Introduced in 2010 at Baselworld, the bold Rolex Submariner 116610LV “Hulk” has several major differences from its ever-popular predecessor the 16610LV “Kermit”. However, the one thing that combines these two models are the love of the color green and the universal appreciation for the Rolex Submariner.
Ever since the Sub appeared in the James Bond series of books and on the screen with Sean Connery, the submariner has been one of Rolex’s most popular timepieces. Although Rolex originally just had the Black bezel and Black dial on the all-steel Submariner, they have continued to make a splash with adding colors like blue and green, while also adding yellow gold to some cases for even more exquisite luxury.
Rolex Submariner 16610LV vs 116610LV differences
Rolex launched the first green Rolex Submariner, the 16610LV during the 50th anniversary of the Submariner – released at Baselworld 2003. It came with a light green unidirectional rotating bezel, a black dial and a stainless steel case with oyster bracelet. It was nicknamed the Kermit because of the similar color to the famous frog from the Muppets. The LV stands for “Lunette Verte” which is French for “Green Bezel.” The Green Submariner joined the palette of other color Subs from Rolex. It had already released a Blue Submariner, and a Gold Metal Sub, along with a Rolesor (mix of Yellow Gold and Steel).
The Rolex Submariner 16610LV features the Maxi dial layout. This means that it has large SuperLuminova filled hour markers with large Mercedes style hour and minutes hands. Even the seconds hand has luminescent circle at nearly the middle of the distance between the center of the dial and the flange. It also came with a date aperture at 3 o’clock with a cyclops lens.
The Rolex Submariner 16610LV is powered by the caliber 3135 which has a 48-hour power reserve. The 3135 caliber had been one of Rolex’s most reliable and accurate calibers, introduced in 1988. It beats at 28,800 bph and can withstand shock. It utilizes high performance alloys including a combination of beryllium and copper to make the Rolex coined substance “Glucydur” which provides resistance to temperature variations. For many years the 3135 had a Swatch Group manufactured hairspring – the Nivarox, and a Breguet overcoil. However, in 2000 Rolex released their own Parachrom Bleu hairspring made from niobium and zirconium. This new alloy is 10x more resistance to shocks and not influenced by magnetic interference.
There are several differences between the older Rolex Submariner 16610LV and the newer 116610LV. As mentioned before, the 116610LV was released in 2010 at Baselworld only 7 years after the Kermit was released. Most noticeable is the beautiful scratch resistant dark green ceramic bezel. It almost immediately got renicknamed the “Hulk” since it matches the skin tone of the famous Marvel superhero.
The Hulk also has a blue luminescent maxi dial, and the Rolex Oyster bracelet’s new Glidelock clasp. These updates are well received for esthetic and functional purposes, as well as the updated Rolex Caliber 3135, an automatic COSC certified chronometer movement.
Of course, the 116610 has been improved for even greater reliability and accuracy, including a new Parachrom hairspring made of special alloys which ensures that the movement is unaffected by magnetic fields. Other detailed changes are wider lug horns, and extremely refined brushed finishes over every unique part of the Submariner’s watch body.
Although the early Kermit had some mixed reviews early on, the popularity for both the Kermit and Hulk have been outrageous in recent years – even to the point of driving the prices way up from their original sale price. The 116610LV was produced between 2010 and 2020.
In 2020 Rolex changed the design once again. Gone is the Hulk and Kermit Green. This time, the new 126610LV has a larger case – 41mm, and removes the green dial and replaces it with a black dial which Rolex claims offers better legibility underwater. It is, after all, a dive watch and the larger dial allows for the newer caliber and slightly larger luminescent hour markers. The outer bezel is a rich and luxurious dark green, which collectors immediately nicknamed the “Starbucks” since it matches the color of the famous Barrista coffee company.
Probably the most important change on the new 126610LV is the new caliber 3235. This movement made tremendous advances to achieve a power reserve of approximately 70 hours – significantly increased from the earlier 48 hours. This newly developed all in-house automatic movement was launched at the 2017 Baselworld and is protected by 14 patents. It includes a patent for a new Paramagnetic Oscillator which resists magnetic sources. It achieves exceptional gains in precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks, resistance to magnetic fields, and increases reliability.
The 3235 caliber appeared in multiple other Rolex timepieces including the Datejust 41, Sea-Dweller, Deepsea and the Yachtmaster. This has become the new caliber and the core for Rolex timepieces going forward.
Rubber B has added a complete lineup of watchband options for the Rolex Submariner. All Rubber B bands are made in Switzerland using the finest vulcanized rubber process possible. The coloring is not painted on, but rather infused through the rubber itself. Therefore, the luscious green in their bands will not scrape off or flake when used at the beach, during athletics or diving in the ocean.
Rubber B bands are made for fun. There are plenty of styles and some provide support for the original Rolex clasp, while others offer tang buckles or even the powerful velcro strap model. Rubber B supports the 3 most significant models of Rolex Submariners produced in the past 20+ years. Each band is custom fit to fit each Submariner precisely. For more information, visit our page here.
