Rolex Deepsea · Reference 136660
Rolex Deepsea 136660
Known as Deepsea (current generation); D-Blue variant known as the "James Cameron"
The 136660 is the current-generation Rolex Deepsea, launched in 2022 to replace the 126660 after that reference's roughly four-year run. This is the big-case saturation diver in the Sea-Dweller family, 44mm across in Oystersteel, rated to 3,900 meters (12,800 feet) of water resistance. It comes two ways: a straight black dial (m136660-0004) and the D-Blue gradient dial (m136660-0005 and later -0006) that fades from bright blue at the top to black at the bottom, marking James Cameron's 2012 solo dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench with green DEEPSEA text on the dial. Same 3,900m depth rating carried over from the prior generation, but Rolex reworked nearly everything around the case: slimmer bezel, larger date aperture, a redesigned bracelet and clasp, and a caseback now openly stamped RLX Titanium. If you want the deepest-rated production Rolex you can wear on a bracelet every day, this is it.
Produced: 2022 to present
Specifications
- Case
- 44mm Oystersteel (904L-grade stainless steel), roughly 17.7mm thick
- Case Architecture
- Ringlock System: nitrogen-alloyed steel compression ring inside the case, RLX Titanium (grade 5) caseback, domed sapphire crystal
- Crystal
- Domed scratch-resistant sapphire, 5.5mm thick
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated, black Cerachrom ceramic insert; slimmer profile than the 126660
- Movement
- Rolex Caliber 3235, in-house automatic
- Movement Details
- Chronergy escapement, Parachrom hairspring, roughly 70-hour power reserve, Superlative Chronometer certified (-2/+2 seconds per day)
- Water Resistance
- 3,900 meters / 12,800 feet
- Helium Escape Valve
- Yes, for saturation diving
- Crown
- Triplock triple-seal screw-down
- Dial Variants
- Black (m136660-0004); D-Blue gradient blue-to-black with green DEEPSEA text, the "James Cameron" (m136660-0005 / m136660-0006)
- Lug Width
- 22mm
- Bracelet
- Oyster in Oystersteel with Oysterlock safety clasp and Glidelock extension (20mm of on-the-fly adjustment in 2mm increments); the Fliplock dive extension from the 126660 was dropped on this generation
Market & Value
Retail is $15,550 for the black dial, with the D-Blue James Cameron carrying a small premium above that at the boutique. On the secondary market the picture inverted the way it usually does once a reference stops being scarce: black-dial 136660 examples have been trading in the $14,000 to $14,500 band, below sticker, while the D-Blue holds up better and sits around $16,500 to $17,000, at or just over retail. That spread is real and it matters when you're buying or selling. The D-Blue is the one collectors chase, so it moves faster and holds value; the black dial is the value buy if you just want the watch and don't need the gradient. Full set (box, papers, card dated to the current generation) is worth paying up for on either. We watch these prices weekly because we're writing checks on them, not quoting a chart.
What to Know Before You Buy
This is a large, heavy watch. At 44mm wide, near 17.7mm thick, and full steel, it wears like the tool it is; if you have a 6.5-inch wrist, try it on before you commit. The biggest practical change from the 126660 to the 136660 is the clasp. Rolex removed the Fliplock dive extension and slimmed the Oysterlock clasp down, so the new one sits flatter and is more comfortable for land wear, but purists who wanted the full saturation-dive extension lost it. The date window grew slightly for better legibility, the bezel got thinner, and the caseback is now explicitly marked RLX Titanium (the 126660 already used a titanium caseback, Rolex just didn't brand it that way). Watch out for two things when buying pre-owned: confirm the reference is actually 136660 and not the older 126660 or 116660, because the D-Blue dial looks similar across all three generations, and check the papers date to 2022 or later. The Deepsea Challenge, the 50mm all-titanium ref 126067, is a completely different watch; don't let a listing conflate the two.
Rolex Rolex Deepsea Encyclopedia
Read the full guide →Buying or selling a 136660?
Ultimate Watch buys and sells the Deepsea 136660 in both the black dial and the D-Blue James Cameron, at our counter at 19 W 47th Street in New York. We've been on this block since 1959, we know exactly what a full-set D-Blue is worth versus a naked black-dial example, and we pay accordingly. If you're selling, bring it in or call us and we'll make you a real number the same day; if you're buying, tell us which dial and whether you want full set and we'll source it. Request an offer or come see one in the case.