Reference:116618: Difference between revisions

|title=Rolex Submariner 116618 — Yellow Gold, 2008–2020 | Rolexopedia

|description=The full gold Submariner is not a new idea. Rolex introduced the first yellow gold Submariner Date — the 1680/8 — in 1969, the same year as the Apollo 11…

|image=Ref 116618 detail 2.jpg

The 116618 is the full 18k yellow-gold Submariner Date of the Cerachrom era, in production from roughly 2008 to 2020 on caliber 3135. Rolex has offered a full yellow-gold Submariner Date in every generation since the 1680/8 arrived in 1969, and the 116618 is the fifth chapter of that line — the first one to pair the full-gold case with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel.

The yellow-gold case distinguishes it from the steel 116610LN and the less conspicuous white-gold 116619LB.

| 41mm; caliber 3235; thinner lugs; 21mm bracelet; $48,600 retail

The gold Submariner took the same generational package the 116610LN brought to steel. Cerachrom ceramic replaced the aluminum insert, the Glidelock clasp replaced the Fliplock, the case widened into the broader-lugged Super Case, Chromalight replaced SuperLuminova, and the rehaut picked up engraving. The 16618's aluminum bezel faded under UV exposure. The ceramic insert does not.

Both LB (blue) and LN (black) variants ran the full twelve years, with no mid-run changes documented beyond the standard ceramic-era specification.

Case, bezel body, crown, crown guards, bracelet, and case back are all 18k yellow gold, which makes the 116618 one of the heaviest Submariner references in any generation. Owners posting on Rolex Forums report a total weight near 227.5g fully linked. The density is obvious on the wrist next to a steel 116610LN, and still obvious next to a Rolesor 116613.

Caliber 3135 throughout, the same movement that runs the 116610, the 116613, and the 116619LB. Quick-set date, 28,800 vph, Microstella regulation, and a Parachrom blue hairspring in Rolex's paramagnetic niobium-zirconium alloy, more resistant to magnetic interference than the older hairspring alloys. Rolex fits the 3135 to steel, two-tone, yellow-gold, and white-gold Submariners without modification, so the 116618's premium over the 116610LN buys materials and finishing. Mechanically the two watches are the same.

[[File:Ref 116618 detail 2.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Yellow-gold Submariner 116618LB, sunburst blue dial and Cerachrom bezel|Yellow-gold 116618LB — sunburst blue dial, Cerachrom bezel]]

The sunburst blue is the 116618's signature configuration. In shadow it reads deep midnight blue; in full direct sunlight it reaches pale sky blue. The dial has gold Maxi markers, large luminous plots and gold hands, paired with the blue Cerachrom bezel.

A 40mm case on a 20mm bracelet. The successor 126618 went to 41mm with thinner, more tapered lugs and a 21mm bracelet; Fratello's review of the 126618LB called the new lugs pointier and closer to the original 1680/8, a retreat from the blocky Maxi Case shape. The 116618 is where that broad-lug geometry peaked.

Cerachrom ceramic, the change that defines the generation. It does not fade and it does not scratch the way the 16618's aluminum insert did. Numerals and graduation marks are filled with gold instead of the platinum used on the steel and white-gold models, matched to the case. It is the only gold-filled bezel in the generation.

Hallmarks follow the standard Swiss precious-metal system. A 750 stamp, meaning 18k or 750 parts per thousand fine gold, should appear on the case and case back. The St. Bernard "Barry" mark is the Swiss precious-metals stamp used post-1995.

Full-gold construction makes this one of the heaviest bracelets in the Submariner catalog. The bracelet does not change during the run; every 116618 carries the same Glidelock-equipped 97208.

The 116618 trades in a different segment from the steel Submariners. Its closer price comparisons are other precious-metal sports watches, including the white-gold 116619LB.

 

The successor 126618LB retails at $48,600 USD. The 116618 sells well under that on the secondary market, discounted for the 40mm case, the older caliber 3135, and the absence of a current warranty. Blue LB dials turn up far more often than black LN, and the LN sometimes trades a little softer for it.

 

There is no meaningful auction record for the 116618. Gold Submariner lots at the major houses belong to the 1680/8 and the vintage references; the 116618 is recent enough that it still moves through the dealer market, and asking prices there are the better signal.

* [[Reference:116619LB|Submariner 116619LB]] — "Smurf", White Gold (2008–2020)

* [[Reference:116613|Submariner 116613]] — 2009–2020

* [[Reference:116610LV|Submariner 116610LV]] — "Hulk", Green Dial (2010–2020)

* [[Reference:116610LN|Submariner 116610LN]] — 2010–2020

* [[Reference:114060|Submariner 114060]] — 2012–2020

* [[Reference:16610LV|Submariner 16610LV]] — "Kermit", Green Bezel (2003–2010)

* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome

* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-two-tone-submariner.html Bob's Watches two-tone Submariner history] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches

* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/how-to-start-collecting-the-rolex-submariner The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's

* [https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/rolex-submariner-date-history/ Gray & Sons Submariner Date history] — Gray & Sons editorial, Gray & Sons

* [https://professionalwatches.com/rolex-submariner-reference-guide/ Rolex Submariner Reference Guide] — Professional Watches editorial, Professional Watches

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra