Rolex 16613 Submariner Date

A checked version of this page, approved on 9 October 2026, was based on this revision.

Rolex Submariner Date 16613LB two-tone Bluesy on its Rolex presentation box — Rolex Submariner Date 16613LB : the blue sunburst dial and blue aluminum insert that gave the reference its Bluesy nickname, on its two-tone Oyster bracelet

The 16613 is the two-tone Submariner Date powered by caliber 3135. Bob’s Watches dates its replacement by the 116613 to 2009; Monochrome places the change around 2008. Catalogue suffixes distinguish the 16613LN with a black bezel and dial from the 16613LB with a blue bezel and blue sunburst dial; collectors commonly call the latter the Bluesy. During the run, lume materials, bracelet construction, and the inner rehaut changed.

LN and LB are catalogue suffixes used for the black and blue bezel configurations. Bluesy is collector shorthand for the blue-on-blue two-tone configuration.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	16613 (LN = black bezel/dial, LB = blue bezel/dial)
family	Submariner Date
nickname	Bluesy (LB)
production	1988 to circa 2008–09
movement	caliber 3135, automatic, 28,800 vph, quick-set date
case	40mm, Rolesor (904L steel + 18k yellow gold), Triplock crown
crystal	sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance	300m / 1000ft
bezel	18k yellow gold surround, aluminum insert (120-position unidirectional ratchet) : black on LN, blue on LB
dial	black gloss with applied gold markers (LN); blue sunburst with applied gold markers (LB); Mercedes hands on both
lume	tritium (early), Luminova (~1998), Super-Luminova (late)
bracelet	93153 (hollow end links) → 93253 (solid end links, ~2000)
rehaut	plain (early/mid), engraved ROLEX ROLEX (~2005 onward)
predecessor	16803 (caliber 3035, 1984–1988)
successor	116613LN / 116613LB (Cerachrom, 2009–2020)

Where it sits in the line

The 16613 is the steel-and-yellow-gold Rolesor member of the 3135-era Submariner Date family. Its gold components include the bezel surround, crown, and centre links, while the case and outer bracelet links are steel. The steel 16610, two-tone 16613, and full-gold 16618 share the 40mm case format and caliber 3135, but their materials and fitments differ.

The LB has a blue dial and blue bezel; the LN has a black dial and black bezel. Auction and dealer records can price them differently, but any comparison depends on condition, completeness, venue, and date. The LN uses the same Rolesor construction with a black gloss dial and black aluminium insert.

The 116619LB Smurf is a 2008-onward blue-on-blue Submariner cased entirely in solid 18k white gold, with a blue Cerachrom insert. The 16613LB uses steel and yellow gold with an aluminum insert.

The 16613 replaced the shorter-lived 16803, which had run from roughly 1984 to 1988 on the earlier caliber 3035. The movement changed to caliber 3135; an individual watch’s performance depends on its condition and service history. The Cerachrom 116613LN and 116613LB followed around 2008–09, bringing a ceramic bezel insert, the Maxi case, and a Glidelock-equipped bracelet.

Twenty years in one reference

Specifications changed during the run. Early examples commonly have tritium lume, a 93153 bracelet with hollow end links, and a plain rehaut. Later examples commonly have non-tritium lume, a 93253 bracelet with solid end links, and an engraved rehaut. Published serial guides place these changes within broad periods; service and replacement parts mean each watch needs its own component check.

Production outline

Early production (~1988–1998)

Early watches have tritium lume (marked T SWISS T or T<25 at six o'clock), a 93153 bracelet with hollow end links and Fliplock clasp, and a plain inner rehaut. These details overlap with the outgoing 16803 generation.

Mid production (~1998–2005)

The dial lume moved from tritium to Luminova around 1998 and on to Super-Luminova within a year or two. The bracelet moved from 93153 to 93253 with solid end links around 2000. Published accounts place both changes around the turn of the millennium, with individual examples varying by serial and service history.

