Don Walsh Belongs To The Ages 1931-2023

 

U.S. Navy Captain

Don Walsh Ph. D

Belongs To The Ages

1931-2023

King of The DEEP

Legendary Deep Sea Explorer, Don Walsh passed away this week on November 12, 2023. I met and spent many hours interviewing Don Walsh back in 2008 for an article I worked on celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Challenger Deep all-time record set by the U.S. Navy's Bathyscaphe Trieste back in 1960. I really enjoyed the time I spent interviewing Don, and will always remember him as an amazingly intelligent and accomplished Rolex brand ambassador. I remember Don as being very down to earth, humble and extremely knowledgeable.

Don Walsh was one of three Rolex history characters aboard the U.S. Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste back in 1960 when it set an all-time depth record by traveling down 7 miles, with the Rolex DEEP-SEA Prototype (pictured at the top of this story) attached to the outside of the submersible.

The DEEPEST Dive In History

In the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy purchased the Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible from the Piccard's, and hired Jacques Piccard to continue overseeing its testing. 

The U.S. Navy and Piccard were extremely ambitious and after significantly reinforcing the Bathyscaphe Trieste attempted to take it down to the deepest known point in the earths ocean, which was a place named The Challenger Deep, located near Guam in the South Pacific, in the Marianas Trench. Once again, the Trieste was equipped with another Rolex DEEP-SEA Prototype attached to the outside, and of course it came back-up unscathed.

The 1953 Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype

The following ad from Rolex shows the early prototype of the Rolex DEEP-SEA Special that set an earlier record in 1953 on the Bathyscaph Trieste when it set a record of 10,350 feet. This watch differs from the one version that was attached to the Bathyscaph Trieste in 1960 in that it has what appears to be a spinning bezel.

The 1960 Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype

This next ad is from early 1961 and Rolex shares its stunning story of accomplishment. It is fascinating to note that Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was born on March 22, 1881 and passed away on July 6, 1960 in Geneva, just 6 months after the Rolex DEEP-SEA Special prototype had set the world depth record. 

Han's Wilsdorf's Oyster Perpetual had successfully conquered the top of the world and the bottom of the ocean–his work was done and he must have passed away one satisfied man.

THINK DEEPLY

The U.S. Navy mission patch below for Operation Tekton says "Pensate Profunde" which, when translated from latin means "Think Deeply." It also has the Navy dolphin and Bathyscaphe Triest logo.

The illustration below shows the exact location of where the Bathyscaph Trieste set the all-time world depth record in the Challenger Deep section of the Mariana Trench. The Trieste during the time of Operation Tekton was located at the U.S. Naval Station at Apra Harbor, Guam, which is approximately 200 miles north-east of the Challenger Deep.

The Challenger Deep

The following diagram gives a fascinating perspective on the Mariana Trench and the Challenger Deep. It is profound to note that the Challenger Deep at more than 35,000 feet is deeper than the highest point on earth which is Mt. Everest at just over 29,000 feet.

Pictured below, we see a diagram that illustrates just how deep the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench is at 36,070 feet. Notice the Challenger Deep is significantly deeper than Mount Everest is tall. This excellent illustration really puts things in an accurate and easily understandable perspective.

Anatomy of The

Bathyscaph Trieste DEEP-SEA Submersible

The Bathyscaph Trieste was a work of engineering art and science. In the late 1930's, Jacques Piccard's father, Auguste Piccard came up with an amazing idea to build an "underwater free balloon" that would allow mankind to explore the deep seas.

Auguste Piccard was a mad-genius who had already built the first balloon that allowed a man to reach the earth's stratosphere, and next he applied this same principle toward the ocean. The Bathyscaph Trieste (as diagramed below) was essentially a balloon which Piccard referred to as a float. The float consisted of a thin metal shell that was filled with gasoline. Gasoline is lighter than water, which would allow the float to ascend or climb in the water, once ballast was released.

The float had ballast tanks (as seen in the diagram above) which allowed for positive buoyancy while the float was floating on the ocean surface. The ballast tanks could be vented which would result in filling them up with sea-water, which would, in-turn, allow the Bathyscaph to dive. The dive or descent rate could be controlled or stopped by the release of solid weights which consisted of metal pellets that were in the shot tubs, that could be easily released.

