If you've ever listened to a serious watch enthusiast talking about Rolex, you could be forgiven for wondering whether you've wandered into a drinks aisle, a comic shop or even a coffee chain...
Pepsi.
Batman.
Hulk.
Kermit.
Starbucks.
Root Beer.
Panda.
Smurf.
What on earth are they talking about?
These aren't official Rolex model names, Rolex did not give the watches these names. They are nicknames that have been adopted by collectors, dealers and enthusiasts over the years — and some are now so widely used that you’ll often hear the nickname before you hear the reference number.
So, how did these watches acquire such unusual nicknames?
The Pepsi
Let's start with perhaps the most famous of them all.
Pepsi refers to Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II watches with a red and blue bezel.
The colour combination is reminiscent of the Pepsi-Cola logo, hence the nickname.
The red-and-blue bezel has a long history with the GMT-Master. The colour combination dates back to the original GMT-Master introduced in the 1950s and continues today in modern GMT-Master II references such as the 126710BLRO.
And yes, watch people really do say things such as, “I've got a Pepsi.”
Batman.
Batman — one of the best-known nicknames in the Rolex world.
It refers to the black-and-blue bezel of the GMT-Master II, first seen in ceramic on the 116710BLNR, introduced in 2013.
Batman because the combination of black and blue reminded collectors of the colours associated with Batman, whose famous costume is traditionally depicted in dark shades with blue often used in comic-book artwork.
The name caught on surprisingly quickly and became part of the everyday language used by Rolex enthusiasts.
When Rolex offered the same black-and-blue bezel on a Jubilee bracelet, collectors began referring to that version as “Batgirl”, while “Batman” stayed more commonly associated with the Oyster-bracelet version.
Neither Batman nor Batgirl is an official Rolex name, of course. They are collector nicknames — but they are now so widely understood that you'll often hear a watch described that way by dealers and enthusiasts.
So if someone asks whether you've seen a Batman, they're not looking for Bruce Wayne.
They're probably looking for a GMT-Master II.
Root Beer
Root Beer is another GMT nickname, traditionally associated with brown and gold colour combinations.
The nickname has been used for vintage GMT-Master models as well as later two-tone versions.
The modern 126711CHNR, for example, has a distinctive brown-and-black Cerachrom bezel with Everose Rolesor construction and is commonly referred to as a Root Beer.
The exact colours and materials have changed between generations, but the Root Beer name has stuck.
So far we have comic heroes and a drinks menu. - I kid you not, there's even a Sprite and a Coke!
Sprite
This time we're talking about the left-handed GMT-Master II reference 126720VTNR, with its green and black bezel.
The crown and date window are positioned on the left-hand side of the case, making this Rolex particularly distinctive.
The green-and-black combination gave collectors another drinks-inspired nickname — Sprite.
Coke
This one is fairly easy to guess.
A Coke has a red and black bezel.
The nickname is particularly associated with the GMT-Master II reference 16710, although the red-and-black colour combination has appeared on other GMT-Master references too.
Kermit
Kermit refers to the Submariner Date reference 16610LV, introduced for the Submariner's 50th anniversary.
It has a green aluminium bezel insert with a black dial.
The nickname comes from the famous green Muppet character, and it has become one of the best-known Submariner nicknames.
It is not easy being green, unless you are a well known very desirable Rolex!
Hulk
The reference 116610LV combined a green Cerachrom bezel with a matching green dial.
Produced from 2010 until 2020, the all-green appearance made the nickname fairly easy to com up with.
It is one of the most recognisable modern Rolex nicknames — and one that has become firmly established in collector vocabulary.
Starbucks
The successor to the Hulk brought us another nickname.
Starbucks refers to the Submariner Date reference 126610LV, which has a green bezel and black dial.
The name comes from the similarity between the bezel's green colour and the familiar Starbucks coffee logo branding.
Smurf
Not all Rolex nicknames involve food, drinks.
Smurf is the nickname traditionally associated with the white-gold Submariner reference 116619LB, which has an all-blue dial and bezel.
The name is, unsurprisingly, a reference to the little blue characters.
The nickname has also continued to be associated with the newer white-gold blue Submariner reference 126619LB.
Panda
And finally, one that isn't a GMT or Submariner at all.
Panda is a nickname used for Rolex Daytona watches with a white dial and contrasting black sub-dials.
The black-and-white layout resembles the markings of a panda, hence the name.
You'll hear the term used particularly often for modern steel Daytona models such as the 126500LN, although the nickname is not restricted to that single reference number, it's a dial nickname, if it looks like a panda you can call it that!
note - Rolex do not call it that... Rolex's own terminology is essentially the white dial with black counters/sub-dials. Absolutely not as fun!
Why does Rolex have so many nicknames?
Those names have grown organically within the collecting community.
They are useful because saying "Pepsi" or "Hulk" is considerably easier than reciting a long reference number — and the nicknames have become part of the language surrounding Rolex collecting.
But there is one important rule we remind you of - for anyone buying or selling a Rolex:
Always check the reference number.
A nickname can describe a particular colour combination or configuration, but the reference tells you exactly which watch you're dealing with.
And for serious collectors, those numbers matter.