Short answer
"Replica rolex 1166 10 lv" is a broken search string for one specific watch. The real reference is 116610LV, the Rolex Submariner Date with a green dial and green bezel that collectors nicknamed the Hulk. Phone keyboards and autocomplete slice the number apart, so 116610 becomes "1166 10" and the LV tag drifts to the end. If that is what you typed, you were hunting the green Submariner, and you wanted a fake one. Both halves of that deserve a straight look before any money moves.
Decoding the reference number
Rolex reference codes are not random. The 116610 is the 40 mm stainless steel Submariner Date built from 2010 to 2020. The LV suffix comes from the French lunette verte, green bezel, and on this reference the dial is green too. That green-on-green pairing is what separates it from the 116610LN, the black version most people picture when they hear "Submariner."
Factory specs for the genuine watch: Oystersteel case, green Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert, 300 m water resistance rating, and the caliber 3135 movement. Rolex discontinued it in 2020 and replaced it with the 41 mm 126610LV, which kept a green bezel but went back to a black dial.
Why the keyword shows up mangled
I see this pattern constantly. Someone reads "116610LV" in a listing or a forum post, retypes it on a phone, and the space bar lands where it should not. Autocomplete finishes the job. The result is a search term that no catalog uses, which is exactly why sellers stuff it into titles anyway. It is a signal that the buyer is new to the reference and possibly new to how the replica market works.
What "replica" means for this reference
Replica Submariners move in loose tiers, and the labels attached to them are marketing, not certification. Nobody grades these watches. There is no authority behind "Swiss made replica," "1:1," or "super clone."
- Budget tier, roughly $50 to $120. Painted bezel insert, stamped dial furniture, mineral glass, often a quartz movement or a rough automatic. Water resistance is a claim, not a fact.
- Mid tier, roughly $150 to $400. Automatic movement, ceramic insert, sapphire crystal, a bracelet that does not rattle, and case proportions that hold up in photos.
- High-end tier, $400 and up. Cloned 3135 movements or an outsourced Swiss automatic, applied markers, anti-reflective coating, worked-over case and crown guards.
When a seller says "Swiss movement," ask which one. Most watches in this category run Chinese movements from Shanghai, Seagull, or Hangzhou factories, and a genuine ETA 2824 sitting inside a cloned case is a real thing but a much rarer one than the listings suggest.
Where replicas fall short, even good ones
Photographs hide the differences that matter. In hand, the tells tend to be case profile and crown guard shape, the fit of the solid end links against the lugs, the sunburst on the dial, the exact shade and reflectivity of the bezel insert, crystal clarity, lume brightness and duration, and how the bracelet feels after a year. Movement finish is another gap, and so is serviceability. Many independent watchmakers will not touch a counterfeit, which means a $500 fake with a stripped crown can become a paperweight.
Water resistance is the one I would weigh hardest. A genuine Submariner is pressure tested to 300 m. A replica is usually assembled with generic gaskets and never tested at all. Swimming with one is a gamble that ends with a rusted movement.
The risks people underweight
Selling counterfeit watches is illegal in the United States, and importing them is a separate problem: U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at ports routinely, and the buyer eats the loss. Beyond the legal side, there is no warranty, no recourse if the watch arrives broken, no resale value, and no parts support. A counterfeit also carries zero collectible upside. The money is gone the moment it clears your account.
If you want the look, here is where I would point you
Green dive watches are not scarce. Alternatives that deliver the same wrist presence with a warranty and a service network:
- Seiko Prospex green divers, including the SPB series and the Sumo line
- Orient Kamasu in green, one of the best values in automatic dive watches
- Steinhart Ocean One Green, a Swiss-made homage with an ETA movement
- Tudor Black Bay in green, if the budget stretches
- Christopher Ward and Zelos for something less common on the wrist
If the goal is the real 116610LV, prices climbed after discontinuation and have not come back down. A used genuine example with box and papers costs more than most cars people drive to work. That is worth knowing before a replica looks like a shortcut, because it is not one.
Questions I would ask any seller, regardless
- Photos of the actual watch, not catalog renders
- A photo of the movement with the caseback off
- Timing results on a timegrapher
- A written return policy with a real window
- A payment method that offers dispute rights
- A straight answer on whether the watch has been pressure tested
Vague answers to any of those tell you more than a page of spec claims.
Bottom line
The string "1166 10 lv" maps to the Rolex Submariner 116610LV, the green Hulk. Replicas of it exist at every price point, and the honest summary is that the cheap ones look cheap, the expensive ones look close in photos, and none of them are a Rolex, hold value, or come with anyone standing behind them. Know the reference, know what you are buying, and know what you give up.