Watch reference library
Rolex Submariner Date 116610LN
Produced 2010 to 2020. Discontinued.
Photos from Moda's watch desk
A real 116610LN photographed by Moda's watch desk. Serial numbers are blurred. Tap a photo for the full size.
Specifications
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case material
- Oystersteel (904L steel)
- Bezel
- Unidirectional, black Cerachrom insert
- Dial
- Black
- Movement
- Rolex calibre 3135, automatic
- Power reserve
- About 48 hours
- Water resistance
- 300 meters
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bracelet
- Oyster bracelet with Glidelock extension
The story
Rolex introduced the Submariner in 1953, and the 116610LN and its green sibling were the first steel Submariner Date models with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert. Rolex had already fitted Cerachrom bezels to the gold and two-tone Submariner Date models, and the steel pair followed at Baselworld in March 2010: the black 116610LN and the green-dial, green-bezel 116610LV that collectors call the Hulk. It replaced the 16610, which had worn an aluminum bezel insert through more than twenty years of production. The diameter stayed at 40mm, but the case was reshaped into what many collectors call the super case, with broader lugs and thicker crown guards, so the watch looks and wears larger than its predecessor. The black Cerachrom insert is Rolex's own ceramic, which resists scratches and is unaffected by sunlight, and its numerals and graduations are coated in platinum. The dial moved to the Maxi layout with larger hour markers and broader hands, lit with Rolex's blue Chromalight luminescent material. The watch came on a solid-link Oyster bracelet, and the stamped clasp of the 16610 gave way to a redesigned Oysterlock clasp with the Glidelock system, which lets the wearer extend the bracelet by about 20mm in 2mm steps without tools. The calibre 3135 carried over from the 16610, fitted here with a blue Parachrom hairspring and giving about 48 hours of power reserve. Rolex discontinued the 116610LN in September 2020, when the 41mm 126610LN took its place.
What to check before you buy
Rolex made the 116610LN between 2010 and 2020, and for any given example the papers tell you more than the serial does. The serial is engraved on the rehaut at 6 o'clock, visible through the crystal, and it should match the number on the warranty card. Some watches made in 2010 carry a letter-prefix serial beginning with G, but most use Rolex's random serials, which do not reveal a production year, so a dated card or original receipt is what establishes when a watch was sold. Watches bought new from an authorized Rolex retailer on or after July 1, 2015 came with Rolex's five-year guarantee, while earlier purchases carried a two-year guarantee, which Rolex extended to three years for watches bought between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2015. Rolex recommends servicing roughly every 10 years depending on the model and how it is worn, and the earliest examples are past that point, so ask for the service history. To tell it apart from its neighbors, the black 16610 before it has an aluminum bezel insert and smaller hour markers, while the 126610LN that replaced it measures 41mm, takes a 21mm bracelet against this watch's 20mm, and has a small crown printed between the words Swiss and Made at 6 o'clock.
Buying or selling a 116610LN?
Moda is always buying. Text photos to (605) 521-2821 for a fast offer, or start on the Moda Watches page. For any deal with a stranger, Moda's middleman service inspects the watch before money changes hands. For live market pricing on this reference, Moda-lytics tracks real Rolex sales data.
Common questions
What changed between the 16610 and the 116610LN?
The 116610LN kept the 40mm diameter and the calibre 3135, but it swapped the aluminum bezel insert for black Cerachrom ceramic, moved to a broader case with thicker lugs and crown guards, adopted the Maxi dial with blue Chromalight lume, and replaced the stamped clasp with a redesigned Oysterlock clasp carrying the Glidelock extension.
How is it different from the 126610LN that replaced it?
The 126610LN, introduced in 2020, measures 41mm with slimmer lugs and a 21mm bracelet, and it uses the calibre 3235 with about 70 hours of power reserve instead of the 3135's roughly 48.
When was the 116610LN made?
Rolex introduced it at Baselworld in March 2010 and discontinued it in September 2020, when the 126610LN replaced it.
Is this the Hulk?
The Hulk is a different reference, the 116610LV, which was released alongside this watch in 2010 with a green dial and green bezel, while the 116610LN has a black dial and a black bezel.
Will the black bezel fade like older Submariner inserts?
Rolex states that its Cerachrom ceramic inserts are virtually scratchproof and unaffected by sunlight, unlike the aluminum inserts on earlier Submariners such as the 16610, which can fade and scratch.