.webp
	\|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 ~~— first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller~~		\|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six
	\|type=Article		\|type=Article
	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
			\|published_time=2026-05-16T03:32:31Z
			\|modified_time=2026-06-26T14:37:55Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
	}}		}}

Admin: 16660: remove "Tertiary-source corrections" research-meta section (corrections belong inline / in research/, not reader prose)

2026-06-26T14:37:55Z

16660: remove "Tertiary-source corrections" research-meta section (corrections belong inline / in research/, not reader prose)

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:37, 26 June 2026
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	The cleanest documented professional-diving 16660 provenance chain is the Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Lot 92 Godart to Johansson chain detailed in the COMEX auction anchors. Two divers across 23 years, with the 1991 transfer at 450m North Sea saturation as a documented historical-event marker.		The cleanest documented professional-diving 16660 provenance chain is the Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Lot 92 Godart to Johansson chain detailed in the COMEX auction anchors. Two divers across 23 years, with the 1991 transfer at 450m North Sea saturation as a documented historical-event marker.

	~~==Tertiary-source corrections==~~

	"16660 used cal 3135 from 1988" is wrong. Every factory 16660 carries cal 3035. The cal 3135 launched in 1988 in the Datejust and Submariner 16610 but entered the Sea-Dweller line only with the reference change to the 16600 in 1989. Italian Watch Spotter's caliber timeline carries the error.

	"Wikipedia 16660 dimensions and movement" is wrong. Wikipedia's English Sea-Dweller article attributes 1989-2009 production, cal 3135, 15.5mm thickness, and ceramic bezel to the 16660. That's the 16600 spec set mislabelled (and the 16600 didn't have a ceramic bezel either; that's the 116600). Two-generation conflation.

	"Matte = early, glossy = late" is broadly true with documented exceptions. Late matte examples surface in the 8.0M-8.5M serial range (1983-early 1984), overlapping with early glossy production. First-batch matte COMEX cases (3001-3099) occasionally carry glossy MK3 dials, documented as service replacements rather than factory-original configurations.

	"Spider crazing is UV damage" is incomplete. UV and thermal cycling accelerate the failure, but the underlying cause is Stern's lacquer chemistry; the dials were defective from delivery and the environment merely exposed it. Rolex paid for service replacements freely, which itself confirms manufacturer-defect liability.

	"Triple Six refers to Satanism" is tongue-in-cheek collector chatter, not the etymology. The nickname derives from the reference number's three sixes. Rolex's own period marketing called it the "Sea-Dweller 4000."

	"All factory 16660s are SCOC chronometers" is only partly accurate. The dial says SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED on glossy SCOC dials; first-batch matte COMEX (3001-3099) carries a two-line text omitting SCOC. Every 16660 is COSC-certified through the cal 3035 internally, but the dial print convention differs by batch.

	"James Cameron wore a Sea-Dweller for the Mariana Trench dive" is only partly accurate. Cameron wore an experimental Deepsea Challenge (51mm prototype). Not a 16660; not even the production 116660, but the prototype that the 116660 evolved from. The 116660 D-Blue Cameron commemorative followed in 2014 as a tribute, not as the watch Cameron actually wore on the dive.

	"50 vs 100 matte COMEX 16660s" is contested. Phillips says "fewer than 100." Some collector traditions read the 3001-3099 batch as up to 99 units; some sources count only 50 confirmed matte issuances. The 100-unit reading has the cleanest published support; the 50-unit reading appears in dealer summaries without primary documentation.

	==Print bibliography==		==Print bibliography==

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2026-06-04T04:39:31Z

SEO: capitalize schema.org @type to "Article" for rich-result eligibility

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:39, 4 June 2026
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	\|image=Ref 16660 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 16660 hero.webp
	\|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 — first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller		\|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 — first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller
	\|type=~~article~~		\|type=Article
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Admin: Remove Category:Working Draft — published pre-2020 in-scope reference

2026-05-31T02:06:57Z

Remove Category:Working Draft — published pre-2020 in-scope reference

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:06, 31 May 2026
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	[[Category:Sea-Dweller]]		[[Category:Sea-Dweller]]
	~~[[Category:Working Draft]]~~

Admin: Add DISPLAYTITLE: drop NS_REFERENCE prefix from H1 (SEO/UX, site-wide pass)

