The Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge in RLX titanium with a Cerachrom bezel insert in black ceramic and an Oyster bracelet.

The 60-minute graduated, unidirectional rotatable bezel of the Deepsea Challenge enables divers to precisely and safely monitor their dive and decompression times. It is equipped with a patented black Cerachrom bezel insert manufactured by Rolex in a virtually scratchproof ceramic whose colour is unaffected by ultraviolet rays. The graduation is coated via PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) with a thin layer of platinum. The dial features large Chromalight hour markers and hands, filled with luminescent material that emits a long-lasting blue glow for excellent legibility in dark conditions.

The dial’s luminescent Chromalight display is an innovation that improved visibility in dark environments, an essential feature for divers. Hour markers in simple shapes – triangles, circles, rectangles – and broad hour and minute hands enable instant and reliable reading to prevent any risk of confusion underwater.

RLX titanium is a grade 5 titanium alloy selected by Rolex for its weightlessness and resistance to deformation and corrosion. Although insensitive to abyssal pressure, the experimental watch that accompanied James Cameron in the Mariana Trench still posed a wearability problem due to its weight, as it was made of 904L steel. The use of RLX titanium to create the case and bracelet of the Deepsea Challenge considerably lightened its weight: it is 30 per cent lighter than the experimental watch that inspired it. The watch also features a particularly visible grain in the satin finish on the bracelet and the case – with the exception of the crown guard. In order to highlight the curved profile of the lugs, the top edges have been chamfered and polished.

The innovative Rolex Glidelock and Fliplock extension systems require no tools for use. Made of RLX titanium, the Deepsea Challenge’s Oyster bracelet is equipped with both the Fliplock extension link and the Rolex Glidelock system. Thanks to the combination of these two extension systems, the watch can be worn comfortably over a diving suit up to 7 mm thick.

Rolex’s patented Ringlock system equips all of the brand’s divers’ watches designed for extreme depths. An extension of the research dedicated to the waterproofness of the Oyster, this system is a reinforced case architecture comprising a thick, slightly domed sapphire crystal, a nitrogen-alloyed steel compression ring, and a case back made from RLX titanium. This construction allows the Deepsea Challenge to withstand the pressure exerted by water at 11,000 metres (36,090 feet), the depth to which it is guaranteed waterproof. In partnership with Comex (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises), Rolex developed an ultra-high-pressure tank to test the waterproofness of the Deepsea Challenge. Each watch is tested, as required by the standards for divers’ watches, with an additional safety margin of 25 per cent, meaning that it is subjected to a pressure equivalent to that exerted at a depth of 13,750 metres (45,112 feet).

The Deepsea Challenge is equipped with calibre 3230, a movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex that was released in 2020. A consummate demonstration of technology, this self-winding mechanical movement led to the filing of several patents. It offers outstanding performance in terms of precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetic fields, convenience and reliability.

Calibre 3230 incorporates the patented Chronergy escapement, which combines high energy efficiency with great dependability. Made of nickel-phosphorus, it is also insensitive to magnetic fields. The movement is fitted with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring, manufactured by Rolex in a paramagnetic alloy. The blue Parachrom hairspring is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring the calibre’s regularity in any position. The oscillator is fitted on the Rolex-designed, patented high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers, increasing the movement’s shock resistance.

Calibre 3230 is equipped with a self-winding module via a Perpetual rotor. Thanks to its barrel architecture and the escapement’s superior efficiency, the power reserve of this movement extends to approximately 70 hours.

Dial

• Dial : Intense black
• Details : Highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence

Case

• Case : Oyster, 50 mm, RLX titanium
• Oyster architecture : Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown. Rolex Ringlock System case architecture with Helium escape valve
• Diameter : 50 mm
• Material : RLX titanium
• Bezel : Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated, scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in platinum
• Winding crown : Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system
• Crystal : Domed, 9.5 mm-thick scratch-resistant sapphire
• Water resistance : Waterproof to 11,000 metres / 36,090 feet, helium escape valve

Movement

• Movement : Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding
• Calibre : 3230, Manufacture Rolex
• Precision : -2/+2 sec/day, after casing
• Certification : Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex certification after casing)
• Functions : Centre hour, minute and seconds hands. Stop-seconds for precise time setting
• Oscillator : Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring. High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers
• Winding : Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
• Power reserve : Approximately 70 hours

Bracelet

• Bracelet : Oyster, three-piece solid links
• Material : RLX titanium
• Clasp : Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system. Fliplock extension link