A rare Rolex deep sea diving watch is being auctioned by Birmingham auctioneers and valuers Fellows & Sons on Monday 6^th April. The gentlemen's Rolex "Double Red" Sea-Dweller circa 1977 can withstand depths of up to 610m (2000ft).

The Rolex Sea-Dweller was originally created in response to technical problems being experienced by divers at the French company Comex. During deep sea dives, pressure would build up inside the watch which would eventually push the crystal off, rendering it useless. In 1967 Rolex patented their innovative helium escape valve technology which allowed these gases to escape from the watch as the divers were being brought back to atmospheric pressure.

Watch valuer, Rebecca Webster says "The notoriety of the Sea-Dweller is not simply a consequence of it being "a Rolex watch", it is instead a result of the collaboration between Rolex Watch Company and Comex which pioneered a technological advance still used by the diving world to this day. The helium release valve has proved to be a revolutionary creation now used on watches ranging from Oris to Omega, and the "double-red" as it has affectionately become known, is an early icon of this technical revelation."