Rolex is far more than your typical luxury brand — there’s an entire subculture built around the watchmaker’s back-catalog where fans obsess over minutiae among references and bestow nicknames like “Paul Newman,” “The Pink Panther,” and “Bart Simpson” upon various timepieces. Many of these monikers are reserved for the brand’s vintage timepieces, but a handful of modern Rolexes have managed to join this pantheon of legends. And one of the most popular is the Rolex Submariner “Hulk.”
So nicknamed for its pairing of the beefier Super Case with a green ceramic bezel and brilliant green sunburst dial, the “Hulk” — ref. 116610LV — started off slowly upon its introduction in 2010 but eventually became one of the Crown’s most sought-after modern offerings. When the watch was discontinued in 2020, it sent shockwaves through the collector community and caused prices to skyrocket. Demand hasn’t really slowed for the Hulk since then, and to prove it, Bonhams has just announced an incredible Hulk auction (no pun intended).
The Bonhams Rolex Submariner Hulk Collection features 11 ref. 116610LV Submariners, all coming from a single Rolex collector. The watches represent the entirety of the Hulk’s run, with one model for every year from 2010 until 2020. All of the watches are completely NOS; totally unworn and unsullied and including all boxes and papers. Also included in the sale, as a cheeky nod to the watch’s moniker, is a 2.5’-tall statue of Marvel’s Incredible Hulk from NMK Studios, valued at $2,000-$3,000.
Bidding for the watches will start at $29,000, with winning bids estimated to fall between $30,000 and $40,000 for all but the 2010 watch, which could fetch up to $60,000. Bonhams will hold its Rolex Submariner Hulk Collection online from August 12 through August 22, and you can register to bid on the auction house’s website.
