Watch Paparazzi

Cricketer Virat Kohli spotted wearing Rolex

Virat Kohli, India's most celebrated cricketer and a consistent presence on luxury watch radars, was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Submariner Date reference 126610LV — the model the collector community has affectionately called the 'Starbucks' since its 2020 debut. The sighting adds another serious entry to Kohli's well-documented affinity for Rolex sports references.

The 126610LV represents the third generation of the green-bezel Submariner lineage, which Rolex first introduced in 2003 with the reference 16610LV 'Kermit' to mark the Submariner's 50th anniversary. Where that original wore a green aluminium bezel insert over a black dial, the current 126610LV pairs a fully green Cerachrom ceramic bezel with an equally deep black dial — a combination that inspired the Starbucks comparison that has stuck firmly in collector vocabulary. The watch measures 41mm across, up 1mm from its predecessor the 116610LV, and sits on Rolex's Oyster bracelet with the updated Glidelock extension system.

Powering the 126610LV is the in-house calibre 3235, a movement that represented a substantial step forward when Rolex debuted it in the Submariner family. The 3235 features a Chronergy escapement — a nickel-phosphorus lever and escape wheel geometry that improves efficiency by roughly 15 percent — along with a 70-hour power reserve, up from the 48-hour reserve of the older calibre 3135. The movement is COSC-certified and then further adjusted by Rolex to a -2/+2 seconds per day standard.

Among collectors, the 126610LV occupies a peculiar position: it is simultaneously one of the most coveted Rolex references and one of the most practically wearable. Its instantly legible dial, 300-metre water resistance, and screw-down crown make it a genuine tool watch, while the ceramic bezel's colour-fade resistance gives it long-term aesthetic durability that earlier aluminium-bezel variants never had. The 'Starbucks' nickname has become so embedded that it functions almost as an official model designation in secondary market listings.

At an official retail price of approximately $10,620, the Rolex Submariner Date 126610LV is notionally accessible by luxury watch standards, but authorised dealer waitlists make retail acquisition largely theoretical for most buyers. On the grey market the reference trades at around $20,130 — roughly double retail — a premium that has remained stable despite broader corrections in the Rolex secondary market. For Virat Kohli, a global brand ambassador and high-profile collector, the 'Starbucks' Submariner is a characteristically assured choice.