Shopping Time: 5 Ultra-Rare Rolex COMEX Dive Watches You Can Actually Buy
We are always scouring the web for the most amazing watches currently available, and each Friday Shopping Time shares five standout timepieces with you.
We’ve brought you interesting, even decadent dive watches from Rolex in the past, but this is a genre in which a singular focus often rewards collectors. This brings us to the ultra-narrow niche of Rolex COMEX divers, which we’ve only once before touched on.
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Rolex has a reputation for building tools that hold up in a professional environment. A big part of that reputation comes from partnerships that define their past. We’re talking about the submersible Treiste and its modern counterpart, the Deepsea Challenger; the Navy’s SEALAB missions; and of course, COMEX. Rolex developed dive watches for each of these outfits, gaining knowledge at every step, and laying the foundations for the modern Submariner, Sea-Dweller, and Deepsea references produced today. But only one of these relationships has resulted in watches you can actually buy (without too much trouble) today, and those are watches developed for Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise or “COMEX”, a renowned French diving company.
Today, we’re bringing you a selection of Rolex dive watches built for COMEX divers spanning the duration of this fruitful relationship. Rolex began working with COMEX heading into 1970, as the partners were hitting their stride with a full collection of dive watch references, which were, at the time, the Submariner (ref. 5513, 5512, and 1680) and the Sea-Dweller (ref. 1665). These were the publicly available references, at least. The first watch built to COMEX spec was a reference 5513, a no-date Submariner fitted with an HEV, or Helium Escape Valve. The HEV is a handy feature for commercial divers spending prolonged periods in helium rich environments (for everyone else, even regular divers, it’s decidedly less useful).
Heading into the ‘80s, the Rolex Submariner went through a transitional period that saw features like sapphire crystals and white gold hour marker surrounds, among other things. References gained a digit (or several) and by the late ‘80s a new generation of Rolex tool watches was set for the coming decade and beyond. Rolex would go on to develop nine COMEX variations within their Submariner and Sea-Dweller collections at this time (sometimes called “the five-digit era”), which would include modified commercial references, even transitional references like the 16800 and 168000, as well as unique references such as the 5514.
Rolex would continue to make COMEX watches until 1997, and none of them were ever offered for sale commercially. Estimates place the total number produced around 3,000, a relatively poultry sum spread over the 27 year period. While rare, these watches do pop up in the open market from time to time, generally boasting a notable provenance at that, as you might imagine. The casebacks are each marked with a unique issue number and COMEX markings, and collectors should be able to tie these numbers to the advertised provenance.
COMEX divers are particularly sought after not only for their rarity but for the role they would play in establishing the modern lore of Rolex dive watches. These watches are the last remnants of issued tool watches from Rolex, and they carry a premium over standard references as a result. But if you’re a fan of history, and the history of dive watches in particular, it’s tough to find a more interesting story than that of Rolex and COMEX.
Here are five Rolex COMEX divers you can buy right now.
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Rolex Submariner COMEX ref. 5514 | Price on Request
This is an exceptional example of one of the rarest COMEX divers to be produced, the fabled Submariner reference 5514, based on the commercially available 5513 (which is engraved on the inner caseback). This reference features a modified case that has been fitted with a helium release valve. The depth rating remains at 200 m, which may not sound terribly impressive compared to many of the watches available today, but it’s more than enough to cover almost every diving scenario, even at this level of work being done.
This watch comes to us from Corrado Mattarelli, and features a beautifully preserved case and dial. The watch dates to 1977, and while it does not come with box and papers, it does have the engraved caseback verifying its provenance as a COMEX diver. The 5514 reference received dials both with the COMEX logo and without, and this watch falls into the latter category. This watch represents a sweet spot for vintage COMEX Rolex watches.
Rolex Sea-Dweller COMEX ref. 1665 | $200,000
When it comes to COMEX divers, it doesn’t get much better than the 1665 reference. This is a Sea-Dweller with some serious diving chops both then and now, and made for a perfect candidate for issuance to commercial divers. This is the watch that first developed the HEV (thanks to development alongside the Navy’s SEALAB project), and it represents the singular focus of building a better tool for the job at hand.
This example from 10 Past Ten is among the finest you’re likely to come across, in near perfect condition, and accompanied by all of the vital documents and paperwork verifying its use by COMEX. The dial and original bezel have aged beautifully, revealing the true charm of not just the Sea-Dweller, but of vintage Rolex writ large. This is a true collector’s grade time capsule, and marks a rare opportunity to own a piece of history.
Rolex Submariner COMEX ref. 16800 | £88,000 ($111,600)
The Submariner reference 16800 is a transitional model that came at the early ‘80s, bringing a deeper depth rating, a flat sapphire crystal and a glossy black dial with white gold hour surrounds. This was the first step toward the 16610 that would remain in production from the late ‘80s thru 2010. This particular example is special thanks to its COMEX connection, and for the fact that it’s coming to market from its original owner via the Subdial marketplace.
This watch was owned and used by A. Sealy through the ‘80s and ‘90s, and comes with the log books documenting exactly how and when it was used. This is a hugely sought after feature of COMEX watches so they can be associated with individuals and specific dives providing a deeper sense of meaning. The watch is listed in very good condition, and appears to be unpolished. A true gem of a 16800, let alone a COMEX diver.
Rolex Submariner COMEX ref. 16610 | $127,397
The final Submariner produced for COMEX was the reference 16610. After the production of the reference 5514, all COMEX divers from Rolex featured a date complication, so there are no COMEX reference 14060 watches, for instance. This 16610 was produced in 1997, and does not appear to have suffered much abuse at depth, remaining in excellent overall condition. This was of course well into the period of using dive computers rather than mechanical wrist watches for any kind of vital tracking at depth, making these more symbolic than anything, but the watches were still worn as a suitable backup, at times for sentimental reasons.
This COMEX 16610 is currently listed on Chrono24, and while it doesn’t come with papers, it does include the original box. Condition is listed as very good and this is perhaps a great example of the final chapter of the relationship between COMEX and Rolex that could still be used today. This is the quintessential Rolex reference of the ‘90s, and in COMEX trim, one of the last true tool watches to formally be produced by the brand.
Rolex Sea-Dweller COMEX ref. 16600 – $184,375
The Sea-Dweller saw its own transition in the ‘80s by way of the reference 16600, which brought many of the same features listed above for the reference 16800. The 16600 Sea-Dweller was the final reference produced for COMEX, and even though the relationship formally ended in 1997, they could be ordered well into the ‘00s, even with caseback numbers (though they may not have seen the same kind of use as the older watches). Not many fall into that category, but this example from Chrono24 represents a nice example of these watches, having been built in 2005.
The 16600 is an underrated reference as a whole, and the COMEX connection with this one is worn as a badge of everything the watch represents. This example is in like new condition, serving as something of a time capsule of how Rolex intended the watch to appear when delivered. It may not have the same fascinating stories associated with it, but it does mark the end of an era in a rather fitting way.
Please note that we are not affiliated with the sellers of the watches we recommend. We may point out aspects of a listing that we feel are positive, but only you can vet a seller. We can recommend viewing our video “How to Collect It: Vintage Watches” to glean some best practices, however.
