Rolex Kermit: Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Submariner
Rolex launched the Submariner lineup in 1953, and 50 years later, the Rolex Kermit was born. After being launched in 2003, the Rolex Kermit stayed in production for 7 years until the Rolex Hulk took over in 2010. And now, it has been almost 70 years since the Rolex Submariner came into existence. The timepiece became one of the most desirable pieces, and it is something every watch collector or enthusiast wants.
Rolex Submariner is not just a watch. Instead, it is a sense of achievement. Many people have bought the Submariner as their first or one of the first luxury watches. The sports steel watch has and will always hold a special place in every Rolex fan’s heart.
Rolex Kermit: The start of a new era
Since its launch in the 1950s, the Rolex divers watch has received many updates. While the watch was initially launched in stainless steel with a black dial and black bezel, it received many variations later. From an 18ct Yellow Gold model to a two-tone model, Rolex released everything to attract every type of buyer. But nothing came out to be as impressive as the Rolex Kermit.
Rolex Submariner 16610LV, popularly known as the “Kermit,” was launched in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Submariner line. It was a Submariner Date model with the reference number saying ‘LV’ at the end. The LV here stands for Lunette Verte, which is a french translation of “green bezel.” To date, it is one of the most popular Rolex watches that one can buy.
At the time, it was a bold move as people appreciated the subtle yet premium look of a black Submariner. But as soon as it was unveiled to the public, the Submariner 16610LV quickly picked up. Many people were interested in the watch and that resulted in huge waitlists.
Green Bezel Submariners that took over
Rolex Kermit was a huge success for the Swiss watchmaker. It is one of the nicest-looking Submariner models and it has its own separate fan base. In 2010, Rolex decided to refresh the Submariner lineup; the time had come when the Kermit had to be replaced. Rolex decided to discontinue 16610LV Kermit to make room for the 116610LV, which later got the nickname “Hulk”.
With the Submariner Hulk 116610LV, Rolex brought a green ceramic bezel this time. Also, the 116610LV featured a green dial giving it a whole lot more green than before. This combination reminded many people of the character – Hulk and that is how it got its nickname.
The Rolex Hulk was in production for almost 10 years before it got discontinued in 2020. As the green bezel was a popular choice among buyers, the Swiss watchmaker just couldnt drop it. So, the successor of the 116610LV was released in 2020, the reference 126610LV. This time around, the company decided to go back to the combination of a black dial and a green bezel.
The combination reminded people of the original Kermit and they decided to call this one “The New Kermit.” Besides that, some people also like to call it the Rolex Starbucks or the Cermit. While the name Starbucks came because of the resemblance of the color with the coffee chain’s logo, the name Cermit came from the combination of the words Ceramic and Kermit.
Things Rolex Kermit offered besides the green bezel
Since it was a 50th-anniversary edition, Rolex could not just get away by offering a new color on the bezel. Here’s everything that changed with the introduction of the Rolex Submariner 16610LV, besides the new color scheme.
Caliber
Rolex launched the Submariner 16610LV with the 3135 automatic caliber movement. It offered the same accuracy and reliability that older Submariner models were known for. The movement offers a power reserve of approximately 50-hours. It has 31 jewels to prevent excess wear and tear and has a frequency rate of 28,800 VpH.
New Dial
Rolex Submariner 16610LV was the first Submariner to get the maxi-dial. This brought in larger hour markers and larger hands for improved legibility. The larger hour markers also meant that there was room for more lume.
More lume helped the watch offer better visibility at night. The maxi-dial was shared with other Submariner models only in 2010. One can say that the Kermit was not just a green bezel Submariner but an insight into what is to come in the future.
Variations of the Rolex Kermit
When you finally decide to buy a Kermit Rolex in Dubai, you will come across a few variations of it. A Rolex Kermit is easily recognizable thanks to its green aluminum bezel. But within the Kermit range, there are a few variations involved. So, if you go shopping for a Rolex 16610LV, keep the following points in mind.
- Colour of the bezel
- Flat 4 or Pointed 4
Color of the bezel
Today, Rolex uses Cerachrom bezel on all the Submariner models. But that was not always the case. At the time of the Kermit, Rolex used an aluminum bezel, which was prone to scratches. Also, the bezel was known to fade over time. While buying a second-hand Rolex Kermit, you might notice some of them are more faded than others.
Moreover, at the time of the production, Rolex manufactured two variations of the green bezel. Some of these watches might feature a racing green-like color, whereas the others might have a lighter, olive-greenish color.
Flat 4 or Pointed 4
The font used for the number ‘40’ on the Kermit’s green bezel was flat in the early production models. However, Rolex changed it a bit after some time and made the number 4 more pointed.
The one with the older font was named ‘Flat 4’ reference, and the one with the new one was named ‘Pointed 4’ reference. Since the Flat 4 is extremely difficult to find, it usually is more expensive than the Pointed 4 model in the secondary market.
