Brand: Rolex

Limited Edition: COMEX 6319

Year: 1992

Reference: 16610

Case: Stainless Steel

Movement: Rolex cal. 3135 automatic

Bracelet: Rolex Oyster stainless steel bracelet ref 93150 end links 501B and clasp code P8

Diameter: 40mm

Price: 60.000€

The Rolex Submariner Date reference 16610 COMEX represents one of the most historically important professional diving watches ever produced. Manufactured in direct collaboration with the Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises (COMEX), these watches were engineered specifically for saturation diving operations and were never commercially available to the public. Instead, they were issued exclusively to professional COMEX divers, making surviving examples exceptionally rare and institutionally significant. The reference 16610 COMEX integrates Rolex’s legendary Oyster case construction, water-resistant to 300 meters. These technical advancements reflect Rolex’s pioneering role in supporting deep-sea industrial exploration throughout the late 20th century.

Inside the watch operates the Rolex calibre 3135, one of the brand’s most respected automatic movements, celebrated for its robustness, chronometric precision, and long-term reliability. The calibre features 31 jewels, COSC chronometer certification, and approximately 48 hours of power reserve, reinforcing the professional reliability required for demanding underwater environments. This example is particularly compelling due to the preservation of its original COMEX-signed dial, unpolished case with strong factory geometry, and clearly engraved COMEX-issued stock number. Such elements are essential markers of authenticity and are increasingly difficult to find in combination.

COMEX Submariners occupy a unique position within vintage Rolex collecting, representing the direct intersection between industrial diving history and technical horological innovation. Their restricted production, professional allocation, and documentary importance have elevated them to cornerstone status among advanced collectors. Preserved in outstanding original condition, with strong case integrity, original tritium dial and hands, and historically significant COMEX engravings, this watch represents an exceptional and highly desirable collector’s example. A true institutional tool watch with profound historical relevance, it remains an essential acquisition for serious vintage Rolex collections.

Exceptional original dial signed COMEX, preserved in outstanding condition. The dial retains its original tritium luminous material, which has aged naturally and evenly, maintaining excellent visual harmony across the hour markers. The original hands remain perfectly matched to the dial, displaying consistent luminous ageing and colour stability. The clarity of the COMEX signature, combined with the preservation of the dial surface, underscores the exceptional originality of the watch. COMEX-signed dials remain among the most historically significant and highly coveted configurations within the Submariner lineage.

The stainless steel Oyster case is preserved in exceptionally robust condition, retaining remarkable thickness and structural integrity, strongly suggesting that the watch has never undergone polishing. The lugs remain full and sharply defined, with perfectly preserved geometry and highly visible chamfers — a rare and highly desirable attribute among professional Submariner references. The rotating bezel remains in very well-preserved condition and retains its original insert fitted with a tritium pearl. The insert shows honest and attractive period ageing, consistent with the overall authenticity of the watch. The case surfaces display only minimal signs of wear, with no significant impacts or structural damage, indicating extremely careful use throughout its lifetime. Of exceptional importance, the caseback is engraved with the COMEX designation and retains its original issued stock number in the 63XX range. These engraved stock numbers were assigned internally by COMEX and serve as critical identifiers linking the watch directly to professional diving allocation. The preservation and legibility of these engravings significantly enhance both historical relevance and collector value. Overall, the case represents a superbly preserved example of a professional-issued COMEX Submariner, combining originality, structural strength, and institutional provenance.