Dwelling on change

The Sea-Dweller is said to be the least popular among Rolex's sports watches. Yet all anyone could talk about at the mega Basel watch fair in March was the updated model (ref 126600) of the extreme dive watch. Retailers already reported a long waiting list for it, even though the new Sea-Dweller is not expected to arrive in shops until July at the earliest.

Rolex stopped production of the model in 2008 to focus on the Deepsea, which can go up to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) under water - more than three times the distance that the Sea-Dweller can cover. Even so, loyal collectors felt that the Deepsea could not possibly replace the Sea-Dweller. So Rolex "reintroduced" the Sea-Dweller" in 2014, with some subtle improvements including a slimmer case, ceramic bezel and adjustable glide-lock bracelet.

There's a good reason why Rolex launched another Sea-Dweller this year, so soon after the 2014 comeback. It's the dive watch's 50th birthday - and this time the changes are more controversial, fanning further the buzz surrounding it.