Rolex Sports Models: Submariner, GMT-Master II, Daytona, Milgauss and What Drives Value
The story of each Rolex sports reference collectors ask about: when it was made, what changed, what its nickname means and what buyers look for.
What are the Rolex sports models?
- Kermit 16610LV (2003 to 2010) and Hulk 116610LV (2010 to 2020) are the green Submariners.
- Pepsi is red and blue, Batman blue and black: both GMT-Master II bezels.
- Paul Newman Daytonas have exotic dials made from 1965; the Daytona has had four generations.
- Reference, originality, an unpolished case and matching papers drive value.
In this article
What counts as a Rolex sports model
What are the Rolex sports models?
Rolex's sports watches are its tool watches built for a job: the Submariner and Sea-Dweller for diving, the GMT-Master II for pilots and travellers, the Cosmograph Daytona for motor racing, the Explorer and Explorer II for expeditions, the Yacht-Master for sailing and the Milgauss for scientists working near magnetic fields.
Collectors group these watches together because each was designed for a profession and built in the waterproof Oyster case. Every model has gone through several references, and the reference number is what defines a watch for a buyer. Our Rolex value guide explains how to read one.
Nicknames matter
Rolex names its watches by reference and colour code. The trade names them by nickname: Kermit, Hulk, Batman, Pepsi, Paul Newman. A nickname usually marks a reference that collectors seek out.
Below is the story of each one: when it was made, what changed, and what buyers look for.
Submariner: the Kermit, the Hulk and their successors
The Submariner went into production in 1953 and was shown to the public at the Basel fair of 1954. The first references were the 6204 and 6205. The 5513, made from 1962 to 1990, became the long-running no-date model, and the 1680 of the late 1960s was the first Submariner with a date (Wikipedia).
What is the Rolex Kermit?
The Kermit is the Submariner Date reference 16610LV, launched in 2003 for the Submariner's 50th anniversary. It was the first Submariner with a green bezel, an aluminium insert over a black dial, and it was made until 2010. LV stands for lunette verte, French for green bezel; the nickname comes from the Muppet.
What collectors look for in a Kermit
An original green aluminium bezel insert in good condition matters most. A replaced insert is noted by every serious buyer.
The Kermit was discontinued in 2010 after seven years (The 1916 Company), a short run by Rolex standards.
What is the Rolex Hulk?
The Hulk is the Submariner Date reference 116610LV, shown at Basel in 2010 and made until 2020. It replaced the Kermit with a green sunburst dial and a green Cerachrom ceramic bezel, hence the nickname. Its successor, the 41 mm 126610LV of 2020, went back to a black dial with a green bezel.
Steel, two-tone and gold
The Submariner Date was also made in steel and gold and in solid gold, with blue or black dials. Current models are water resistant to 300 metres; earlier ones were rated to 200.
The 2020 generation brought a 41 mm case and calibre 3235 (Wikipedia).
GMT-Master II: the Pepsi and the Batman
What is the difference between the Rolex Batman and Pepsi?
Both are GMT-Master II watches named after their two-colour bezels. The Pepsi has red and blue, the colours of the original GMT-Master made with Pan Am in the 1950s. The Batman has blue and black: the 116710BLNR of 2013 was Rolex's first two-colour ceramic bezel, followed by the 126710BLNR on a Jubilee bracelet in 2019.
The GMT-Master was designed with Pan Am in the mid-1950s for crews flying across time zones: reference 6542 had a 24-hour hand and a rotating bezel split into red and blue. The GMT-Master II of 1982 let the 12-hour hand be set on its own in one-hour steps, so the watch showed two time zones independently (Wikipedia).
| Reference | Nickname | Year | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6542 | Pepsi | 1950s | The first GMT-Master, made with Pan Am |
| 116710BLNR | Batman | 2013 | First two-colour ceramic bezel, blue and black |
| 126710BLRO | Pepsi | 2018 | Red and blue ceramic in steel, Jubilee bracelet, calibre 3285 |
| 126710BLNR | Batman | 2019 | Calibre 3285 and a Jubilee bracelet |
Source: Wikipedia, Rolex GMT-Master II. The first ceramic (Cerachrom) insert came on the gold GMT-Master II 116718LN in 2005 (Bob's Watches). Calibre 3285 has a 70-hour power reserve.
