Watch reference library
Rolex Submariner Date 116610LV “Hulk”
Produced 2010 to 2020. Discontinued.
Photos from Moda's watch desk
A real 116610LV 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, green Cerachrom insert
- Dial
- Green, sunray finish
- Movement
- Rolex calibre 3135, automatic
- Power reserve
- About 48 hours
- Water resistance
- 300 meters
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bracelet
- Oyster bracelet with Oysterlock clasp and Glidelock extension
The story
Rolex unveiled the 116610LV at Baselworld in March 2010, alongside the black 116610LN, when the steel Submariner Date joined the ceramic-bezel generation that the solid gold models had begun in 2008. It replaced the 16610LV, the green-bezel Submariner Date launched in 2003 for the model's 50th anniversary and known to collectors as the Kermit. Where the Kermit paired a green aluminum insert with a black dial, the 116610LV used a green Cerachrom ceramic insert with platinum-coated numerals and added a green sunray dial, the first green dial in the Submariner's history, although this time the color marked no anniversary. The case stayed at 40mm but took the so-called Super Case, with thicker lugs, heavier crown guards and a squarer profile, and the dial kept the Maxi layout of larger markers and broader hands that the Kermit had brought to the Submariner, now lit by Rolex's blue-glowing Chromalight. Enthusiasts named it the Hulk for that all-green color scheme and the bulkier case. The bracelet gained solid center links and a machined Oysterlock clasp with the new Glidelock extension, while the movement stayed the calibre 3135 from the previous generation, with a blue Parachrom hairspring and about 48 hours of reserve. Rolex replaced it on September 1, 2020, when it renewed the whole Submariner line at once, and the 41mm 126610LV that followed kept the green Cerachrom bezel but went back to a black dial.
What to check before you buy
The serial is engraved on the rehaut at 6 o'clock and can be read through the crystal. Apart from the earliest 2010 watches, which can carry a G-prefix serial, it is a random eight-character code that does not decode to a year. The Rolex guarantee card, which the Official Rolex Retailer completes at the time of sale, or the original receipt is what tells you when a watch was sold. The rehaut should also show the repeating ROLEX engraving, the crystal a small laser-etched crown at 6 o'clock, and the bracelet solid links with the Oysterlock clasp and Glidelock. Rolex's current guidance is a service roughly every 10 years depending on model and use, and the earliest Hulks are now past that point, so ask when it was last serviced. It also helps to know the neighbors: the 116610LN is the same watch in black, the older 16610LV Kermit has a black dial, a green aluminum insert and the slimmer earlier case, and the 126610LV that replaced it has a black dial, a 41mm case with slimmer lugs and the calibre 3235 with about 70 hours of reserve.
Buying or selling a 116610LV?
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
Why is the 116610LV called the Hulk?
Enthusiasts gave it the name for its all-green look, a green dial under a green bezel, and for the chunkier Super Case with thicker lugs that Rolex used on this generation.
How is the Hulk different from the Kermit?
The 16610LV Kermit, made from 2003 to 2010, has a black dial, a green aluminum bezel insert and the slimmer older case. The Hulk has a green dial, a green Cerachrom ceramic insert, the Super Case, Chromalight lume and an Oysterlock clasp with the Glidelock extension, though both use the calibre 3135.
What replaced the Hulk?
Rolex replaced it with the 126610LV, announced on September 1, 2020, which keeps a green Cerachrom bezel but has a black dial, a 41mm case with slimmer lugs, and the calibre 3235 with about 70 hours of power reserve.
Will the green bezel fade like the Kermit's did?
It should not, because the Kermit's aluminum insert can fade and scratch over time, while the Hulk's Cerachrom insert is a hard ceramic that Rolex describes as virtually scratchproof and that holds its color.
How water resistant is it?
Rolex rated it waterproof to 300 meters (1,000 feet), with the case sealed by a screw-down Triplock crown and a screw-down caseback.