COMEX 16600 - Double Red Sea Dweller DRSD.com

COMEX 16600 dial detail — Photo by Shin-An

Overview

The Rolex COMEX 16600 Sea-Dweller represents the final chapter of Rolex’s long-standing professional relationship with COMEX, the French deep-sea diving company. Delivered in two distinct production batches, the 16600 is the last Rolex reference ever supplied to COMEX — making it one of the most significant and sought-after pieces in the entire COMEX pantheon.

Production Batches & Serial Ranges

Sea-Dweller 16600 examples were delivered to COMEX in two separate batches, each distinguishable by the engraving style on the caseback and the COMEX serial range:

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Batch 1 — Year

1992

Batch 1 — Quantity

100 examples

Batch 1 — Caseback Text

Straight writing “Rolex COMEX”

Batch 1 — COMEX Serials

32XX

Batch 2 — Year

1997

Batch 2 — Quantity

100 examples

Batch 2 — Caseback Text

Rounded writing style

Batch 2 — COMEX Serials

33XX

Total Production

200 examples

Significance

Last Rolex reference ever supplied to COMEX

Batch 1 · 1992 · Serials 32XX Batch 2 · 1997 · Serials 33XX 200 Total Examples Final COMEX Reference

  The 16600 was the last Rolex supplied to COMEX — closing out one of the most celebrated professional partnerships in the history of the dive watch.

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Reference Images

COMEX 16600

Caseback

The distinguishing feature between the two 16600 batches lies in the caseback engraving. The 1992 batch bears a straight-lettered “Rolex COMEX” inscription, while the 1997 batch features the later rounded lettering style. Both batches carry individual COMEX serial numbers — 32XX for the first delivery and 33XX for the second — stamped on the caseback alongside the standard Rolex Sea-Dweller engravings.

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1992 Batch Engraving

Straight “Rolex COMEX” text

1997 Batch Engraving

Rounded lettering style

COMEX Serial Range

32XX (1992) · 33XX (1997)

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Collector Notes & Rarity

With only 200 examples produced across both deliveries, the COMEX 16600 occupies a unique position in the Sea-Dweller collecting world. It bridges the classic era of COMEX–Rolex collaboration with the modern reference, and as the final chapter of that storied partnership, it commands strong collector interest. The two distinct caseback engravings give authentication specialists and collectors a straightforward method for batch identification.

      Collector tip: Always verify the COMEX serial engraving on the caseback. Batch 1 (1992) should read in straight letters; Batch 2 (1997) in the rounded style. Cross-reference the COMEX serial — 32XX or 33XX — against known examples.
    