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How to Set Your Rolex Sea-Dweller

Launched in 1967, the Rolex Sea-Dweller is the result of decades worth of technological advancement and it represents the ultimate expression of a professional diver's watch.

The Sea-Dweller expands upon the capabilities of conventional dive watches with an increased depth rating, a date display, and the addition of a helium gas escape valve that enables it to be used for saturation diving. As Rolex's most capable professional dive watch, all Sea-Dweller models feature superior water resistance, highly luminous displays, and rotating bezels for tracking elapsed time.

How to Set Your Rolex Sea-Dweller:

  1. First, unscrew the winding crown until it is completely free from the threads that secure it to the case.
  2. To set the date display on your watch, pull the winding crown out to the first position and rotate it to advance the value displayed by the date window. 
  3. For vintage Sea-Dweller watches that do not allow the date to be set separately from the time, you will need to rotate the hands past midnight to advance the date display.
  4. To set the time, pull the winding crown out to the second position; the seconds hand will come to a complete stop.
  5. Rotate the crown in either direction until the correct time is displayed by the hands. If the date display advances past the desired value while doing this, repeat the previous two steps to correct the date.
  6. Once the time and date have been set, push in the winding crown and screw it back down to the case.

* The winding crown on your Rolex Sea-Dweller must be fully screwed down to ensure that it stays protected against moisture and dirt.

How to Use Your Rolex Sea-Dweller's Bezel

  1. To use your Sea-Dweller's bezel to measure elapsed time, simply turn it until the inverted triangle is aligned with the current position of the minute hand.
  2. You can then read the amount of time that has passed by referencing the minute hand’s position against the 60-minute scale on your watch's bezel.

Designed for a life spent deep below the surface of the ocean, the Rolex Sea-Dweller is the ultimate expression of professional dive watch technology and it represents the frontier of what is possible with underwater timekeeping.