Titanium is the material of choice for the inner caseback on the Deepsea due to its strong corrosion-resistant properties and its ability to repeatedly flex under stress without developing the same degree of metal fatigue as steel. Since the crystal on the Deepsea will be subjected to the same extreme pressures as the caseback, its scratch-resistant sapphire crystal has been beefed up to be a massive 5.5mm thick, and it is crafted in a domed shape (without a Cyclops magnification lens) to better distribute the pressures being exerted on the face of the watch.Like both the Submariner and the normal Sea-Dweller, the Deepsea is equipped with Rolex’s Triplock winding crown that screws down and uses a system of gaskets to create three sealed zones to protect against moisture intrusion. Additionally, since the Deepsea is a variation of Rolex’s Sea-Dweller collection, its case is equipped with a helium gas escape valve, which allows the watch to safely be used for saturation diving applications.One of the hallmark characteristics of modern dive watches is the degree of the over-engineering present in their designs and the almost-ludicrously excessive performance-statistics that manufacturers are able to achieve. Although the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller is easily the most capable and robust dive watch available in Rolex’s current catalog, only a very slim percentage of its owners will ever require even a small fraction of its incredible underwater functionality. Regardless, the Ringlock system and the case of the Deepsea are the perfect embodiment of form following function, as the watch was specifically designed from the ground-up to be the ultimate deep-sea diving timepiece.
However, rather than being fitted with the same style of bracelet that is found on other Date watches of the same circa, the reference 15238 Date is fitted with a rivet-link Oyster bracelet in 18k gold. The watch itself is fairly modern, both inside and out; however, this style of bracelet was most commonly seen throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and was phased out long before the reference 15238 ever made its first appearance. The unique combination of modern and vintage aesthetics provided by the unusual presence of the rivet-link bracelet, helps to set the reference 15238 apart and make it unique; however it also makes the watch an excellent option for those in the market for a slightly smaller alternative to the Day-Date that is also still crafted entirely from solid 18k gold.
As previously mentioned, the case also received a ceramic “Cerachrom” insert, which is virtually scratch-proof and will not fade and lose its vibrant color like aluminum. The ref. 116613 is also available with Rolex’s patented “Chromalight” lume on the dial, which offers a bright, blue glow for up to 8 continuous hours (as well as larger plots). Similar to the ref. 16613, the newer model Submariner Rolex 116613 is also available with either a blue or black dial and bezel combination. However, the Serti dials on the 116613 only come in blue or black (rather than champagne or silver), and do not feature sapphires set into the markers on the 6, 9, and 12 o’clock locations. Instead, ref. 116613 Serti dials only have 8 diamonds set in them, and feature lume-filled indexes for the 6, 9, and 12 o’clock hour markers.Both the Submariner 16613 and 116613 run on the Rolex Caliber 3135 perpetual movement with a 48-hour power reserve. However, the version of the Cal. 3135 inside the newer ref. 116613 is fitted with an upgraded paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring for better resistance to shocks and temperature variations.
Several years ago, Panerai published Luminor Submersible 1950 PAM 382, which raised a bronze storm in watch industry. The story between XF and bronze started from Panerai’s PAM 382. Afterwards, XF unveiled PAM 507, PAM 671, Zenith Type 20 Pilot Extra Special, Tudor Black Bay Bronzo, these are all art work of XF that are made of bronze material. So, we can see that XF factory continuously researched bronze and applied this material in their watch-making process, today, they released this IWC Pilot Spitfire bronze watch, it is the first IWC watch that is made of bronze.Actually, it is not hard to make a bronze case, but the difficulty is that bronze case should be oxidized to our expected result at the speed we want, XF has always been researching this, now the oxidized result on this IWC Pilot Spitfire has achieved a perfect condition, which is closest to genuine, compared with the bronze case from small factories, you will find that their oxidized color is uneven and there is even rusty spot.
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