Sea-Dweller 1665 Great White RAIL

[TLV1665]

Here's my Sea-Dweller 1665. I'll fill in the provenance later. I did, though, want to share some photos. I hope you enjoy.

[andy2518]

A 1665 SD IMO is one of the greatest watches there is, wear in good health

[TLV1665]

My plan is to get my watch serviced and to pass it down to my son.

[brandrea]

Very nice, thanks for posting, it’s a beauty

[swish77]

Very nice SD! Did the seller say the set was original to the watch?

[mikkoi]

Very nice, congrats!


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[R!$]

Nice watch, congrats

[sensui]

Love the great whites.

[Swiss Mad!]

love the open 6 & 9 date wheels on thee vintage Rolex...

Wish I could find one a ta reasonable price

[swish77]

Originally Posted by swish77

Very nice SD! Did the seller say the set was original to the watch?

Interesting that it came with two different Sub booklets from different time periods.

[TLV1665]

I purchased the watch and everything that came with it at a Rolex dealer in Tel Aviv, Israel.

[TLV1665]

I finished college in 1979, and because my father had been in the Air Force and we had traveled a lot, I didn't feel the need to immediately get a job, get married, buy the house, have kids and live happily ever after. Instead, I sold my VW Bug, bought a backpack, a good pair of hiking boots, a one-way ticket, and with $400 cash I flew to where I thought was the geopolitical center of the earth: Israel. One day I was in Alabama, surrounded by family and everything familiar; the next day I was in Tel Aviv, not knowing a soul, not speaking the language, and on an adventure that lasted five years.
That was in October 1979.

The Camp David Peace Treaty was signed between Israel and Egypt on September 17, 1978, and before Israel gave the whole Sinai Peninsula back to Egypt, the U.S. Corps of Engineers was to build two Israeli military air bases in the Negev Desert. Contracts were subcontracted out to Management Support Associates (MSA) and Air Base Constructors (ABC).
In June 1980, I signed on, in country, with MSA.

On March 17, 1982, I purchased my Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 RAIL from a Rolex Dealer in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Rolex store is no longer there.

[Nikrnic]

That's nice, love the dial and date wheel.

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[Onequik135i]

Full set too. Sweet.

[Boaters]

Very cool story and the watch what a beauty

[TLV1665]

After purchasing my Sea-Dweller in March of 1982, in Tel-Aviv, I signed up for scuba diving lessons with an Israeli Navy Seal. Our initial lessons were in a freezing public indoor pool in the city.
On April 18, 1982, I earned my Divers Card for underwater activities in Israel.
On May 4, 1982, I received my PADI International Open Water Diver certification.
…then we humped it to the Red Sea.

Our ten open water dives took place on a Sinai diving safari to the Red Sea, which started in Eilat, diving among an eel garden, and continued on past the Strait of Tiran to Sharm-El-Sheikh and Ras Muhammed: the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, reputably known for some of the best diving anywhere in the world.

[crl848]

Nice. I also dived a lot in Sharm in the mid-90s, under the supervision of an Israeli ex-commando. Did my mixed gas cert there. Plenty of love for the Israelis from the local bedouin.

[Greg5512]

Gorgeous watch and a great life!

[TLV1665]

This was what divers used in 1982.

[chows99]

Only your 6th post and it is already filled with wonderful photos and intriguing life story!

Keep it coming!

[Steph-paul]

Very good looking watch, and nice story, thank you for sharing.

[TLV1665]

Thanks, Greg. I’m going to enjoy continuing to tell this story. It’s enjoyable for me to reflect and put it down with words and pictures.

[TLV1665]

Thank you. Looking back to the day I purchased my watch I never imagined how the story would unfold. Steve Jobs, in his wisdom, said that we can’t connect the dots looking forward, only when looking backward. How true this has been in my case.

[TLV1665]

Originally Posted by chows99

Only your 6th post and it is already filled with wonderful photos and intriguing life story!

Keep it coming!

Thank you. I’ve gone back in time on a journey through old photographs and negatives, and I’ve come across quite a number of timeless gems. I’ll post them as this story unfolds.

[crl848]

Cool, brings back good memories of when Sharm was not so developed and diver numbers were relatively low. Also gulf of Eilat lol.

[Amanubis]

What a great story, and cool scrapbook of memories you've made along the way!

[TLV1665]

The first photo is of my untouched 1982 Sea-Dweller 1665 Rail dial that has been my day-watch for 36 years. The rest of the photos are of my watch after being serviced by Phillip Ridley at Watchmakers International. He completely serviced my watch, and it has a NOS period crystal.

I live in Florida and, and crazy as it sounds, after 36 years I decided to figure out where to get my watch serviced. I had all along planned to give my Rolex to my son, who lives in Israel. He’s 33; I’m 62. It’s time.

I thought I would get it serviced before I gave it to him. The first call I made was to a company in California. The lady I spoke with told me that they only buy and sell watches, but she recommended a place in Texas where I should send my watch. I spoke at length with Phillip, and I learned more about my watch during that conversation than I had cared to inquire into for all these years. After all, I knew it was a Rolex and that over time it would increase in value, maybe double. Who knew? Not me.

In the Vintage Rolex Discussion section, Phillip has a thread, “A 1665 that made its way back to Jerusalem,” where he, too, has posted photos of the watch.

[phillip ridley]

Absolutely amazing story and photos.

[subx]

what a great , complete, detailed, and wonderful story

[TLV1665]

My son, the early years, 1985 to 1988? - I think he's about three in the 3rd photo - (What do I know? I'm a Dad?!?), and my 1665 Rail just back from Watchmakers International.