Submariner 16610LV Kermit - The Original Frog Watch

April 21, 2020

Even when something is objectively better, it could still be subjectively worse. Im sure you can think of an example, be it cars, hi-fi equipment, boats, or watches, of course. When I had an unexpected encounter with the Submariner 16610LV Kermit, all kinds of thoughts went through my head. Yes, the current Sub is a better watch when it comes to specs. But this neo-vintage Kermit with its Mark I dial and B2 Flat 4 bezel is so much more charming than the younger and much bulkier Hulk or the Starbucks with all its full-fat frizzles on top.Do you hear Shake, Rattle and Roll by Big Joe Turner in your head as soon as you pick up a from yesteryear? I do. And thats a good thing. This 1954 up-tempo blues song puts a smile on your face. So does many a (neo-)vintage , and the green-bezel Submariner 16610LV Kermit puts a smile from ear to ear on mine. Submariner 16610LV Kermit - the original frog watch dissectedIn 2003, marked the 50th anniversary of the Submariner by releasing the reference 16610LV. allowed its frivolous side to shine through by introducing a fourth-generation Sub with a green bezel, the house color of the Genevan brand. The Submariner 16610 had the letters LV added to the reference number, meaning Lunette Verte.?And because nearly every sports has a nickname, this celebratory Sub also got one - Kermit. It s a nickname just as charming as the world-famous green host of an enormously popular variety show.Apart from the funky bezel, the dial of the Kermit also showed another change. It was a Maxi dial with enlarged hour markers and hands. But apart from the aesthetic changes, the Kermit is every inch a Sub. Theres the 40mm Oyster case in 904L stainless steel, the Triplock screw-down crown with guards, a solid screw-in case back, plus a flat sapphire crystal with a Cyclops on top to magnify the date below. Do I need to remind you that every 16610 Sub carries a 300m depth rating and measures 12.8mm thick, 47.6mm long, and 20mm between the lugs?Why Kermit?The nickname is spot on, but its not just the green aluminum bezel insert that inspired it. Have a good look at the large, round white indexes, and then think of the real Kermits eyes. You see? The Submariner 16610LV has both the color and the eyes of Kermit!As I wrote before, a slightly rattly of yesteryear puts a smile on my face. Yes, the current 126610 might be objectively better; the current caliber 3235 has a power reserve of 70 hours, for instance, while the previous caliber 3135 could only muster 48 hours. But this slightly bigger 41mm luxury tool watch, although incredibly impressive in terms of build quality, is also a very serious watch. Even the current LV, the watch that got the nickname Starbucks, is not as lighthearted and fun as the original LV, the 50th-anniversary Kermit.The current Sub looks like it has a membership to the gym and goes there three to four times a week. The Kermit, on the other hand, is just a lean and athletic creature by nature. It doesnt try hard to look fit, it just does because of great genes. And thats why the slightly rattly Kermit makes me smile broadly.Kermit comes in different guisesNo brand is under scrutiny as much as . Collectors investigate every little detail and analyze their findings to the bone. What fascinates me is that just seems to produce watches to the best of its abilities and with no deeper meaning, while fans of the brand try to find deeper reasoning behind certain details and differences. But still, if you look at watches as the product of rational evolution, the different stages of progress and how they present themselves are quite fascinating. Just look at the evolution of the frog, sorry, the Kermit. There are several sub-generations of the Kermit that were in production between 2000 and 2007, each displaying subtle aesthetic differences. There are five different versions of the unidirectional bezel, for instance. The Flat 4 version is the most famous and sought-after one. And, as you can see by looking at the 40 mark on the bezel, the Kermit that jumped into Fratello HQ is a Flat 4. For your information, only the 2003 Y- and 2004 F-serial models show this particular typography. Later versions have a pointier 4 on the green bezel insert. The bezel insert also comes in different green hues. The B1 insert, which was the first series, shows an olive-green color, which resulted in yet another nickname, Bertolli. So it is possible to own a Submariner 16610LV Kermit Flat 4, B1, Bertolli. Its a bit much, I think. Anyway, the Kermit at hand is a Flat 4 with a B2 insert.The Oval O s and Round O sIf you think it ends with bezel variations, youre wrong. There are also different dials to analyze - five, to be exact, and even six if you also count a possible service dial. Without diving into too many details, there are Oval O s and Round O s. The Kermit at hand has a Mark I dial, which has a flattened, oval-shaped O in the signature. And for those who want to dive even deeper, theres something to see at 6 o clock. There, the minute markers from 28 to 32 are shorter than on later dials, and the Swiss Made wording extends past them. connoisseurs call this Wide typography.Were not finished yet. Theres still the case and the bracelet to inspect. Well, Kermit came in two case varieties, the Non-Engraved Rehaut (NER) case and the Engraved Rehaut (ER) one. As the repetitive words are not on the rehaut, our Kermit has the NER case. Finally, there s the bracelet. This is a simple matter since the 16610 only came on the Oyster bracelet ref. 93250, a brushed steel bracelet with solid outer and hollow center links. And this leads me to a somewhat ludicrous summary of the watch that is center stage in this article. Here goes: Submariner 16610LV Kermit, Flat 4, B2, Mark I Wide, NER.Final words on the KermitWhen the Submariner 16610LV Kermit came to the market in 2003, the price of the watch was $3,950. Its last list price before it was discontinued in 2010 had risen to $6,700. And if you want to buy a Kermit now, please be ready to shell out a lot more. The Kermit isnt exactly an endangered species, with 490 live critters on Chrono24 alone at the time of publishing. But there are humungous price differences between the various subspecies. There are $12K versions that were created at the end of the watchs production run. But there are also earlier Flat 4 examples that go for double that price.The prices are more or less comparable to those of the later Hulk and Starbucks Subs. As a watch, however, the Kermit stands out. Its the last of the aluminum-bezel Subs, and therefore, in my eyes, it is the last charming Sub. The technically superior Subs with scratch-resistant and color-stable ceramic bezels, beefier cases, and unrivaled bracelets and clasps are just too serious to be charming. Come to think of it, the ceramic bezel is like a hairdo with too much gel in it - perfect down to the last hair but a tad artificial and overthought.An aluminum bezel, on the other hand, is like the nonchalant look you have at the end of a glorious day at the beach. It s a bit wild and ruffled but casually phenomenal. The current Subs are just too good to be true, and on top of that, they are, now more than ever, status symbols. In my opinion, the 16610LV Kermit, no matter what subspecies, is the best and last of its kind. Its fun, special, charismatic, lively, reliable, and so many other good things. Come to think of it, it s everything you need from your partner…I mean watch.