The Hulk vs. the Starbucks: 116610LV and 126610LV Head to Head

We buy and sell both of these watches out of our counter at 19 West 47th Street, and almost every week someone leans over the case and asks the same question: green dial or green bezel, which one do I want. The honest answer is that they are two different watches wearing the same color, aimed at two different collectors, and priced by the market for two different reasons. One is a discontinued reference with a green sunburst dial that people either love or leave. The other is a current-production diver with a black dial and a green ceramic bezel that Rolex still makes today. Below is the head-to-head we give people in person, with the real specs and the real pricing we see when we write checks for these.

Quick reference: what each one actually is

| Spec | 116610LV "Hulk" | 126610LV "Starbucks" | |---|---|---| | Production | 2010 to 2020 | 2020 to present | | Introduced | Baselworld 2010 | August 2020 | | Case diameter | 40mm | 41mm | | Case material | Oystersteel (904L) | Oystersteel (904L) | | Movement | Caliber 3135 | Caliber 3235 | | Power reserve | 48 hours | 70 hours | | Beat rate | 28,800 vph | 28,800 vph | | Water resistance | 300m / 1,000ft | 300m / 1,000ft | | Dial | Green sunburst | Black lacquer | | Bezel | Green Cerachrom ceramic | Green Cerachrom ceramic | | Bracelet clasp | Glidelock | Glidelock | | Status | Discontinued | Current |

Both are Submariner Date models. Both are steel. Both go to 300 meters. Both use a green Cerachrom bezel, which is Rolex's scratch-proof ceramic that will not fade under UV. That is where the shared DNA stops.

The Hulk: green all the way through

The 116610LV arrived at Baselworld 2010 as part of the same generation update that gave the steel Submariner its "super case," the maxi dial with fatter hour markers, and the ceramic bezel. What made the Hulk the Hulk was the green sunburst dial paired with the green bezel. This was the first time Rolex put a green dial on a Submariner. The earlier green Sub, the 16610LV "Kermit," had a black dial and only the bezel was green. The Hulk went all in.

Inside sits the Caliber 3135, the workhorse automatic that Rolex ran across the Submariner line for decades. It is a 28,800 vph movement with a 48-hour power reserve and the instantaneous Quickset date. Nothing exotic, and that is the point. The 3135 is one of the most serviced, most understood, most reliable movements Rolex ever built. When one comes across our bench, we know exactly what we are looking at.

On the wrist the Hulk reads big for a 40mm case. The super case has broad lugs and a thick presence, and the full green dial makes it louder than any other steel Sub. People walk in wanting it for that exact reason, or they try it on and decide it is too much watch for them. There is very little middle ground. Rolex discontinued it in September 2020.

The Starbucks: black dial, green bezel, still in the catalog

When the Hulk went away, Rolex replaced the green-dial concept with the 126610LV. Black lacquer dial, green Cerachrom bezel, and the case grew to 41mm as part of the 2020 Submariner redesign. Collectors nicknamed it the Starbucks for the green ring around a dark center, and the name stuck.

The bigger change is inside. The 126610LV runs the Caliber 3235, Rolex's newer-generation movement with the Chronergy escapement and a 70-hour power reserve. That is a real jump from the 48 hours of the 3135. Take it off Friday night, put it back on Monday morning, and it is still running. The 3235 is Superlative Chronometer certified to minus 2 to plus 2 seconds per day. The bracelet keeps the Glidelock clasp with 2mm micro-adjustment and the Fliplock diver's extension, so on-wrist comfort is excellent.

The 41mm case wears a touch larger than the Hulk, but because the dial is black, the watch reads more conservative. This is the green Submariner you buy when you want the color to be a detail, not the whole statement. It is also the one you can service anywhere for the next forty years, because Rolex is still making it. Current US retail after the January 2026 adjustment sits around $10,950, though authorized dealer allocation on this reference is thin, which is why it trades above retail on the open market.

Price history: which one held better

This is the part collectors actually care about, and it is where the two references split hard.

The Hulk is the story of a boom and a correction. Discontinued in 2020 at roughly $9,050 retail, it became one of the poster children of the 2021 to 2022 Rolex mania. Unworn examples pushed toward $32,000 in the spring of 2022, and clean pieces briefly touched $40,000 at the very top. Then the market did what markets do. By 2023 the same unworn Hulk was changing hands closer to $26,000. As of mid-2026 we see clean examples with box and papers trading in the $16,000 to $22,000 band, with unworn pieces at the top and no-paper watches a few thousand under. Against a $9,050 last retail, even the cheapest honest Hulk today carries roughly a 100 percent premium over what it originally cost.

The Starbucks tells a calmer story. It never spiked the way the Hulk did, and it never crashed the way the Hulk did. Because it is current production, its ceiling is capped by what Rolex charges and what you can theoretically get from an authorized dealer. In 2026 the 126610LV trades in the $13,000 to $18,000 range on the secondary market, MK1 examples generally $14,000 to $16,000 and later MK2 examples $15,000 to $18,000, sitting roughly 20 to 25 percent over the $10,950 retail. That premium exists purely because allocation is scarce, not because the watch is gone.

So which held better depends entirely on when you bought. If you bought a Hulk before 2020 at retail, you are still sitting on a large gain even after the correction, and that is the better absolute hold. If you bought a Hulk at the 2022 peak, you took a real haircut. The Starbucks has been the steadier, lower-drama hold: less upside, but far less downside, and you can still buy one without chasing a discontinued unicorn. For a collector who wants the green Submariner with the least risk of buying at the wrong moment, the Starbucks is the safer entry. For a collector who wants the trophy and understands it already had its run-up, the Hulk is the piece with the history.

How we think about it from the buy side

When one of these crosses our counter on 47th Street, here is what actually moves our offer. On the Hulk, box and papers matter more than on almost any other steel Sub, because so many changed hands during the frenzy without them, and provenance is what separates a $16,000 watch from a $22,000 one. Service history matters too, since the 3135 is old enough now that a recent Rolex service adds real confidence. On the Starbucks, we care about the production year and the warranty card date, because a fresh card and full set on a current reference is close to as good as buying new, minus the wait.

We buy both every week, and we sell both to collectors who walk in knowing exactly which one they want. If you have a Hulk sitting in a drawer and you are wondering whether the correction is done, or you own a Starbucks and want to know what a full set is really worth today, the fastest way to find out is to put it in front of us.

Talk to us

If you want a real number on your 116610LV or 126610LV, bring it to the counter at 19 West 47th Street in New York, or request an offer and send us photos of the watch, the case back, and the card. We will tell you what we would write a check for today, and if you are buying rather than selling, we will tell you honestly which of these two green Submariners fits what you actually want on your wrist. Call us or stop in. We have been doing this on 47th Street since 1959.

Specifications and market pricing verified as of July 2026. Reference numbers, calibers, case sizes, and water resistance are per Rolex and confirmed against multiple market sources. Secondary-market values move; contact Ultimate Watch for a current figure on your specific watch.