Rolex Launches Its First Titanium Watch—And It Has A Record

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge.

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge represents two firsts for Rolex: it is the brand's first watch crafted from RLX titanium, and its first commercially produced watch that can descend to 36,000 feet. The new Deepsea is a culmination of Rolex's well-documented expertise in deep dive watches and its partnerships with famous divers, including collaborations with French diving company Comex (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises), and culminating in the Deepsea model that famously accompanied filmmaker and explorer James Cameron on his historic 2012 descent into the Mariana Trench. Cameron's vessel descended to a depth of just under 37,000 feet with a Rolex strapped to it.

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge an homage to the deepest dives ever made and a new ... [+] record in water resistance.

After a decade of research and development, Rolex has now created a series of production divers with unprecedented capabilities. The new Deepsea is also an homage both to the Cameron dive and to that of oceanographer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh aboard the Trieste in a 1960 a Mariana Trench voyage that also included a Rolex prototype. The Deepsea Challenge is thus engraved with the words "Mariana Trench" as well as the dates "23-01-1960" and "26-03-2012."

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge in titanium.

Creating the case in RLX titanium makes the new Deepsea Challenge 30 percent lighter than the one Cameron took to the trench – an important feature for a watch that measures 50mm wide x 23.3 mm thick (the crystal alone is 9.5 mm thick). It has a helium escape valve and Rolex's patented Ringlock system, which further enhances the case's ability to withstand the extreme pressure experienced at great depths. The Deepsea Challenge also incorporates the brand's Triplock crown with three sealed zones, and Chromalight display for optimal legibility.

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge in titanium.

It contains the in-house caliber 3230, with Superlative Chronometer certification and a 70-hour power reserve. It is priced at $26,000 at retail – and will no doubt cost roughly twice that on the secondary market in the coming weeks.