THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 16610LV
YEAR: 2003
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

In 2003, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Submariner, Rolex came out with the 16610LV, the LV being "Lunette Verte" meaning Green Bezel. This reference was the first Rolex to don a green bezel and after its release in 2003, was quickly and aptly named the 'Kermit'. The model is now considered 'neo-vintage' and has a lot of variance within its production run, much more than modern Rolexes. Let's take a closer look. 

The Kermit in its seven-year tenure came with five bezel and five dial variants plus a service dial - a huge amount of subtle change for a watch from this era. Bezel-wise, you have two with the infamous 'flat four' font, with one often fading to a lighter colour than the other. The remaining three variants have a slimmer 4 with progressively darker shades of green. The latter B5 as it is known, is more akin to the modern 'Starbucks' colour.  

The dials were also subject to small changes. From the 'Swiss Made' moniker going from wide to narrow, to the spacing of words and font changes, it's a fantastic watch to study. 

The present example is the very first MK1 version with the earliest bezel type, the serif flat-four. This is seen only between Y and F54 serial ranges (F3 here). The watch has been worn with some marks on the bezel and case. No dings or dents are present. The bezel retains its original colour, that lovely olive green. The bracelet stamped AD10 (Oct 03) retains its full links.

The watch runs superbly at +1 s/d, 270 amps, with a beat error of 0.1 ms. 

The original inner and outer box, booklets, tags, anchor, wallet and papers are still present making this a complete set. We have sold a few 16610LVs this year and we have to say, these early Kermits have to be one of the best neo-vintage Rolex's made.