The Pepsi has its own guide: the Rolex Pepsi, discontinued models and value.
Send us photos of your Rolex sports watch
Cosmograph Daytona and the Paul Newman dial
What is a Paul Newman Daytona?
A Paul Newman Daytona is a vintage Cosmograph Daytona with an exotic dial: contrasting sub-dials with square ends to their markers and an Art Deco style minute track, made from 1965. The name comes from the actor, who wore one. His own reference 6239 sold for 17.75 million US dollars at Phillips New York in October 2017.
From track to collector
Rolex became official timekeeper of the Daytona International Speedway in 1962. Reference 6239 followed in 1963, and the word Daytona was added to the dial in 1964 (Wikipedia).
The exotic dial was an option on the hand-wound references, and it is the dial collectors look for first.
What are the generations of the Rolex Daytona?
There are four. The hand-wound Daytonas began with reference 6239 in 1963. Reference 16520 of 1988 was the first automatic, with calibre 4030 based on the Zenith El Primero. Rolex's own calibre 4130 arrived in 2000, and calibre 4131, with a 72-hour power reserve, in 2023.
What collectors look for
On vintage Daytonas: an original dial, the correct pushers for the reference, an unpolished case and an original bezel. On modern ones: the full set with matching papers.
Rare dials are covered in our Daytona guide, and the black-and-white look in panda dial watches.
Milgauss and the Datejust Wimbledon
What is the Rolex Milgauss?
The Milgauss is Rolex's anti-magnetic watch, made for scientists and engineers. Reference 6541 of 1956 was tested by CERN to resist magnetic fields of 1,000 gauss, the source of the name. Rolex revived it in 2007 as the 116400, with the green-crystal 116400GV, and discontinued the model in 2023.
The original 6541 is the reference vintage collectors look for. The 2007 revival is best known in the 116400GV form, with its green-tinted sapphire crystal (Wikipedia).
What is a Rolex Wimbledon dial?
Wimbledon is the collectors' name for a Datejust dial in slate grey with Roman numerals outlined in green, the colours of the tennis championship that Rolex sponsors. It first appeared on the Datejust II in 2009 and has since been made on the Datejust 41 and 36. Rolex itself does not use the name.
Not a sports watch
The Datejust is Rolex's classic dress model, but the Wimbledon dial is collected alongside the sports watches. The Datejust II of 2009 carried it first (Bob's Watches).
Some slate dials have black Roman numerals and are not Wimbledon dials (Teddy Baldassarre).
What drives the value of a Rolex sports model
What makes a Rolex sports model valuable?
The reference and generation come first, then originality: the dial, hands and bezel insert the watch left the factory with. A sharp, unpolished case, the box and papers with matching numbers and a known service history add more. Discontinued references and rare dial variants are sought after by collectors.
- Reference: a discontinued reference or a short production run.
- Originality: factory dial, hands and bezel insert. A faded aluminium insert is part of the watch's history; a modern replacement changes it.
- Case: sharp lugs and bevels. Heavy polishing softens them and cannot be undone.
- Box and papers: matching serial and reference numbers.
- Authenticity: every point checked, as on our authentication page.
Which Rolex sports models are discontinued?
Every reference is eventually replaced. Among the best known, the Kermit 16610LV ended in 2010, the Hulk 116610LV in 2020 and the first ceramic Batman 116710BLNR in 2019, while the Milgauss line was discontinued in 2023. Vintage references such as the Submariner 5513 and Daytona 6263 ended decades ago.
Keep everything
Boxes, papers, service receipts, spare links and swing tags all help. Keep them with the watch and do not polish or service it just before a sale.
For the wider picture, read the vintage Rolex market in 2026.
