Rolex ”Starbucks”
Ref. 126610LV – The Third Green Addition
THE LAUNCH OF REF. 126610LV
The third green addition. The green Rolex Submariner 126610LV has certainly made its mark in the world of watches. Go to any high-street retailer and ask for the green beauty and you’ll be greeted by an extremely long waiting list. We’ll get into why this beautiful piece of wearable art is so popular in this post.
2020 was the year when COVID-19 began to reign supreme in large parts of the world. Amidst lockdowns and canceled events, the watch industry sat anxiously awaiting Rolex’s launch of the new collection for the year. And it must be said that the wait was well worth it. In September 2020, the best-selling Submariner collection was overtaken by four new exclusive watches that offered new movements and new designs for both the dial and the crown. The new models have helped lay a solid foundation for the world’s most famous dive watches in this new decade. Of the four new models, the Rolex Submariner “Starbucks” 126610LV is one of the more interesting watches.
STARBUCKS”, A REPLACEMENT FOR ”HULK
The green Submariner has overtaken the Daytona and GMT-Master II “Pepsi” as the most sought-after Rolex watch. But why are we experiencing this hype around the Rolex 126610LV when all Submariner models have been updated?
Firstly, it is the only version available in steel that is significantly different from its predecessors. The “Starbucks” has replaced the previous “Hulk”, which had a green sunburst dial as well as a green bezel. Now “Starbucks” features an eye-catching, shiny black dial.
Another reason for the popularity is that Rolex has gone back to the earlier, more elegant watch case, as seen for example in the “Kermit”.
Since the first green Submariner was launched, there has been a significant evolution in exclusive green watches. We need to look back to 2003 when the first green Submariner was presented in connection with the Rolex Submariner’s 50th anniversary. The most surprising thing about the watch was, of course, the green bezel. So, this Rolex Submariner 16610 had an “LV” added, 16610LV, which stands for “lunette verte” and means “green wreath”. Because of the green bezel, it was also nicknamed “Kermit”.
THE GREEN COLOR AND ANNIVERSARIES GO HAND IN HAND
Years later, it might seem surprising to some that the green jubilee wreath still reigned supreme. But Rolex had no intention of changing this, for in 2010 they launched another watch with a green wreath, the 116610LV, also known as the “Hulk”. Not only did it have a green crown, but it also came with a green dial.
THE CLASSIC PROPORTIONS ARE BACK
The latest addition to the green collection came in 2020. The biggest and most notable change on the latest green Rolex watch is of course the eye-catching watch case. There is a clear contrast between the green bezel and the black dial, and therefore the watch also has a completely different appearance than its predecessors.
Some might ask why the green color is important to Rolex. The answer is that the green color has become significant for the Rolex brand identity, as the color is particularly distinctive in connection with, among other things, the anniversaries of watches.
When it comes to Rolex steel models, it’s usually more about evolution than being the most revolutionary. This is also true when we look at an iconic category like the Rolex Submariner, where too many changes will exclude a part of the customer base. That’s why it’s also interesting to look at the 126610LV, which has moved a significant step away from Rolex’s otherwise conservative brand philosophy.
Rolex has primarily focused on making previous generations of Submarines more voluminous with wider horns and larger bezels without changing too much in the dimensions. In the last decade, however, Rolex has done away with the previous expectation of the evolution of the design. This can be seen in the Rolex 126610LV, for example, where the classic proportions are more prominent than in the predecessors of the 126610LV. The new proportions involve narrower horns with a more vintage look, but at the same time, a modern appearance is also seen in the watch case. Due to the thinner case, the new design of the “Starbucks” 126610LV is reminiscent of the classic models from the 60s and 70s rather than the more modern models like the “Hulk”.
It seems almost illogical that Rolex has chosen to go for a more classic look when the watch case has undergone a slight change in size, from 40mm to 41mm. However, the 126610LV manages to make up for this slight change in size with its elegant look.
NEW MODEL, NEW MOVEMENT
The most significant update to the “Starbucks” 126610LV is that it is equipped with the automatic movement caliber 3235, which is a big difference compared to the previous Submariner. A new addition for all new Rolex watches is that it can be seen on the dial that the watch is equipped with this new movement. At the number 6 on the dial, a crown can be seen between “Swiss” and ” Made”, indicating that the movement is 3235. In 2015, the 3235 movements replaced the decades-old 3135 movements. The generational change has not compromised the size of the movement, although it now offers a robust 70-hour power reserve, which has replaced the old 48-hour power reserve. With the 3235 movements, Rolex guarantees a maximum oscillation of -2/+2 seconds per day. The “Starbucks” obviously wouldn’t be a modern Rolex Submariner if it wasn’t water-resistant down to 300m. The new model is obviously the front runner on this.
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