Rolex 116610LN Submariner
Submariner › 116610LN
Introduced in 2010, the 116610LN is the black-bezel steel Submariner Date from Rolex's first six-digit ceramic-bezel generation. It replaced the aluminium insert used on the 16610. Rolex had already used a Cerachrom insert on the white-gold 116619LB; the 116610LN brought the material to the steel model.
The change covered more than the bezel. The reference uses the wider Maxi Case, a Glidelock clasp, larger white-gold dial markers, and blue Chromalight lume. It is the 40mm steel Submariner Date that sits between the five-digit 16610 and the 41mm 126610LN.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 116610LN |
| family | Submariner Date |
| production | 2010 to 2020 |
| movement | caliber 3135 (COSC, ~48hr power reserve) |
| case | 40mm 904L Oystersteel, Maxi Case / Super Case, ~12.5mm thick, ~48mm lug-to-lug |
| crystal | sapphire with Cyclops, anti-reflective inner coating |
| water resistance | 300m / 1000ft |
| bezel | Cerachrom ceramic, unidirectional 60-click, platinum PVD numerals |
| bracelet | Oyster with Oysterlock clasp and Glidelock |
| lume | Chromalight (blue) |
| dial | black, white gold Maxi markers |
| crown | Triplock screw-down with guards |
| predecessor | 16610 |
| successor | 126610LN (41mm, caliber 3235) |
Where it sits in the line
The 116610LN replaced the 16610 after that reference's long production run. Both use caliber 3135 and a 40mm steel case with sapphire crystal, but the 116610LN introduced the six-digit case, bracelet, and bezel treatment to the steel Submariner Date. The parallel green-bezel model is the 116610LV. Same-generation siblings include the Rolesor 116613, yellow-gold 116618, and white-gold 116619LB; their materials and dial or bezel colours differ even where the movement and clasp architecture overlap.
What changed from the 16610
The 116610LN is the biggest external redesign of the steel Submariner Date since the 16610 introduced sapphire crystal and the quick-set date two generations earlier.
| feature | 16610 | 116610LN |
|---|---|---|
| bezel insert | aluminum, fades over time | Cerachrom ceramic, more resistant to fading and scratching; it can still be damaged |
| lug width | slimmer | wider ("Super Case" / "Maxi Case") |
| lug holes | present | absent |
| lume | SuperLuminova (green glow) | Chromalight (blue glow) |
| markers | standard size | Maxi (larger) |
| bracelet clasp | Fliplock with divers extension | Glidelock (20mm micro-adjust) |
| crystal coating | none | anti-reflective inner coating |
| rehaut | plain (early) / engraved (late) | engraved throughout |
The diameter held at 40mm, but the wrist presence shifted. The Maxi lugs and the heavier bracelet make the 116610LN read as a larger watch than the 16610 it replaced.
Production outline
The main specification remained stable through the ten-year run: caliber 3135, a black Cerachrom insert, the Maxi Case, and the 97200 Oyster bracelet. Collector comparisons show changes in dial fonts and lume on some examples, but Rolex did not publish factory cutover dates for those details. They should be assessed against the individual watch and its documentation rather than treated as a complete chronology.
Rolex introduced the 116610LN at Baselworld 2010 alongside the green 116610LV, and production ended in 2020 when the 126610LN replaced it.
Movement notes
Caliber 3135 is a COSC-certified automatic with a date function, running at 28,800 vph with roughly 48 hours of power reserve. Rolex had used the movement since the late 1980s in the 16610, and it carried through unchanged into the 116610LN. The oscillator uses Rolex's blue Parachrom hairspring. Rolex describes the alloy as providing greater resistance to magnetic fields and temperature variation than the earlier spring material. The movement also has a rapid date-setting function and stop-seconds for time setting.
Dial map
The black gloss dial has applied white-gold Maxi markers: a triangle at 12, rectangles at 3, 6 and 9, and round markers elsewhere. The markers are larger than those on the 16610. Chromalight normally appears blue in the dark, while late 16610 examples using Super-LumiNova normally appear green; lume colour alone does not establish a production year.
The dial shifted across the run. The clearest documented change is the capital "A" in "SUBMARINER": early watches show a flat-top A, later watches a pointed A. Smaller shifts in font weight, numeral shape, and spacing across the decade have been tracked in collector forums. None of these has a clean factory cutoff, but they are real enough to matter to collectors who compare late examples side by side.
The lume itself is also less uniform than the published references suggest. Most reviews list Chromalight from launch, but early-production examples have been documented carrying Super-LumiNova, and Rolex never published a cutover date. A 2010 or early-2011 watch that glows bright green under a torch rather than the longer blue of Chromalight is not automatically wrong. The transition is real; the precise date is not.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Case
The case is 40mm in Oystersteel in the Maxi Case (or "Super Case") format. Lugs are wider and heavier than on the 16610, the case sits about 12.5mm thick and roughly 48mm lug-to-lug, lug holes are gone, and the screw-down caseback is solid and fluted. The wider lugs change the visual proportions enough that collectors who prefer the slimmer five-digit aesthetic do not automatically migrate to the 116610LN.