Late production (~2005–c.2008–09)

Late watches gained an engraved inner rehaut, with repeating ROLEX ROLEX text and the serial number at the 6 o'clock position. The feature appeared somewhere between 2005 and 2008 depending on source. Late examples share some visible features with the following 116613, but parts and service history still need individual inspection.

Movement notes

Caliber 3135 throughout the run. Quick-set date, 28,800 vph, Microstella regulation, roughly 48 hours of power reserve, COSC chronometer certification. Rolex used the same movement in the steel 16610, the full-gold 16618, the Datejust, and many other references from the late 1980s onward. The caliber number remained unchanged throughout the 16613’s run.

Later 3135 specimens received the Parachrom blue hairspring, a paramagnetic alloy more resistant to magnetic fields and temperature swings than the earlier hairspring. Published accounts place its introduction within the later 3135 period; the exact 16613 changeover remains unsettled.

Dial map

Two core dial configurations run across the production span: a blue-bezel LB with blue sunburst dial and a black-bezel LN with black gloss dial, both with applied gold hour markers and gold Mercedes hands. Auction catalogues document additional gem-set examples with champagne and silver bases. Identify these variants from the specific watch’s dial, bezel, case, movement, provenance, and catalogue record.

The lume-text branches mirror the wider Submariner family, and dial text is one useful period check for a 16613, subject to service-part changes. Early dials read T SWISS T or T<25 (tritium), which places the watch pre-1998. A brief transitional window carries SWISS only (Luminova), roughly 1998 to 2000. Late dials read SWISS MADE (Luminova then Super-Luminova), 2000 onwards.

16613LB blue dial

The 16613LB dial is blue with a radial sunburst finish, applied gold hour markers, and gold Mercedes hands.

Sotheby’s lot 10 (1997) records a blue insert and silvered sunburst dial with diamond- and sapphire-set indexes. Its 2021 lot 9 describes a circa-1990 16613 with a champagne dial and the same types of indexes.

16613LN black dial

The LN dial is black gloss with gold-applied hour markers and gold Mercedes hands. Monochrome documents raised-marker “nipple” dials on the preceding 16803. A 16613 example needs its own watch-specific record.

Standard gloss : black lacquer base, applied gold hour markers, gold Mercedes hands. Tritium lume on early watches, Luminova then Super-Luminova on later examples.
Gem-set examples : Sotheby’s catalogues individual 16613 watches with diamond- and sapphire-set indexes. Case records, service documents, and provenance help distinguish original delivery from Rolex service replacement or later changes.

16613LN, black dial
Black dial detail

Mother-of-pearl dial

A mother-of-pearl 16613LB is documented at Bonhams London (Fine Wristwatches, 19 June 2019, lot 81): movement no. 657****, a mother-of-pearl dial with applied diamond-set gold dot hour markers and sapphire-set quarters, on the early 93153 hollow-end-link bracelet with a blue bezel insert. The watch was first sold on 2 January 1993, placing it at the very start of the 16613's production run. Its inner caseback is stamped 16610, the steel Submariner Date reference. Bonhams records the stamp without interpretation; the lot leaves open whether it reflects a shared case blank or a later service caseback. The watch remained unsold against an estimate of GBP 4,000–6,000.

Service-replacement dial caution

Rolex service centers fitted Luminova dials to tritium-era watches after tritium dials left production. A pre-transition 16613 with a later SWISS MADE dial may carry a service replacement. These parts can be period-correct while differing from the watch’s original delivery; compare the dial, hands, movement, service records, and serial context.

Gem-set dials

Sotheby’s catalogues describe a silvered 16613 (1997, lot 10), a champagne example (circa 1990, lot 9), and a champagne 16613T titled “Serti” (circa 2003, lot 236). The catalogues establish those individual watches; original delivery calls for watch-specific documentation.

In a 2021 Rolex Forums thread, an owner said Rolex service had fitted a champagne Serti dial to a 1998 16613LN. Another participant called that colorway “Sultan.” The exchange records collector usage and a service replacement.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is 40mm 904L stainless steel with 18k yellow gold crown guards and a gold Triplock screw-down crown, rated to 300m. The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops magnifier over the date window at three o'clock. The bezel is 18k yellow gold carrying a unidirectional aluminum insert with a 60-minute scale and 120-position ratchet, plus a luminous pearl at twelve; black on the LN and blue on the LB. The 16613 uses an aluminum insert; Cerachrom arrived with the successor 116613.

