The Rolex Submariner is one of the most recognizable and popular watches in the world, and like most Rolexes, needs no introduction. First created in the 1950s and with evolution rather than revolution in mind, the Submariner has endured until today with its design language still largely in tact.
The Submariner 116610 was introduced in 2010 and replaced the 16610 which had been in production for nearly 2 decades. This was, a relatively huge change in the Submariner design language with a beefier brand new stainless steel case, maintaining its size at 40mm but with thicker lugs, a new bracelet, and of course, the ceramic ‘Cerachrom’ bezel. While the classic black Submariner was introduced and somewhat expected, Rolex had a surprise up their sleeves, also introducing an ‘LV’ version, with a green bezel and dial. Of course, the world went nuts for it and to this day it remains one of the most desirable Rolex models.
Quickly nicknamed ‘The Hulk’ for obvious reasons, it was a direct successor to the previous 16610LV ‘Kermit’ which featured only a green bezel and a black dial. As it was an anniversary piece, no one expected Rolex to carry on with the green theme. The green certainly adds an edge over the standard black Submariner and allows for some variances in the otherwise sometimes mundane diver line up.
With the recent 2020 announcement of the new generation Submariners, the now discontinued 116610LVs have become very sought after, as with all discontinued Rolexes are.
On the wrist, the 116610LV has a very muscular presence, with a nice overall heft. Despite this, I am very glad Rolex stuck to the 40mm sizing as anything above this would be, in my opinion, too much. The Submariner ‘Hulk’ is undoubtedly one of the Rolex classics and will certainly be an enduring icon.