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Sources
Read 9 November 2026: Wikipedia, Rolex Submariner; The 1916 Company, the Kermit; Wikipedia, Rolex GMT-Master II; Wikipedia, Rolex Daytona; Wikipedia, Rolex Milgauss; Bob's Watches, the Wimbledon dial; Teddy Baldassarre, the Rolex Wimbledon; Bob's Watches, 2000s Rolex watches.
- The sports models are tool watches: diving, flying, racing, exploring and science.
- Nicknames mark the references collectors want; the reference number defines the watch.
- Originality of dial, hands and bezel matters as much as the model.
- A free valuation from photos tells you exactly what you have.
Questions we are asked
What are the Rolex sports models?
Rolex's sports watches are its tool watches built for a job: the Submariner and Sea-Dweller for diving, the GMT-Master II for pilots and travellers, the Cosmograph Daytona for motor racing, the Explorer and Explorer II for expeditions, the Yacht-Master for sailing and the Milgauss for scientists working near magnetic fields.
What is the Rolex Kermit?
The Kermit is the Submariner Date reference 16610LV, launched in 2003 for the Submariner's 50th anniversary. It was the first Submariner with a green bezel, an aluminium insert over a black dial, and it was made until 2010. LV stands for lunette verte, French for green bezel; the nickname comes from the Muppet.
What is the Rolex Hulk?
The Hulk is the Submariner Date reference 116610LV, shown at Basel in 2010 and made until 2020. It replaced the Kermit with a green sunburst dial and a green Cerachrom ceramic bezel, hence the nickname. Its successor, the 41 mm 126610LV of 2020, went back to a black dial with a green bezel.
What is the difference between the Rolex Batman and Pepsi?
Both are GMT-Master II watches named after their two-colour bezels. The Pepsi has red and blue, the colours of the original GMT-Master made with Pan Am in the 1950s. The Batman has blue and black: the 116710BLNR of 2013 was Rolex's first two-colour ceramic bezel, followed by the 126710BLNR on a Jubilee bracelet in 2019.
What is a Paul Newman Daytona?
A Paul Newman Daytona is a vintage Cosmograph Daytona with an exotic dial: contrasting sub-dials with square ends to their markers and an Art Deco style minute track, made from 1965. The name comes from the actor, who wore one. His own reference 6239 sold for 17.75 million US dollars at Phillips New York in October 2017.
What are the generations of the Rolex Daytona?
There are four. The hand-wound Daytonas began with reference 6239 in 1963. Reference 16520 of 1988 was the first automatic, with calibre 4030 based on the Zenith El Primero. Rolex's own calibre 4130 arrived in 2000, and calibre 4131, with a 72-hour power reserve, in 2023.
What is the Rolex Milgauss?
The Milgauss is Rolex's anti-magnetic watch, made for scientists and engineers. Reference 6541 of 1956 was tested by CERN to resist magnetic fields of 1,000 gauss, the source of the name. Rolex revived it in 2007 as the 116400, with the green-crystal 116400GV, and discontinued the model in 2023.
What is a Rolex Wimbledon dial?
Wimbledon is the collectors' name for a Datejust dial in slate grey with Roman numerals outlined in green, the colours of the tennis championship that Rolex sponsors. It first appeared on the Datejust II in 2009 and has since been made on the Datejust 41 and 36. Rolex itself does not use the name.
What makes a Rolex sports model valuable?
The reference and generation come first, then originality: the dial, hands and bezel insert the watch left the factory with. A sharp, unpolished case, the box and papers with matching numbers and a known service history add more. Discontinued references and rare dial variants are sought after by collectors.
Which Rolex sports models are discontinued?
Every reference is eventually replaced. Among the best known, the Kermit 16610LV ended in 2010, the Hulk 116610LV in 2020 and the first ceramic Batman 116710BLNR in 2019, while the Milgauss line was discontinued in 2023. Vintage references such as the Submariner 5513 and Daytona 6263 ended decades ago.
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Keep reading
Before buying or selling, read how to tell if a Rolex is real. For the Explorer, Sea-Dweller, Yacht-Master and Air-King, see our Rolex tool watch guide. Every Submariner reference is covered in our Rolex Submariner guide.