Titanic Tourist Submarine Accident

On June 18th (local time ADT), The submersible “Titan” went missing off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. Titan was a deep-sea submersible developed by the American underwater tourism company OceanGate Expeditions for the purpose of touring the wreck of the Titanic, Which sank in 1912. On its 14th voyage, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire businessman and explorer Hamish Harding, French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, And Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son were on board.

Titan Submersible ⓒ OceanGate Expeditions

Two days later, On June 20th, Debris from the submersible was discovered at a depth of 3, 800 meters near the Titanic, Confirming the deaths of all on board due to implosion. The unusual status of the passengers, The exorbitant price of the ultra-luxury deep-sea submersible at $250, 000 (about 300 million KRW), Its absurd design and resulting flaws, And above all, The fact that the disaster followed Heinrich’s Law, Which states that dozens of minor accidents and signs precede a major disaster, Shocked the world.

James Cameron and Rolex as Deep-Sea Explorers

Testimonies from related figures also became a hot topic. James Cameron, Director of the film Titanic (1997), Mentioned the similarities between the Titan and Titanic disasters in interviews with ABC News, CNN, And other media after the accident, Sharply criticizing the human error caused by a disregard for safety. He was especially saddened as he was close friends with Paul-Henri Nargeolet, One of the passengers on Titan.

Documentary ‘Deepsea Challenge’ ⓒ IMDb

James Cameron’s remarks carry significant authority. It is not simply because he is the director of a related disaster film or a friend of a passenger. He has explored the wreck of the Titanic more than 30 times and in 2012, He succeeded as a deep-sea explorer by descending to the Challenger Deep, The deepest point of the Mariana Trench, In the submersible “Deepsea Challenger, ” which he designed and built himself, Setting a record for a solo submersible at a depth of 10, 908 meters. This challenge was also made into a National Geographic documentary film, Deepsea Challenge (2017).

Deepsea Prototype attached to the submersible
ⓒ Mark Thiessen/National Geographic

In this documentary, You can see that a Rolex is surprisingly strapped to the manipulator arm of the submersible that reached the deepest place on Earth. It was the Rolex Deepsea Challenge prototype made especially for this adventure. The development team, Composed only of Rolex elites, Reportedly completed it in just eight weeks. The massive case, 52mm in diameter and 28mm thick, Boasted water resistance up to 12, 000 meters. James Cameron personally confirmed that the watch operated normally at a depth of 10, 908 meters, Where the water pressure is about one ton per square centimeter. This challenge was also special for Rolex, As it followed the record of the Rolex Deepsea Special, Which survived and returned safely after enduring deep-sea exploration on the exterior of the Trieste submersible, The first to reach Challenger Deep in 1960.

The Evolution of the Rolex Deepsea Challenge

In 2022, Ten years after James Cameron returned from the deepest ocean with the Rolex Deepsea Challenge prototype, Rolex announced the Deepsea Challenge regular model Ref. 126067.

Ref. 116660 ⓒ Watchesbysjx

In fact, A watch commemorating James Cameron’s “Deepsea Challenge” project had already appeared in 2014. It was the Deepsea D-Blue, Ref. 116660. As a variation of the black dial model released in 2008, The D-Blue dial expresses the deepening ocean with a two-tone gradient, And the product name “DEEPSEA” is printed in the exterior color of the Deepsea Challenger submersible. After switching to the next-generation Caliber 3235 in 2018 and changing the green color of the product name to a deeper shade with Ref. 126660, It is now available as Ref. 136660-0003 (Ref. 136660-0004 is the black dial). Only minor updates have been made, Such as slightly narrowing the bezel, Enlarging the date window, And removing the Fliplock system from the bracelet.

Deep Sea 116660

44mm, D-Blue, Oyster

Deep Sea 126660

44mm, D-Blue, Oyster

Deep Sea 136660

44mm, D-Blue, Oyster

However, The Deepsea Challenge Ref. 126067 is especially meaningful as it directly inherits the watch that accompanied James Cameron’s challenge.

Left: One-off Rolex Deepsea Challenge from 2012
Right: New Deepsea Challenge made of RLX titanium
ⓒ Armbanduhren

For commercialization, The diameter was reduced by 2mm, The thickness by 5mm, And the weight by 30%. This was possible thanks to the use of RLX titanium instead of the prototype’s 904L steel. It is still a large watch, But definitely less burdensome. It is also highly durable, Corrosion-resistant, And hypoallergenic. In addition, The Ringlock system, Which inserts a high-strength steel ring with a high nitrogen content inside the case to distribute the pressure exerted on the watch at great depths, And the helium escape valve, Which automatically and quickly releases helium gas that has entered the watch during decompression after saturation diving, Remain almost unchanged for deep-sea diving specifications. Water resistance is 11, 000 meters. Although about 1, 000 meters less than the prototype, It far exceeds the 1, 220 meters of the Sea-Dweller and the 3, 900 meters of the Deepsea in the same collection.
Sea-Dweller is also the only model in the family to have the date function removed. This is likely because it was deemed unnecessary in deep-sea diving situations where withstanding pressure is paramount.

From left: Rolex Deepsea (2008), Deepsea Challenge (2022), Deepsea Special (1960), Deepsea Challenge (2012), Submariner (1986) ⓒ monochrome-watches

It is the ultimate in over-engineering, Almost never used in daily life, But perhaps that is why it best embodies the philosophy of Rolex. A watch designed for real extreme exploration, A watch that has taken great steps with humanity, Continues to excite collectors. Its value does not diminish just because it may never touch a drop of water in reality.

Sea-Dweller 126600

43mm, Black, Oyster

In addition,

On July 15th, Director James Cameron made an unusual direct response to rumors about a film on the Titan submersible accident. He stated that he is not discussing any OceanGate-related film and will never do so in the future.