Aluminum inserts scratch, fade, or get replaced. Their appearance reflects exposure, wear, cleaning, and the insert itself; color alone is a weak guide to originality.

The inner rehaut is plain on early and mid-production watches. Late examples, from around 2005, carry the engraved ROLEX ROLEX band also used on later Submariner generations.

Hallmarks on the gold components follow Rolex's standard precious-metal marking of the period. Earlier watches carry the Helvetia bust with G Geneva assay mark on the mid-case and bracelet components. After 1995, the St. Bernard dog Barry mark replaced the older Helvetia system.

Caseback and bracelet of the Sotheby’s lot 531 16613LN.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Lume type and bracelet construction help date the components on a 16613. Neither alone establishes the watch’s original configuration.

Early bracelet: 93153 (hollow end links)

The 93153 is a two-tone Oyster bracelet with steel outer links and 18k gold center links, fitted with hollow end links and a Fliplock diver's-extension clasp. It covers early production through about 2000. A 16613 on a 93153 with a tritium dial sits firmly in the pre-millennium collector tier.

Gold-through clasp transition

Collector references place the gold-through clasp transition around the A-to-P period. Gold continues through the clasp body as well as across its exterior. Bracelets and clasps are replaceable, so date the clasp separately from the watch head.

Later bracelet: 93253 (solid end links : SEL)

The 93253 uses solid end links (SEL), which close the gap between bracelet and case. Published accounts place the change around 2000, alongside the transitions on the steel 16610 and full-gold 16618. Rolex introduced solid end links on the Sea-Dweller before extending them to the Submariner.

The 93153-to-93253 change helps place a bracelet within the production run. Replacement and retained period parts occur, so date the bracelet and watch head separately.

Clasp date codes follow the standard Rolex scheme of the period: 1976 = A through 1988 = M, 1989 = N, through 2000 = AB, 2001 = DE, up to 2010 = RS. An S stamp indicates a service replacement clasp. The code dates the bracelet; the watch head can be older, younger, or a later replacement entirely.

Sotheby’s lot 531 presentation case and printed material.

Special branches

Panama Canal limited edition

Seventy-five two-tone steel and yellow-gold 16613s were produced in 1999 to commemorate the December 1999 transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to the Republic of Panama, retailed exclusively by Mercurio Joyero in Panama City. The dial carries a gilt Panama Canal emblem above six o'clock with the inscription "Panama Canal : Canal de Panamá"; the caseback is engraved with the limited-edition number around its periphery. A parallel run of seventy-five steel examples uses the same dial layout and circulates as the 16610 Panama Canal. Sotheby's Watches Online March 2020 lot 4 (c.1999, A946579, numbered 57/75, estimate CHF 25,000–40,000) documents one two-tone example. Both catalogue records identify black dials; an LB commission needs its own record.

Khanjar caseback

The documented Khanjar 16613 carries the Sultanate of Oman's curved dagger emblem on its caseback. Bukowskis lot 1023 (circa 1998, serial U365470) records the engraving, a Khimji Ramdas warranty card, and a Khanjar-stamped box. Italian Watch Spotter traces Omani commissions' move from dial signatures to caseback engravings around the start of the 2000s. A Khanjar dial on a 16613 needs its own catalogue or provenance record.

Tiffany & Co. retailer signature

A Tiffany & Co.-signed 16613LN : "TIFFANY & CO." printed above SUBMARINER on the black gloss dial.

A Tiffany & Co.-signed 16613 is documented in Sotheby's London, Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time (14 April 2021, lot 8): circa 1991, serial X723491, with the retailer's name on the case, dial, movement, and original guarantee. That provenance applies to this watch.

Market position

Auction catalogues document both suffixes. Blue and black examples can differ in price, but the relationship changes with condition, dial, bracelet, completeness, venue, and date.