Bezel
Cerachrom ceramic, unidirectional 60-click. The numerals and graduations are filled with platinum by PVD deposition, giving them a silver-grey appearance against the black ceramic. The aluminium inserts used on earlier steel Submariners can fade, scratch, and develop patina. Cerachrom is more resistant to those changes, although a ceramic insert can still chip or be damaged by a hard impact. The difference matters when comparing an original 116610LN with an older 16610, but it does not make the bezel indestructible.
Crystal
Sapphire crystal with a Cyclops magnifier at 3 o'clock over the date window. The inner surface carries an anti-reflective coating that gives the crystal a slight blue or purple tint when viewed at an angle. The 16610 had no such coating, and this is one of the less obvious generational differences between the two references.
Crown
Triplock screw-down with crown guards, rated to 300m / 1000ft.
Rehaut
The inner rehaut ring is engraved with repeating "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" text around the circumference and the individual serial number at the 6 o'clock position. The feature had been introduced on the late 16610 and carried over to the 116610LN from the start of production.
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes
Bracelet
The Oyster bracelet runs solid links throughout, fitted with the Oysterlock clasp and the Glidelock extension system. Oysterlock is the locking safety clasp Rolex uses across the modern Professional line. Glidelock is the in-clasp micro-adjustment that allows roughly 20mm of length change in 2mm increments without tools. The system was new to the Submariner with the 116610 generation and replaced the older Fliplock. The clasp lets the wearer change the fit without tools, including over a wetsuit.
The bracelet reference is 97200, 20mm at the lugs with solid end links, consistent with six-digit Submariner fitment.
Packaging
The 116610LN shipped in the standard Rolex green box of the 2010s era with warranty card, COSC tag, booklets, and hang tags. During the production run, Rolex transitioned from the older green warranty card to the newer credit-card-style warranty card.
Special editions
A small number of documented examples carry institutional or retailer-related markings. They should be described as individually documented watches, not as changes to the standard 116610LN specification.
Sotheby's has catalogued an example delivered to the British Army's Special Reconnaissance Regiment with an SRR-engraved caseback and certificate, a United States Secret Service example with an engraved caseback, and a GIGN anniversary example with unit markings. Other auction records show retailer-signed dials, including a Schlumberger example. The provenance and engraving belong to those watches; they do not establish a general factory variant or a production-wide feature.
Market and collector context
The 116610LN is modern production rather than a vintage piece, and it does not draw the lot-level attention that vintage Submariners get at Phillips or Sotheby's. Market activity runs primarily dealer-to-dealer and secondary retail.
The 116610LN is now a discontinued modern reference. Auction and dealer records describe ordinary examples alongside watches with documented institutional or retailer provenance; those records are individual results and do not establish a fixed market premium. The green-bezel 116610LV is a separate collector market, so its prices should not be used as a direct measure of the black-bezel model.
The reference is the last 40mm steel Submariner Date with a ceramic bezel before the 41mm 126610LN. That makes case size and the caliber 3135 the main reasons collectors compare it with the successor; condition, originality, and dated documentation still matter more than a general label.
Related references
- Submariner 116610LV: "Hulk", green dial (2010–2020)
- Submariner 116613: 2009–2020
- Submariner 114060: 2012–2020
- Submariner 116618: yellow gold (2008–2020)
- Submariner 116619LB: "Smurf", white gold (2008–2020)
- Submariner 16610LV: "Kermit", green bezel (2003–2010)
See also the Submariner family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
Sources
- History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
- History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 4, Modern Ceramic References — Monochrome
- Rolex Submariner 116610LN vs Omega Seamaster Diver 300m — Frank Geelen, Monochrome
- The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
- SRR Submariner Ref. 116610LN Limited Edition — Sotheby's
- Reference 116610LN Submariner United States Secret Service — Sotheby's
- Submariner 40 ans du GIGN Reference 116610LN — Sotheby's
- Rolex Submariner Schlumberger Reference 116610LN — Sotheby's
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Rolex Submariner 114060 and 116610 Watch Review — aBlogtoWatch
- Rolex Submariner 116610LN 52Mondayz Week 50 2019 — Fratello
- Submariner Ceramic Dial Variations — Millenary Watches
- Dial Variations on the Submariner Date 116610LN — RolexForums
- Change in 116610LN dial? — RolexForums
- New font on Submariner dial — RolexForums
- Breaking Down Rolex's Submariner Production — Everest Bands
- Bob's Watches Submariner history — Bob's Watches
- Rolex Chromalight vs SuperLuminova — Bob's Watches