Watch Paparazzi

Actor Tom Hardy spotted wearing Rolex

Tom Hardy was recently spotted out and about with a Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LN secured to his wrist — one of the most immediately recognizable watches ever made, and one that rewards closer inspection far more than its ubiquity might suggest.

Introduced in 2010, the 116610LN represented a significant generational leap for the Submariner line. Rolex replaced the aluminium bezel insert of its predecessor, the reference 16610, with a scratch-resistant black Cerachrom ceramic insert, retaining the clean, lacquered black dial and Mercedes hands that have defined the model since the 1950s. The case measures 40mm in Oyster stainless steel and carries a water resistance rating of 300 metres. Power comes from the Calibre 3135, a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve, a Parachrom hairspring for improved shock and magnetic resistance, and chronometric certification from COSC. The 116610LN remained in production until 2020, when Rolex replaced it with the reference 126610LN, featuring a slightly larger 41mm case and the newer Calibre 3235.

For collectors, the 116610LN occupies a clear-cut position: it is the last 40mm Submariner Date, the final expression of a case architecture that Rolex refined over six decades. The Cerachrom bezel gave it genuine durability advantages over earlier references, and the movement is proven and serviceability is excellent worldwide. It is not a rare watch, but it is a definitive one — the kind of reference that serious collectors hold alongside more exotic pieces precisely because it does everything right.

Tom Hardy has demonstrated consistent taste in mechanical watches, gravitating toward robust, tool-oriented pieces that align with his no-nonsense public persona. The all-black 116610LN — sometimes called the "blackout" Sub informally — suits that sensibility precisely. It reads as workmanlike without apology.

On the secondary market the 116610LN trades comfortably above its original retail price. The watch listed in the UK at approximately £7,150 during its production run, and grey-market demand for this discontinued reference remains solid, with examples regularly exchanging hands in the $13,000 to $15,000 range depending on condition and box-and-papers status.