The two member crew stayed in the observation gondola–as seen above–which was located at the bottom of the float. The observation gondola sphere was made by Krupp Works in Essen, Germany and was designed to be able to sustain a maximum depth rating of 50,000 feet, which significantly exceeded the deepest point on the ocean floor which was the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench–off Guam. 

The Krupp observation gondola sphere was a magnificent piece of structural engineering and it had walls that were between 5 and 7 inches thick!!!! The photo above of the Trieste model has part of the gondola cutaway so you can see inside, but the actual gondola (as seen below) did not have this feature. Instead, the team would enter from the top of the Bathyscaph and climb down the entrance tunnel–like on a Submarine.

The photo below shows the Bathyscaph Trieste flying the American flag, since it was owned by the U.S. Navy, along with the Swiss Flag, since Piccard was Swiss as well as the Italian Flag, since it was originally constructed in Trieste, Italy.

After they returned from their record-shattering dive, Jacques Piccard sent Rolex of Geneva a historic telegram that simply said:

"Happy to announce that your watch works as well at 11,000 meters as it does on the surface." –Jacques Piccard

The press release below tells the story of the actual Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype watch, and how it ended up in the Smithsonian Institute.

All Time DEEP-SEA Depth Record 

Trieste Descends To 36,070 Feet

January 23, 1960

The photo below shows the Bathyscaphe Trieste out in the Pacific Ocean as she prepares to set the all-time depth record of 36,070 Feet on January 23, 1960.

The Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible took 4 hours and 48 minutes to descended to the ocean floor.

Don Walsh retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain and went on to earn his Doctorate in Oceanography from Texas A & M University. 

Don continued to be an extremely active explorer and he is pictured below standing in front of the Mir DEEP-SEA Submersible as he prepared to travel down 15,000 feet on an expedition to explore the wreck of the Bismarck. Captain Don Walsh USN (ret), PhD., maintained the title of Honorary President Of The Explorers Club.

–James Cameron 

[National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence].

In the photo below we see James Cameron posing with the National Geographic Society flag, just after he attempted to break Don Walsh's depth record in the same Challenger Deep. I think James Cameron is an amazing explorer, and I LOVE this photo, which has a definite  modern Jacques-Yves Cousteau vibe.

In the photo below we see James Cameron shaking hands with Captain Don Walsh, who successfully set the all-time depth record in 1960 while piloting the U.S. Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste in the same waters. 

Not only was retired U.S. Navy Captain Don Walsh on board, but as a Rolex ambassador, it was his idea to have Rolex collaborate with James Cameron to put a new Rolex DEEP-SEA to this test on this fantastic journey. 

Captain Walsh also served as an indispensable consultant to James Cameron on this epic project, and in the photos above and below we see them after the record dive and Captain Walsh is proudly posing with the original Rolex DEEP-SEA Special prototype that accompanied him on the outside of his Bathyscaphe Trieste, and James Cameron is also proudly posing with the Rolex DEEP-SEA CHALLENGE watch that accompanied him on the outside of his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible.

In the photo below we see James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER on deck in the background, and we see Captain Walsh standing behind a scaled model of the original Bathyscaphe Trieste. It is amazing how cool and historical these images are. Talk about iconic worlds colliding. This photo really captures the core-essence of The Rolex Spirit of Enquiry and Exploration. This is as real as the real deal gets–the OG hanging-tough with the OG. 

I live-blogged James Cameron's conquest of the Deep-Sea on Jake's Rolex World with minute by minute updates as the whole thing unfolded live. It is fascinating to note this is the most outstanding action related Rolex event I have ever witnessed in my lifetime as an adult! 

In this next photo we see three of the greatest explorers alive; Captain Don Walsh, Doctor Robert Ballard (who discovered the Titanic), and James Cameron. Even though Don Walsh has stepped back into infinity, his amazing lifetime achievements will no doubt continue to inspire future generations of explorers and trailblazers.

