NEW YORK, NY.- In 1985, it took Robert Ballard eight days to find the R.M.S. Titanic around 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. For more than 70 years, the location of the liner's wreckage — about 12,600 feet below the ocean's surface — had been a mystery since the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg late in the evening of April 14, 1912. Since then, fewer than 250 people in the world have personally viewed the Titanic wreckage, which sits about 2.5 miles below the ocean’s surface. One of those people, Alfred ‘Al’ Giddings, has completed a total of seventeen dives to the infamous shipwreck.
Considered one of the world's most accomplished and renowned underwater cinematographers, Giddings, with nearly half a century of underwater cinematography under his belt, has redefined the genre of underwater filmmaking. Best known for his work as a co-producer and the director of underwater photography for James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning “Titanic," Giddings resume also includes work on "The Deep," "The Abyss,” the James Bond series "For Your Eyes Only" and "Never Say Never Again," amongst others.
A four-time Emmy Award winner, Giddings has been responsible for capturing some of the most iconic images of the underwater world – including the ever famous shot of Titanic’s impressive bow forever frozen in time - and his innovations in camera techniques and film equipment have set the standard for underwater filmmaking. Originally trained to dive in 1959, he was the first to dive with mixed gases on the Andrea Doria in 1969, the first to discover, dive and penetrate the Japanese I-169 submarine in Truk Lagoon in 1973 and has been incorporating innovative gear, such as rebreathers, in his film projects for years. More recently, In June 2023, when the Titan submersible implosion tragically occurred, Giddings became an expert commentator for the media on the tragedy.
Now, this December, Sotheby’s will offer two historic Rolex watches from Giddings’ personal collection which have been worn across the globe, from the North Pole to the depths of the Titanic. Appearing at auction for the first time, the watches will be sold during Sotheby’s Important Watches sale on 6 December and will be on public view at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries from 5 December.
“Al Giddings has lived an extraordinary life, brimming with experiences that only the most intrepid adventurers could dream of. For fifty years, these watches have journeyed with him across the globe, from the icy realms of the North Pole to the profound depths of the ocean. No other timepieces boast such extensive underwater exposure, particularly the steel model, which has accumulated tens, if not hundreds of thousands of hours beneath the waves. If there exists a maritime counterpart to a watch that has journeyed to the moon, these are it. It is a privilege to present these remarkable treasures to the market for the first time, destined to captivate those who share a passion for history, adventure, and exploration.” --GEOFF HESS, SOTHEBY’S GLOBAL HEAD OF WATCHES
Rolex: Reference 1680 Submariner | A stainless steel automatic wristwatch with date and bracelet, Owned and Worn by Al Giddings, Circa 1976 (est. $20,000 - 40,000)
The Rolex Submariner was in many ways, the ultimate evolution of what the Rolex Oyster case was supposed to be – a waterproof wristwatch. In other ways, it was the beginning of a legend that would go on to not only define the ‘dive watch genre’ but become an icon from deep seas to silver screens. Perhaps no watch best exemplifies that than the present 1680 ‘Red’ Submariner that was owned by Alfred ‘Al’ Giddings.
Starting as a young man, Al developed his own unique innovative cameras, lighting and optical systems all in the pursuit of capturing the majesty of the underwater world. This took him all over the world with National Geographic, the BBC, and the likes of Dr. Robert Ballard. As Al recalls:
“The appropriate diving watch was the thing to have, and this watch performed flawlessly, emphasis flawlessly, for all those years, both underwater in different pressure environments and different submersibles: on Titanic, on the Andrea Doria, shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll, the North Pole, Antarctica. There really was no competition; it was simply the best.”
It’s not often we come across a Rolex Submariner with such distinguished dive and exploration history, having been used on over a dozen dives to Titanic alone. Simultaneously, due to his expertise in underwater cinematography, Al was sought out by major Hollywood studios working on major motion pictures like For Your Eyes Only with Roger Moore, and Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery – and James Cameron classics like The Deep (1989) and Titanic (1997).
In 1992, Al produced one of his most incredible achievements. In the midst of the Cold War, Al assembled a Soviet-American team of scientists, technicians, and dive experts on a research vessel to capture detailed footage of the wreck of the Titanic in IMAX. With one Mir submersible being used as a movable lighting rig, and the other being used as a camera operator – it now became possible to light portions of the great ship that had been unseen since her sinking in 1912. This footage was put together into a documentary titled ‘Titanic: Treasure of the Deep’, which was narrated and hosted by Walter Cronkite. As fate would have it, Al was asked to screen that documentary for the Academy in Hollywood, and in attendance was none other than James Cameron. Inspired by Giddings’ work, Cameron would go on to direct one of the highest grossing movies of all time, with Al by his side as co-producer and director of underwater photography.
Rolex: Reference 1680/8 ‘Nipple Dial’ Submariner | A yellow gold automatic wristwatch with date and bracelet, Owned and Worn by Al Giddings, and screen worn by Bill Paxton in ‘Titanic’, Circa 1984 (est. $30,000 - 60,000)
The story of this Submariner starts with Al Giddings work documenting the research of Dr. Sylvia Earle – a highly regarded marine biologist, oceanographer, and explorer. Dr. Earle and Al worked very closely for a number of years, and given Al’s unique ability to capture the underwater world, was integral in bringing her work and research to life. During this period, Rolex had an employee who was a former marine and prominent diver named T. Walker Lloyd.
“I became dear friends with T. Walker Lloyd, who was an employee of Rolex. I knew him for quite a number of years, when they were trying to develop the underwater world at the time and so on for Rolex. Anyway, it happened fate and circumstance that I had some photographs of Dr. Sylvia Earle that Rolex hoped to use in their ad campaign or whatever. So I sent them off.”
Dr. Sylvia Earle remains a Rolex Ambassador to this day, and Al’s images were used by Rolex in period to launch their relationship and help promote her important undersea work. When T. Walker Lloyd asked Al how much they owed him for the photographs, and Al said there was no charge as he was just happy to support Sylvia and her work.
“About a month went by, and a box came in the mail that just said, "Enjoy, T. Walker Lloyd." And it was this gold Rolex. I was in shock. I think at the time they were $10,000 or I can't remember.”
Al wore this watch sparingly but did use it on dives to important locations. Its next great ‘trophy’ moment would arrive in 1997 with the filming of the movie Titanic. Having worked with James Cameron on The Abyss, and after having produced his 1992 documentary titled ‘Titanic: Treasure of the Deep’, he was Co-Producer and Director of Underwater Photography on Cameron’s now iconic movie. Aside from Al having a cameo in the movie itself as one of the Mir submersible operators speaking with Bill Paxton, his Gold Submariner 1680/8 had a leading role on Bill Paxton’s wrist. Cameron felt that a gold Submariner would be fitting for a Dive Director, and as always Al was happy to lend a hand.
“I finished my part of the movie and went back to Montana, 8 or 10 months later, I started scratching my head, "Whatever happened to my gold Rolex?" and got ahold of Jim's office. And a week or two later, it came in the mail with a thank you note, from Fox.”
