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16610 vs 116610 – Rolex Submariner Boca Raton
Watches and cars are very similar. Every few years a new model comes out with various improvements. Usually they look similar to the previous model with slight upgrades and differences. Rolex is a company that is always improving upon their existing watches. For example, their flagship watch, the Rolex Submariner went through a drastic makeover before 2010. But when you look at the model before and after it’s hard to tell what they changed. Kind of like on a car from year to year. Well here is a side by side comparison of the old 16610 and the new 116610 Rolex Submariner Boca Raton.
The first and most obvious change is the size of the “lugs”. The lugs are the pieces of the watch that extend upwards and downwards from the case. They are where the bracelet secures itself to the watch. You can see above on the old 16610 the lugs were much thinner. I think Rolex wanted to make a bigger watch to keep up with the trend now-a-days of over-sized watches without actually increasing the case size. What they decided to do is make the lugs wider which in turn makes the watch look bigger even though they are both are 40mm watches. The watch now appears larger which will entice those who like bigger watches but it remains 40mm which will keep those who like a smaller watch.
Second, Rolex decided to change the dial. At first glance they look the same. But keep looking. Notice how much bigger the markers are on the 116610 at the top compared with the markers on the 16610 below. They call that a maxi dial. Here again Rolex is trying to make the watch appear larger without changing its dimensions. It’s a clever trick that actually does work.
Third is look at the crown protectors. Those are the two pieces of metal that protrude from the case on the right side and surround the crown. These are to protect the crown from banging into something and falling off or breaking. They are massive on the new 116610 compared to the 16610. Once again, another attempt by Rolex to make the watch look larger.
Moving to the bracelet, the fourth difference is in the clasp. Look at the new style Submariner at the top. It has the new glidelock clasp. It is much more solid and easy to use. It is made so that you can adjust the bracelet size with one step making it easy for divers to adjust. On the older model it is just your standard fliplock clasp. It is not as solid to the touch and is much smaller.
Finally, the fifth and most major change is the ceramic bezel. On the old 16610 Rolex used an aluminum insert. It was great and they used it for many years, but it needed a change. They decided to use ceramic which makes the watch slightly more flashy. While it is a tool / diver watch the ceramic bezel gives the watch a nice look. The watch is something you can wear painting a house or wearing a suit. You can see a slight difference between the two on the first two pictures above.
The Submariner is arguably Rolex’s most popular watch. It is if you consider it only as a tool watch. It is the “entry” level model for anyone looking for a sport Rolex. While there are other sport models for less this is the most classic. Everyone knows the Submariner. Today’s retail price for the 116610 is $8,550.00
by, Seth Marcus at Boca Raton Pawn
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