1957 Tudor Watch Ad

1957 Tudor Watch Ad

from Casual to Formal

Athina Onassis Ladies Datejust...

Alexander Onassis

Rolex GMT-Master

In the photos below we see Alexander Onassis who was Aristotle's son rocking his Rolex GMT-Master, which was discovered by Nick Gould.

In the photo below we see Aristotle Onassis who Alexander's father as well as being an ultra successful Greek Shipping Tycoon.

Alexander Onassis died young at age 24 in a small airplane accident.

...Rolex Hotness...

Athina Onassis

Ladies 34MM Rolex Datejust Special Edition

Since we just looked at Alexander Onassis I thought it would make sense to take a look at Athina Onassis Roussel is the maternal granddaughter and only surviving descendent of legendary Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onasis.  Athina is a competitive show jumper, and as we see in the photos below Athina wears a ladies 34MM Datejust Special Edition. It appears Athina has two different models of the same Rolex watch, one with a dark dial, and one with a light dial.

Aristotle Onassis

Athina's Grandfather

The photo below shows Athina's maternal grandfather, Aristotle Onassis in 1969 watching the World Series, with his wife, Jackie Onassis, along with her children, Caroline and JFK Jr. Ironically Caroline Kennedy wears a Rolex today, and Aristotle Onasis gave JFK Jr., a Paul Newman Exotic Dial Daytona.

SEAL-DWELLER: The Tyrone Woods Story

Veterans Day Special

SEAL-DWELLER

    

       

James Badge Dale, above, who plays retired Navy SEAL Tyrone "Rone" Woods, wears a Rolex Submariner 116610 in Michael Bay's movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" which is streamable now on Netflix. 

When the movie came out — it tells the story of the six American men in Benghazi who fought a terror attack in 2012 — the watch community went abuzz with theories on the exact Rolex worn by Tyrone. The Cyclops in the picture above is clearly visible which makes the Sea-Dweller improbable. The movie was released in 2016, a year before the 43mm Cyclops-equipped Sea-Dweller.

Because of quick action shots and poor lighting, it is hard to tell if the actor is wearing a Submariner with the Lunette Noire or Verte variant. [Warning, spoiler ahead:] No green bezel is clearly seen on Tyrone's wrist in the movie, except at the end, when Tyrone's effects are collected by his SEAL buddy.

Still, the bracelet above is not a Rolex bracelet. And the clasp is definitely different than the clasp of a six-digit-reference Rolex worn in the first picture on top. The clasp of a modern Rolex is more visible in the shot below. This bit of "watch swapping," or artistic license by Michael Bay made me wonder if the real Tyrone actually owned a Rolex.

I decided to read the 350 pages of 13 Hours, the book on which the movie was based, but I found no mention of any watch worn by him. In this testosterone-fueled action movie filled with G-Shock-wearing Special Ops types, why did Michael Bay decide to have one guy wear a Rolex?

After all, G-Shocks, not Rolex, were the current standard-issue watches for Special Ops. Was it to give Tyrone, the leader of the Global Response Staff (GRS) contractors in Benghazi, a more mature, dignified image as a veteran? Or maybe Michael Bay just loved Rolexes.

Michael Bay wears a Rolex, above and below. He sports a white-dial, stainless-steel Daytona reference 116520. 

I've also heard that some actors insist on wearing their personal watches in movies. Maybe James Badge Dale, not Tyrone, owned the Rolex Submariner featured in 13 Hours. I found an interview with the actor playing Tyrone. The interview was made on location, and his personal watch is clearly not a Rolex but an Omega Speedmaster.

As much as I am a Rolex fan, I wanted to learn more about Tyrone as a person. Both my grandfathers served in the military. My dad served in the military, and I served in the military. I write about my grandpa, a submariner, in this post. 

To say Tyrone and other GRS team members came under attack in Benghazi during the night of Sept. 11, 2012, is only half the story. Tyrone and his men left their covert CIA Annex location which was not under attack to rush to the U.S. diplomatic mission that was the target of a violent and coordinated attack by insurgents. The mission had only three on-site security guards and the two that Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens brought with him from Tripoli.

