By Matteo Bega, 22/09/2023
COMEX models hold a special place in the hearts and collections of vintage Rolex sports enthusiasts. Since the early days of deep-sea exploration, Rolex has collaborated with numerous experts in the field, including the Marseille-based company COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises), which specializes in diving for the oil industry.
Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises (Comex) was founded in the 1960s and is still considered one of the leading commercial diving companies. In addition to offering commercial diving solutions to various industries, they have always been at the forefront of setting new diving records. The founder of Comex, Henri Germain Delauze, formed a long-standing relationship with Rolex having been impressed by the Sea-Dweller's ability to record depths. COMEX and Rolex have always enjoyed a special relationship, and over the decades many watches have been delivered to their specialized divers with casebacks and dials marked "COMEX."
All COMEX watches were reserved exclusively for the company and never available to the public for commercial sale. As a result, these extremely rare ROLEX watches entered the hearts of collectors and became among the most sought-after Submariner models.
These experiments led Rolex to produce a series of Submariner ref. 5513 - some of them equipped with helium escape valves - issued in the mid to late 1960s. As a result of these first experiments, two different timepieces were produced: the Sea-Dweller, characterised by a thicker case for better water-resistance, which would later be marketed, and the Submariner ref. 5514, characterised by the thinner case construction typical of the Submariner, but equipped with a helium escape valve.
This relationship led Rolex to commission COMEX to develop and produce a hyperbaric tank capable of simulating the extreme depth conditions in which Rolex can test its watches. From 2008 Rolex with the introduction of the new Deepsea Sea-Dweller, which is rated in depths of up to 3900 metres, to Rolex's latest "King of the Abyss" the Deepsea Challenge, where Rolex and COMEX developed an ultra-high pressure tank capable of reproducing a test equivalent to that exerted by water at a depth of 13,750 metres (45,112 feet).
In 1967 Rolex introduced the Reference 1680, the first Submariner with a date function, and in 1979 Rolex launched the new model 16800 featuring an upgraded sapphire crystal with a redesigned unidirectional bezel, a quick-release date function and an improved nominal depth from 200 metres to 300. The model remained in production until 1988 with the first examples featuring a matt dial and luminous indices, while later watches - like this example - featured a polished dial with white gold luminous indices.
Today's COMEX Submariner belonged to John R. Martin, a diver emeritus worked in the early 1980s on the 'Uncle John' platform, a unique device made for oil exploration in the North Sea, designed to float to its location and, once oil production ceased, to become available again in other parts of the world. Presented in recognition of Mr John R. Martin's services throughout his career, this Submariner features an engraved case back with the date on which it was given to him - 30 November 1984 - "J. R. Martin" at the bottom and the issue number 6173.
This rare and fascinating specimen comes not only with its original box, the Rolex sales guarantee and all the accessories, but also with documents testifying to the professional career of Mr. John R. Martin with dive logs complete with details of the operations performed. The watch is new, never worn by its owner, with the case retaining its original geometry and made even more fascinating by the dial which has a splendid uniform patina on the indexes and tritium hands. Like every watch awarded by COMEX to their specialist divers, the dial is stamped with the company logo.
This watch also comes with the brochure regarding the characteristics of the 'Uncle John' platform, along with other documents including rare photographs showing John R. Martin in the company of another COMEX diver, Maurice Ward, whose Rolex Submariner 16800 COMEX was sold by Phillips during The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIII, in 2021.
