Initially only available in White or Yellow Rolesor (Rolex’s name for a combination of steel and gold), they were just successful enough for an all-steel reference with a smooth bezel to follow in 2012.Yet it seemed to be too much of a design departure for either the traditional customer base or else the brand itself, and the Datejust II was discontinued by 2016. The Datejust 41 replaced it as a very much a scaled-up version of the 36mm piece, with the classic dimensions intact.But there was always a relatively small but enthusiastic audience for the DJII, as decidedly masculine a dress watch as you are likely to find. Issued with a range of dial options (although, strangely, only ever produced on the Oyster bracelet) it offers plenty of choices and is the ideal model for a larger wrist.Rolex is very proud of their patented Cerachrom ceramic alloy, and rightly so. Scratchproof, fade-proof, nigh on unbreakable, it is the perfect material for the brand’s bezels and it has been rolled out across most of the tool watch collection. On the Daytona, it is fitted to models forged from platinum, all three flavors of gold, and the only two steel pieces left in the contemporary lineup – those lusted after models which are more difficult to get ahold of than a Wonka factory golden ticket.But Cerachrom is a fairly new invention. Previous iterations of the stainless steel Daytona have always had steel bezels, something no longer obtainable if you are buying brand new. The last reference to have one was the ref. 116520, which ran from 2000 to 2016, and was the first Daytona to house Rolex’s own in-house chronograph movement, the Cal. 4130.
But as so often happens, any objections were short-lived. Fairly soon after its arrival, the LV (standing for Lunette Verte, or green bezel) started attracting much more of the right kind of attention, with devotees learning to appreciate the eccentricities. It also had the definite whiff of a future classic, something that set collectors with one eye on future monetary gains to gravitate towards it.As it turned out, they were right. Just seven years after its introduction, the Kermit was withdrawn to make way for the ref. 116610LV. Now housed in the beefed-up Super Case, this new piece added a green dial to match the bezel, leading to it being known colloquially as the Hulk.A short run of an unusual edition of a true industry giant has seen prices for the Kermit far outstrip the equivalent classic black models, and should be set to only get higher with time. Definitely one to consider.This one is a real puzzler. There hasn’t been a black and red bezel GMT-Master (much better known as the ‘Coke’) since 2007. That was when the last reference to offer the option, the ref. 16710, was scrubbed from the lineup. This means that there has never been a Cerachrom example of this archetypal and hugely popular Rolex color scheme, which we originally saw debut on the very first of the GMT-Master II references way back in 1983, the ref. 16760 (nicknamed the ‘Fat Lady’).The red and black had enough of a distinction from the blue and red bezel pieces to warrant its place, and as we all know, the ‘Pepsi’ has been (and still is) a massive seller for the brand.
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