Submariner Date "Kermit" (2003-2010)

Rolex marked the Submariner's fiftieth anniversary in 2003 by making its bezel green. The 16610LV was still a 40-millimeter steel dive watch with a black dial, a date and an aluminum timing insert. The new color was a small change to the parts list and a large change to the appearance.

Later, the 116610LV would use green on both the bezel and face. Here the color forms a ring around an otherwise familiar black-dial Submariner.

It also belongs to the earlier case generation. Its lugs—the extensions that hold the bracelet—are narrower than those of the broad ceramic-bezel model that followed. The aluminum insert has a flatter appearance than ceramic. These differences are easy to lose when all green Submariners are reduced to their nicknames.

The movement is the automatic 3135, with a date beneath the magnifying lens at three. Its basic job was unchanged by the anniversary: keep the time, advance the calendar and power a face that could be read underwater.

Rolex also enlarged the luminous hour markers compared with the standard black 16610 of the period. The green aluminum ring surrounds a black face with larger, brighter landmarks: a second change within the familiar outline.