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Lot Essay
"A hydrogen diver just can't survive without his Rolex" - Henri-Germain Delauze
The Submariner reference 5514 has today become one of the most desirable of all the Rolex references used by COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise). Owned by a private collector for the past 10 years, the present wristwatch impresses with its splendid overall condition. The very rare and immaculately preserved dial displays beautiful lightly and evenly aged luminous material and is complemented by matching hands displaying the same tone. The stainless steel case shows strong proportions, clearly engraved reference and serial numbers and has signs of only typical light use over the past 44 years.
As of the late 1960s, Rolex supplied different Submariner models featuring the patented gas escape valve to the side to COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise) in Marseille, a professional diving operation for the oil industry.
Realized in a small number of pieces (probably low hundreds) reference 5514 is one of the “custom references”: references denoting a watch made for a specific customer, such as reference 5517, made for the British army. Launched in 1972, reference 5514 was instead made for Comex, and is the very first reference denoting a watch with helium escape valve (HEV) in the band, after the proof of concept of some modified references 5513 made between 1970 and 1972.
The defining characteristic of this reference, beyond the HEV, is the case back engraved Rolex Comex, and with the watch issue number. In addition, most of the dials of reference 5514, with some early exceptions, are signed Comex. It is widely believed that this reference was never available to the public, but only distributed through Comex to their employees, although a handful of so-called ‘civilian’ examples are thought to exist.
Watches supplied to Comex include following references:
Ref. 5513 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1971 - 1973
Ref. 5514 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1974 - 1977
Ref. 16600 Sea-Dweller 4000f6=1220m: approx. 1972 - 1997
Ref. 1665 Sea-Dweller, 200ft=600m: approx. 1977 - 1982
Ref. 1680 Submariner Date, 660ft=200m: approx. 1978 - 1979
Ref. 16600 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 2003
Ref. 16610 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1986 - 1997
Ref. 16660 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 1980 - 1984
Ref. 16800 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1982 - 1986 (please see lot 2278)
Ref. 168000 Submariner Date 1000ft=300 m: approx. 1988 - 1989
Founded in 1961 in Marseille by Henri-Germain Delauze, Comex or Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise pioneered in professional diving in the commercial field, requiring tool watches designed for conducting safe diving operations at greater depths, known as saturation diving. The successful collaboration between Comex and Rolex started in the early 1970s when all divers were progressively equipped with watches especially made for Comex: the improved "Submariner" model meeting the most stringent technical and professional demands of the professional deep-sea diver. Over the years, the watches featuring the legendary Comex name have undergone major technological innovations, the most famous still today remaining the gas escape valve, a crucial feature on diver's watches, it was designed to release excessive helium pressure from the case during the diver's decompression periods.
Literature
For further examples of Rolex COMEX reference 5514 see: ‘100 Years of Rolex, 1908-2008’, Franca and Guido Mondani, p. 131. and ‘Rolex Submariner Story’, Franca & Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani, p. 69.
The Submariner reference 5514 has today become one of the most desirable of all the Rolex references used by COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise). Owned by a private collector for the past 10 years, the present wristwatch impresses with its splendid overall condition. The very rare and immaculately preserved dial displays beautiful lightly and evenly aged luminous material and is complemented by matching hands displaying the same tone. The stainless steel case shows strong proportions, clearly engraved reference and serial numbers and has signs of only typical light use over the past 44 years.
As of the late 1960s, Rolex supplied different Submariner models featuring the patented gas escape valve to the side to COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise) in Marseille, a professional diving operation for the oil industry.
Realized in a small number of pieces (probably low hundreds) reference 5514 is one of the “custom references”: references denoting a watch made for a specific customer, such as reference 5517, made for the British army. Launched in 1972, reference 5514 was instead made for Comex, and is the very first reference denoting a watch with helium escape valve (HEV) in the band, after the proof of concept of some modified references 5513 made between 1970 and 1972.
The defining characteristic of this reference, beyond the HEV, is the case back engraved Rolex Comex, and with the watch issue number. In addition, most of the dials of reference 5514, with some early exceptions, are signed Comex. It is widely believed that this reference was never available to the public, but only distributed through Comex to their employees, although a handful of so-called ‘civilian’ examples are thought to exist.
Watches supplied to Comex include following references:
Ref. 5513 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1971 - 1973
Ref. 5514 Submariner 660ft=200m: approx. 1974 - 1977
Ref. 16600 Sea-Dweller 4000f6=1220m: approx. 1972 - 1997
Ref. 1665 Sea-Dweller, 200ft=600m: approx. 1977 - 1982
Ref. 1680 Submariner Date, 660ft=200m: approx. 1978 - 1979
Ref. 16600 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 2003
Ref. 16610 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1986 - 1997
Ref. 16660 Sea-Dweller 4000ft=1220m: approx. 1980 - 1984
Ref. 16800 Submariner Date 1000ft=300m: approx. 1982 - 1986 (please see lot 2278)
Ref. 168000 Submariner Date 1000ft=300 m: approx. 1988 - 1989
Founded in 1961 in Marseille by Henri-Germain Delauze, Comex or Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise pioneered in professional diving in the commercial field, requiring tool watches designed for conducting safe diving operations at greater depths, known as saturation diving. The successful collaboration between Comex and Rolex started in the early 1970s when all divers were progressively equipped with watches especially made for Comex: the improved "Submariner" model meeting the most stringent technical and professional demands of the professional deep-sea diver. Over the years, the watches featuring the legendary Comex name have undergone major technological innovations, the most famous still today remaining the gas escape valve, a crucial feature on diver's watches, it was designed to release excessive helium pressure from the case during the diver's decompression periods.
Literature
For further examples of Rolex COMEX reference 5514 see: ‘100 Years of Rolex, 1908-2008’, Franca and Guido Mondani, p. 131. and ‘Rolex Submariner Story’, Franca & Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani, p. 69.