The Discontinued Rolex Watches Guide (2024)

Discontinued Rolex Watches

After models are removed from the catalogue, Rolex watches typically increase in value significantly. Investors frequently purchase models that are believed to be discontinued in the hopes of reaping huge returns in a short amount of time. If you're looking to make an investment, look out for some of the discontinued Rolex watches discussed below.

Rolex Hulk – The Submariner 116610LV
Many Rolex lovers ask, what happened to the Rolex Hulk? This is a fair question. A beautifully constructed, popular watch, gone! The Submariner 116610LV, which Rolex launched in 2010, was instantly given the nickname "the Hulk." No surprises for guessing this was due to the Submariner 116610LV's green face and features. The undeniable Hulk-like green colour was located on the watch's large dial and unidirectional bezel.

After an impressive ten years on Rolex's shelves, the Hulk was discontinued in 2020 because changes were made to improve the Submariner collection, leading to us Rolex lovers saying goodbye to the Hulk for good. Or, is it for good? To be frank, there is no way of saying for certain if Rolex will rerelease the Hulk model back into circulation but if they do, we'll be sure to let you know.

Rolex Submariner 16610
Arguably one of the most popular Rolex timepieces of our time, the Rolex Submariner 16610 was in production from 1987 till 2010. Due to their popularity and long reign, there does seem to be a decent amount of this model available. This should not decrease their value, however, as they are a very sought-after, timeless Rolex watch. It is worth noting that this model was the last from the Submariner family with an aluminium bezel.

The Rolex Submariner 16610 was discontinued in 2010 and replaced with the Submariner Date 116610. Although no longer available from Rolex directly, we often have Rolex Submariner available for sale.

Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller 126660
This one was somewhat shocking to us at first, handsome in design, smart in technology and a seemingly popular timepiece, then suddenly discontinued early this year. A surprise? Yes. However, the Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller 126660 was discontinued to be replaced by the Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller 136660. This means all is not lost! As the 136660 is almost identical, the only difference compared to the now discontinued 126660 is that there has been some added platinum PVD to the new model, and the date aperture is slightly bigger.

If you are like many and aren't a fan of change, we often have some of the original Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller 126660 available.

Four out of Five Rolex Cellini Models
Yes, you read that right. Rolex has discontinued four out of five of their Cellini models in 2022. These are the Cellini Time 50505/50509, and the Cellini Date 50519/50515. The remaining model is the Rolex Cellini Moonpause. The reasoning to remove such a large sum of Cellini watches is unclear.

Rolex Yacht-Master 16622
Rolex first launched their Yacht-Master 16622 with a combination material called Rolesmium in 1999. The materials combined to create Rolemium are stainless steel and platinum and the Yacht-Master 16622 is still to this day the only watch that has been made by Rolex using this combination.

The Rolex Yacht-Master for men, reference 16622, 40 mm stainless steel case, platinum bezel, and rhodium luminous dots. Powered by an automated movement and mounted on a stainless steel bracelet is still available as a pre-owned watch. See our pre-owned Rolex Yacht-Master watches.

Rolex Air King 116900
The Rolex Air King 116900 is another one of the latest timepieces added to the Rolex discontinued list. Similarly to many other discontinued Rolexes, there is of course a replacement added in its absence. The Rolex Air King 116900's replacement isn't a million miles away from the 116900. The new model lugs have been straightened and there is a new crown guard. This means the new Rolex Air King has a protected guard as opposed to the exposed crown on the 116900. The replacement is the Rolex Air King 126900. Although these changes are improvements this does not devalue how well-designed its predecessor is.

2023 Predictions for Rolex Watches

This is the part where we attempt to look into the future. Every year we eagerly await the news from Rolex to finally know which watches will be taken out of production, and what new watch will replace them. There is no certainty in which Rolex watches will be discontinued this coming year, however, we can give it a good go.

If previous years are anything to go by, the likelihood is that Rolex will upset a few of us by discontinuing some of their very popular pieces. This shouldn't worry us though. One thing to always remember when it comes to discontinued Rolex watches is, they will almost certainly go up in value. If you already own one of the watches we've mentioned here today you could be sitting on somewhat of a fortune. Or at least there is somewhat of a fortune hugging your wrist as you read this.

Potential watches that could face being discontinued in 2023 could be another member of their Submariner collection or perhaps a fellow from their GMT-Master II collection. Remember these are simply our speculative thoughts. At the end of the day, only Rolex know. However, we will be here eagerly awaiting the news and be ready to update you when it happens.

Before you go, we have lots of helpful guides in our Watch Guides Hub and of course, an abundance of designer pre-owned watches to browse from. In particular, beautiful pre-owned Rolex watches for men and women.