2026-05-31T01:43:50Z

Add DISPLAYTITLE: drop NS_REFERENCE prefix from H1 (SEO/UX, site-wide pass)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 31 May 2026
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			{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six"}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six" — Cal 3035 Throughout, First Sapphire SD, COMEX Two-Batch \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six" — Cal 3035 Throughout, First Sapphire SD, COMEX Two-Batch \| BezelBase

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2026-05-28T04:47:14Z

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Admin: Restore SEO + breadcrumb + 4 preserved image tags after deep rewrite import

2026-05-28T04:10:42Z

Restore SEO + breadcrumb + 4 preserved image tags after deep rewrite import

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:10, 28 May 2026
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			{{#seo:
			\|title=Rolex 16660 Sea-Dweller "Triple Six" — Cal 3035 Throughout, First Sapphire SD, COMEX Two-Batch \| BezelBase
			\|description=The 16660 is the Sea-Dweller's first sapphire-crystal generation, first 4000ft / 1220m depth rating, first unidirectional bezel, first Triplock crown — and the last Sea-Dweller on caliber 3035. Production 1978-1988. COMEX 16660 ~200 units 1980-1984 in two batches (matte 3001-3099 + glossy 3100-3199). Phillips Geneva XI 2020 record CHF 239,400, Sotheby's Geneva 2026 Godart/Johansson dual-diver lot.
			\|keywords=Rolex 16660, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, cal 3035, COMEX 16660, MK1 MK2 dial, spider dial, Stern Lemrich Beyeler, Phillips Geneva XI 2020 Lot 128, Godart Johansson, Andrea Piccinini
			\|image=Ref 16660 hero.webp
			\|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 — first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller
			\|type=article
			\|og_type=article
			\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
			}}

			<small>[[Reference:sea-dweller\|Sea-Dweller]] → '''16660'''</small>

			[[File:Ref 16660 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 Triple Six\|Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 (Triple Six).]]
			[[File:Ref 16660 christies lot.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The 1978-1989 transitional Sea-Dweller introducing the 4000ft/1220m depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve.\|16660 "Triple Six" — Christie's lot photograph. The transitional Sea-Dweller (1978-1989) that introduced the 4000ft depth rating, sapphire crystal, and the upgraded helium escape valve architecture.]]
			[[File:Ref 16660 mk1-matte.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.\|Triple Six 16660 MK1 matte "Pallettoni" dial — Beyeler-supplied painted tritium plots, no white-gold surrounds. Image via Monochrome.]]
			[[File:Ref 16660 comex-dial.webp\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.\|COMEX 16660 dial — COMEX logo above 6 o'clock, issue number engraved deep on the caseback exterior. Image via Monochrome.]]

	The 16660 is the watch the 1665 should have been once Rolex had a decade of saturation-diving data to work from. Same case profile, same helium escape valve at 9 o'clock, same dive-bezel silhouette. Everything else changes — and changes simultaneously, in one reference jump. The crystal moves from domed acrylic to flat sapphire. The bezel goes from bidirectional to unidirectional. The crown goes from Twinlock to Triplock. The depth rating doubles from 610m / 2000ft to 1220m / 4000ft. The movement gains quickset date through caliber 3035. Production runs roughly ten years, 1978 to 1988 (with 1989 deliveries clearing into the 16600 takeover), parallel with the late 1665 for the first five years and on its own for the last five. Collectors call it the Triple Six — for the three sixes in the reference number, not the depth rating and not a Satanism reference; the nickname crystalised in collector chatter post-production and stuck. Rolex's own marketing copy called it the "Sea-Dweller 4000" after the new depth rating.		The 16660 is the watch the 1665 should have been once Rolex had a decade of saturation-diving data to work from. Same case profile, same helium escape valve at 9 o'clock, same dive-bezel silhouette. Everything else changes — and changes simultaneously, in one reference jump. The crystal moves from domed acrylic to flat sapphire. The bezel goes from bidirectional to unidirectional. The crown goes from Twinlock to Triplock. The depth rating doubles from 610m / 2000ft to 1220m / 4000ft. The movement gains quickset date through caliber 3035. Production runs roughly ten years, 1978 to 1988 (with 1989 deliveries clearing into the 16600 takeover), parallel with the late 1665 for the first five years and on its own for the last five. Collectors call it the Triple Six — for the three sixes in the reference number, not the depth rating and not a Satanism reference; the nickname crystalised in collector chatter post-production and stuck. Rolex's own marketing copy called it the "Sea-Dweller 4000" after the new depth rating.

Admin: Import reference 16660 article

2026-05-28T04:10:21Z

Import reference 16660 article

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