Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 2004 Reference No: 16610LV Movement No: 39'985'085 Case No: F'219'178 Model Name: Submariner "Flat Four Kermit" Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3135, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 205mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee, anchor, product literature, wallet, presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
To celebrate the Submariner’s 50th anniversary in 2003, Rolex for the first time released a new Submariner model with a bold and charismatic green bezel, which became instantly popular among collectors worldwide. While the reference is discontinued today, it still enjoys enormous popularity among collectors' circles.
Preserved in virtually new old stock condition, this reference 16610 "Kermit" retains its stickers on the caseband, caseback and even clasp. Unpolished and virtually unworn, it retains all original factory specifications. It most notably has a "flat four" bezel, which can only be found on earliest generation reference 16610LVs. Due to its rarity, this variant is particularly popular among collectors today. The present example is furthermore offered with its original accessories such as the guarantee, wallet, product literature and presentation box.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.