Rolex has once again proven itself as a master of the waterproof diving watches. Its Submariner has been the stuff of legend in the diving watch category, and achieved silver-screen status in James Bond movies like On Her Majesty’s Secert Service.

And now Rolex has introduced an ultimately durable diver’s watch. The new Sea-Dweller Deepsea is waterproof to a staggering 3,900 meters. That’s 12,800 feet under water, the equivalent of 8.8 Sears Towers, 20 St Louis Arches, or 84 Statues of Liberty, end to end.

As a practical matter, it is difficult to fathom (!) the need for a watch to withstand this extreme level of water pressure. The world record SCUBA dive stands unofficially at 1,083 feet. Only 8 people have ever gone below 800 feet. So why would Rolex produce a watch that, in practical terms, would never skim the surface of its true potential? The value is perhaps in the never-ending quest to push the limits of technological advancement and engineering capabilities. The technology has brought to a relatively small mechanical piece the ability to withstand pressure approaching that of the Trieste submarine, the deepest depth man has ever ventured.