After Tyrone and other team members carried out the rescue of State Department personnel, they would continue to fight from the roof of the CIA Annex. Tyrone lost his life in a sustained mortar attack at dawn that lasted 11 minutes. Still, the 31 lives of the State Department personnel and residents-staff of the Annex were saved thanks to him and his men.

I contacted Cheryl Croft Bennett, Tyrone's mother, who was kind enough to provide me with pictures of her son. I got chills when I saw actual pictures of him wearing his watch — indeed a Rolex — a Sea-Dweller! His mom is president of the Tyrone Snowden Woods Wrestling Foundation organized to honor Tyrone's becoming a state champion while in High School, in 1989. Wrestling was a mean for channeling his grit and competitiveness. At the age of 13, Tyrone had already earned an Oregon Hunter's Safety card and a Professional Association of Diving Instructors certification. Tyrone was a true SEAL in the making.

He earned his trident at the age of 20 and was a Navy SEAL for two decades, serving multiple tours of duty in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Jack Silva, a SEAL teammate, would later describe him as "smart and effective, a natural born leader, and perhaps the most motivated and hardest-working person I'd ever met," which is no small praise among Special Ops veterans.

Tyrone served as the medical corpsman and paramedic on SEAL teams 1, 3 and 5 and became a Bronze Star recipient. He had hands that could heal and the hands of a warrior. 

By the time Tyrone retired at the age of 40, U.S. government agencies relied more on contractors to provide security abroad. They were usually made of former Special Ops guys like Tyrone who were trying to adapt to civilian life. He heard through the SEAL grapevine of openings at Global Response Staff. 

Mystery solved! Above and below, pictures of Tyrone's actual watch, a Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 16660. The pictures were taken by him. Nicknamed the "Triple 6," the reference 16660 was a transitional model which boasted double the depth rating of previous Sea-Dwellers.

Tyrone holding his watch showing the reference 16660 in an undated picture. I call it the "SEAL-Dweller."

The picture below is a picture of a Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 16660 like the one Tyrone owned. The "Triple-6" was the first Sea-Dweller to be equipped with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. It had the Caliber 3035, which replaced the Caliber 1575 of the previous Sea-Dweller ref. 1665.

Tyrone retired from the Navy at the age of 40 with the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer, which means that his pay had topped between $50,000 and $70,000 a year, according to FederalPay.org — too little, I feel, for such an elite warrior.

Shortly after he had retired, he thought about selling his two-watch collection, a Panerai and the Sea-Dweller, two favorites of Navy SEALs, in order to raise money. 

On January 1st, 2010, late on a Friday night, he registered an account with RolexForums.com under the username "sdfrog177." He wrote a post mentioning the sale of his Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm and a Rolex Sea-Dweller "triple 6 model (1983-1984 model)." Tyrone wrote that he was looking for a reputable shop in San Diego that is familiar with the value of these watches, and would anyone have any names available? "Thanks, T.W.," he signed at the bottom. 

Tyrone received no response. That year, he decided to join Global Response Staff. But after several assignments — and eager to spend more time at home with his family and infant son — he decided that Benghazi would be his last trip as an American security force contractor.

I am writing these lines while thinking about the 2017 auction of a rare, discontinued Daytona worn by a good-looking actor with blue eyes which reached the highest price in the history of horology — $15.5 million before buyer's fees and sales taxes. And I can't help but think about Tyrone Woods, an American hero, a decorated elite warrior who fought for his country and saved countless lives during his 20-year service. He too was wearing a discontinued Rolex reference model. 

My hope is that the watch stays in the family —  that it will be maintained, treasured and worn with more pride than a Paul Newman Daytona. But if the SEAL-Dweller ever gets auctioned off, you can count on me to be the first bidder.



Note from Jake: I am in awe of Danny's writing and research skill. He shared such a moving story with us on Veteran's Day. If you want to learn more about the relationship between Navy Seals and Rolex, I recommend checking out Chapter 20 of The Complete History Of The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER: Rolex's Conquest Of The Ocean, which is titled, U.S. Navy Seals: Rolex Submariner Heritage.