Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Pierpaolo Piccioli spotted wearing Rolex

Pierpaolo Piccioli, the Rome-born designer who transformed Valentino into one of fashion's most emotionally charged houses, has been spotted wearing one of the most recognizable sports watches in the collector world: the Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LV, universally known as the 'Hulk.' The sighting underlines a long-standing affinity between the fashion world's creative elite and Rolex's professional dive lineup.

Introduced at Baselworld 2010, the Submariner 116610LV distinguished itself from the standard 116610LN by pairing an intensely saturated green dial with a matching green Cerachrom bezel insert — at the time still made from an aluminum alloy rather than the full ceramic construction Rolex later adopted across the range. The case measures 40mm in Oystersteel, water-resistant to 300 metres, and houses the caliber 3135 movement: a proven, in-house workhorse offering roughly 48 hours of power reserve with Rolex's Parachrom hairspring for improved shock and magnetic resistance. The Oyster bracelet on the 116610LV features the Glidelock extension system, allowing 20mm of adjustment without tools.

Rolex discontinued the 116610LV in 2020, replacing it with the 126610LV — nicknamed the 'Starbucks' — which introduced a black-and-green ceramic bezel. That production end transformed the Hulk overnight from a polarizing watch into a desirable discontinued reference. Its all-green aesthetic, once considered eccentric even by Submariner standards, is now precisely what makes it sought-after. Collectors prize it as the last single-color green Submariner, a closed chapter in Rolex's catalog.

For Piccioli — a designer who built his aesthetic around saturated, unapologetic color and the idea that luxury should carry emotional weight — the Hulk is less a status symbol than a coherent personal statement. Named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2019, Piccioli's sartorial choices are always considered; a watch this deliberately bold reads as intentional rather than incidental.

On the secondary market, the Rolex Submariner 116610LV commands a consistent premium over its original retail price, driven by discontinued status and sustained demand. Grey-market values remain well above retail, reflecting both collector appetite and the limited supply of unworn examples.