Three words and ten letters on the dial of a watch can make a world of difference.

We mean: Tiffany & Co.

The venerable jeweler has long been a purveyor of fine timepieces, starting in the 1840s with Patek Philippe. Relationships with other watch manufactures followed. Soon, pocket and pendant watches bore a Tiffany signature along with the manufacture’s.

In addition to Patek Philippe, Tiffany also had a long and fruitful relationship with Rolex.

This relationship commenced in the mid-1950s. Rolexes meant to be retailed at Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship store would have the famous Tiffany & Co. signature stamped on the dial. The type of watch determined the placement of the logo: for example, for a dress watch such as an Oyster Perpetual, the Tiffany signature would be above the hands.

However, for a sports watch like this Sea-Dweller, the Tiffany signature would be placed below the hands, above the depth rating and model name.

Eventually, Rolex began supplying pre-stamped dials to Tiffany, but the practice ended in the 1990s, and Tiffany ceased to sell Rolex in its stores.

Thus, the double-signed watches produced during that thirty year period attract a fervor that is seldom equaled among the watch community.

Even without the Tiffany signature, this is an excellent example of a desirable model of Sea- Dweller. With its quirky reference number of 16660, the “triple 6” is an eminently wearable dive watch whose glossy black dial with white gold surrounds belies its sturdy tool watch nature. But the Tiffany signature elevates a humble tool watch to something that is truly special indeed.

Make no mistake: while Tiffany-signed Rolexes are hard to come by, a Tiffany-signed "triple 6" is as rare as hen's teeth. This one is an absolute stunner. With a case as strong, and a dial as lovingly-preserved, as this one is, it's obvious that it was loved and dearly parted with, and it deserves to pass into the hands of another who will cherish it as much as it has been.