Auction estimates and results vary with lume era, bracelet, rehaut, dial, condition, and completeness.

The 116613 successors added Cerachrom and the Maxi Case. The table preserves dated estimates and results; gem-set and signed watches need case-specific provenance and condition review.

Auction record

Major-house lots documenting the 16613 across its twenty-year run, covering both suffixes as well as the gem-set and limited-edition branches.

Date	House / sale	Lot	Suffix	Configuration	Result
2009-12-17	Bonhams Fine Watches and Wristwatches (San Francisco)	85	LB	case K972690, sold new in 2002, blue sunburst dial, 93253 Oyster bracelet with Flip-Lock diver's extension	sold US$5,185 inc. premium (est. US$5,000–6,000)
2018-06-20	Bonhams Fine Watches and Wristwatches (New Bond Street, London)	13	LB	circa 1991, movement no. 605****, sunburst blue dial, applied luminous filled gold dot hour markers	sold GBP 5,250 inc. premium (est. GBP 4,000–5,000)
2018-09	Sotheby's Important Watches (n09952, New York)	10	LB	c.1997, silvered sunburst dial with diamond- and sapphire-set indexes, blue aluminium insert, case U190178, on two-tone Oyster	est. USD 7,000–9,000
2020-02-18	Bonhams Watches and Wristwatches (Knightsbridge, London)	227	LB	16613T, circa 2007, movement no. 3198****, sunburst blue dial with gilt Mercedes hands	sold GBP 8,812.50 inc. premium (est. GBP 4,000–6,000)
2020-03-26	Sotheby's Watches Online	4	LN	c.1999, Panama Canal limited edition no. 57/75, black dial with gilt canal emblem above six o'clock, case A946579, original guarantee	est. CHF 25,000–40,000
2020-07-24	Sotheby's Watches Weekly (London)	702	LB	c.2004, blue sunburst dial, case F605993, full set with guarantee, booklets, presentation case, anchor	est. GBP 5,000–7,000
2020-08-04	Sotheby's Watches Weekly (New York)	1056	LN	c.1991, black tritium dial, case N221047, on two-tone Oyster with folding clasp	est. USD 8,000–12,000
2021-04-14	Sotheby's Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time (London)	8	LN	c.1991, retailed by Tiffany & Co., signed case, dial, and movement; black tritium dial; case X723491; consigned by the original purchaser, signature also on the original guarantee	est. GBP 12,000–18,000
2021-04-29	Sotheby's Fine Watches (Hong Kong)	9233	LB	c.2000, blue sunburst dial, case K972831, on two-tone Oyster with folding clasp	est. HKD 65,000–95,000
2021-06-15	Sotheby's June Watches (n10845, New York)	9	LB (blue bezel)	c.1990, champagne dial with diamond- and sapphire-set indexes, case E524471, original Rolex presentation box and hang tags	est. USD 10,000–15,000
2022-11	Sotheby's Important Watches Online	531	LN	c. mid-production 16613LN, black gloss dial, two-tone Oyster	lot closed; result not published
2022-12-14	Sotheby's Fine Watches	236	16613T	c.2003, champagne dial with diamond- and sapphire-set indexes; Sotheby's titles the lot “Serti,” case F931450	est. USD 10,000–15,000
2024-06-11	Sotheby's Fine Watches	315	LB	c.2008, late 16613T blue dial, case Z798795, movement 31654377, full set with December 2008 guarantee	est. USD 8,000–16,000

16613LB blue-dial watch, Bonhams lot 527
16613LN black-dial watch, Sotheby’s lot 531
Black dial detail from Sotheby’s lot 531
Caseback and bracelet from Sotheby’s lot 531
Presentation material from Sotheby’s lot 531
Tiffany-signed dial from Sotheby’s lot 8

Related references

Submariner 16610: date, caliber 3135 (1988–2010)
Submariner 16613LB: 1988–c.2008/09
Submariner 16613LN: 1988–c.2008/09
Submariner 16618: 1988–c.2008/09
Submariner 14060: non-date, caliber 3000 (1990–2000)
Submariner 14060M: 2000–2012