Actor Jonah Hill spotted wearing a Rolex

In the 2016 dark comedy War Dogs, director Todd Phillips was meticulous about period-accurate details, and the watches are no exception. On the wrist of Efraim Diveroli — played by Jonah Hill — sits a stainless-steel Rolex Submariner Date, reference 16610. For a character defined by nouveau-riche excess and an appetite for the recognizable over the refined, the choice is pitch-perfect. The 16610 is perhaps the definitive 'I've made it' watch of the 2000s.

The Rolex Submariner ref. 16610 was introduced in 1988 as the successor to the ref. 3035-era Submariners and remained in production until 2010, when Rolex replaced it with the ceramic-bezeled ref. 116610. It features a 40mm stainless-steel Oyster case, a unidirectional rotating bezel with an aluminum black insert, and a matte black dial with applied luminous hour markers. Water resistance is rated to 300 metres. At its core sits the Calibre 3135 — Rolex's in-house automatic movement featuring a bi-directional rotor, Parachrom hairspring, and a certified chronometer rating of -4/+6 seconds per day. The 3135 remains one of the most reliable and serviceable automatic movements ever produced.

Among collectors, the 16610 occupies a sweet spot: it is late enough in Submariner evolution to be highly reliable and easy to service, yet old enough to carry genuine vintage credibility. Variants such as the 'Kermit' (16610LV, with a green bezel insert) command significant premiums, but the standard black-bezel 16610 remains the everyman entry point into serious Rolex collecting — liquid, widely traded, and consistently in demand.

Jonah Hill's portrayal of Diveroli earned significant critical attention, and costume choices like the Submariner 16610 contributed to the character's authenticity. The real Diveroli was known for conspicuous spending, and the Submariner was precisely the watch a young Miami arms dealer of that era would have gravitated toward — recognizable to outsiders, respected by those who know.

On the secondary market, the Rolex Submariner ref. 16610 in stainless steel with full set and good provenance currently trades in the $11,000–$13,000 range depending on condition, box, and papers. Rolex discontinued retail sales of the reference in 2010, meaning all transactions pass through the grey market or auction houses.