Footballer Karim Benzema spotted wearing a Rolex

Karim Benzema, one of football's most decorated forwards and longtime Real Madrid talisman, was recently spotted wearing the Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LV — the watch the collector community universally knows as the 'Hulk.' On a wrist that has lifted La Liga trophies and a Champions League, the choice lands with understated authority.

Rolex introduced the 116610LV in 2010 as the first Submariner to feature a Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert, here rendered in a deep, almost radioactive green. Unlike the more subdued 'Kermit' (reference 16610LV) that preceded it, the 116610LV doubles down with a matching green lacquered dial, producing a monochromatic boldness that divides opinion and commands attention in equal measure. The watch runs the calibre 3135 movement — Rolex's workhorse self-winding chronometer, offering 48 hours of power reserve and certified to -2/+2 seconds per day. It sits in a 40mm Oyster case in 904L stainless steel, water-resistant to 300 metres.

The 116610LV's collector significance sharpened considerably in 2020 when Rolex replaced it with the 126610LV, which brought a new 41mm case, calibre 3235 movement, and — critically — a black dial paired with the green bezel. The 'Hulk' was gone. Production ceased, supply dried up, and grey-market prices surged well past retail almost immediately. What was once a watch some found garish is now treated as a legitimate modern classic, precisely because Rolex will never make it again in this form.

Benzema's relationship with fine watches is well documented. The striker favours bold, high-recognition pieces — Richard Mille carbon composites feature regularly on his wrist — but the Hulk signals something different: a collector's sensibility rather than pure flex. It is a watch that rewards knowledge.

On the open market, the 116610LV commands a significant premium over its original retail. Grey-market prices have stabilised after the post-discontinuation spike but remain firmly above list, reflecting sustained demand from collectors who missed their chance the first time around. For Benzema, it is simply another smart acquisition.