Hands-On Review
Rolex Submariner 116613LB Review
A hands-on look at the discontinued two-tone Bluesy, from gold dial text to Maxi case wrist presence and what it costs today.
Shop Rolex Submariner 116613LBTHE FIRST LOOK
Rolex Submariner 116613LB First Impressions
What hits you the moment you pick up the Bluesy.
Pick up the Rolex Submariner 116613LB and the first thing you register is heft. This is a two-tone Rolex watch, Oystersteel married to solid 18k yellow gold, and the gold pulls real weight into your hand the instant you lift it off the tray. The blue catches you next. Under daylight the sunburst dial throws a deep electric blue that shifts as you tilt it, framed by a matching blue Cerachrom bezel that reads cleaner and glossier than any aluminum insert ever did.
The detail that separates this generation from the current model jumps out fast: the dial text is printed in gold, not white. It is a small thing on paper and a big thing on the wrist. The gold lettering ties the dial back to the gold bezel ring, crown, and bracelet links, so the whole watch reads as one warm, cohesive object rather than blue with gold bolted on. This does not present as a subtle watch. It presents as a confident one, and within seconds of handling it you understand exactly why collectors keep this configuration on their shortlist.
THE WEARING EXPERIENCE
On the Wrist
How the Bluesy actually wears, day in and day out.
Quick Specs
The Rolex Submariner 116613LB wears bigger than its 40mm diameter suggests, and the reason is the Maxi case. This generation introduced broader lugs, a wider bezel, and thicker crown guards than the slimmer five-digit Subs that came before it, so the watch sits with real presence on the wrist. At roughly 12.7mm thick with a lug-to-lug near 48mm, it lands comfortably on wrists from about 6.5 inches upward. On a smaller wrist it will read as a statement piece rather than a sleeper.
The two-tone construction adds weight you notice and then forget. Strap it on and you feel the gold settle, but the balance is even across the case and bracelet, with no front-heavy tilt. The Glidelock clasp earns its keep here: when your wrist swells on a hot day you can add or drop a couple of millimeters on the fly without tools, which keeps the watch comfortable across a full day. Slipping under a dress cuff takes a little more effort than it would with a slimmer vintage Sub, so this is a watch that wants to be seen rather than hidden.
Questions About a Specific 116613LB?
Production year, dial variant, and condition all move the price on a two-tone Sub. Tell us what you are after and we will give you straight answers.
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Shop the Submariner
Browse authenticated Rolex Submariner 116613LB watches available now at WatchGuys.
If the warm two-tone look and the bolder Maxi case sound like the right fit, here is what we currently have available, each example authenticated in-house and backed by our 2-year warranty.
BUILD QUALITY
Rolex Submariner 116613LB Specifications
Breaking down the Bluesy component by component.
Case
The Rolex Submariner 116613LB case is Yellow Rolesor, a 40mm 904L Oystersteel body fitted with an 18k yellow gold bezel ring, crown, and crown guard. This is the Maxi case generation, so the lugs are noticeably fatter and the crown guards thicker than the earlier 16613, which is why the watch wears with more authority. The brushed steel flanks contrast against the high-polish gold, and the transitions between the two finishes are crisp, with no fuzziness where steel meets gold. The screw-down Triplock crown threads down smoothly and seats with a reassuring stop, and the solid screw-down caseback keeps the watch rated to a genuine 300 meters of water resistance. A flat sapphire crystal sits over the dial with the familiar Cyclops lens magnifying the date.
Dial and Bezel
The dial is where this reference splits into two camps. Early 116613LB examples (roughly 2009 to 2012) wear a flatter, more matte blue that was tuned to match the bezel tone. From around 2013, Rolex moved to a richer sunburst blue that fans out from the center and shifts dramatically as light moves across it. Most buyers gravitate to the later sunburst, though the early flat dials have a quieter, more uniform look that some collectors specifically hunt for. Across both, the applied hour markers are gold-surrounded and filled with Chromalight, the Mercedes handset matches, and the printed dial text is gold rather than the white used on the current model. That gold text is the single most important visual signature of this generation.
The blue Cerachrom bezel is the practical hero of the watch. The ceramic insert is effectively scratch-proof and will not fade under UV the way an old aluminum insert would, so a 116613LB pulled from a drawer after a decade still shows a vivid, even blue. The 60-minute scale carries gold-coated numerals and graduations, and the unidirectional action turns with firm, precise clicks and zero backplay.
Bracelet
The Oyster bracelet carries the same two-tone theme: brushed Oystersteel outer links flank polished 18k yellow gold center links, with solid construction throughout and solid end links for a rigid, premium feel. Articulation is excellent and the watch drapes around the wrist rather than sitting stiff on top of it. The folding Oysterlock clasp includes the Glidelock extension system, which gives you around 20mm of tool-free micro-adjustment in 2mm steps. For a watch this heavy, that on-the-fly sizing is not a luxury, it is what keeps it wearable through temperature swings across a day.
What to Check on a Pre-Owned 116613LB
"On a two-tone Sub, the gold is where the money hides. Look hard at the polished gold center links and the gold crown guard for thinning or over-polishing, because once that gold is buffed down it does not come back. Confirm whether you have an early flat dial or a post-2013 sunburst, since that changes both the look and the value. Check the bracelet for stretch by holding it horizontal and watching for sag between the links, and make sure the bezel insert and dial are correct for the serial year. A clean, unpolished example with box and papers is worth a real premium over a tired one."
UNDER THE HOOD
Rolex Submariner 116613LB Movement Review
How the movement performs where it matters: on the wrist, every day.
The Rolex Submariner 116613LB runs the Caliber 3135, the in-house automatic that anchored Rolex's professional lineup for decades and earned a reputation as one of the most reliable movements ever mass produced. It carries 31 jewels, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and uses the paramagnetic Parachrom hairspring. It is COSC certified and then regulated by Rolex to Superlative Chronometer standard, meaning a real-world target of plus or minus 2 seconds per day. In daily wear most healthy examples settle in that band, and a well-serviced 3135 keeping a couple of seconds is exactly what you should expect.
The trade-off versus the current generation is the power reserve. At 48 hours, the 116613LB will not survive a full weekend off the wrist the way a 70-hour movement does. Take it off Friday night and it can be stopped by Sunday, so it asks for a wind and a date correction more often than the newer Sub. In hand, winding through the gold Triplock crown is smooth and the rotor is quiet in normal wear. The date snaps over cleanly at midnight. None of this is exotic horology, and that is the point: the 3135 is a workhorse you can wear and forget, with a deep global service network and predictable, well-understood maintenance.
Service Reality on the Caliber 3135
"The 3135 is about as serviceable as a watch movement gets. Parts are everywhere, every competent watchmaker knows it cold, and a full service is straightforward compared to a modern chronograph. If you are buying a 116613LB that has been sitting, do not panic about a service, factor it in. Ask when it was last done and whether it was Rolex or an independent. A movement running outside spec on a 3135 is usually a sign it is simply due, not a sign anything is wrong with the watch."
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Current Market Snapshot
What the Bluesy costs right now on the secondary market.
116613LB Market Price
Prices reflect complete sets (box, papers, warranty card). Watches without complete sets typically trade 5-15% lower.
The Rolex Submariner 116613LB typically trades from about $13,000 to $17,000 and up on the secondary market, with the exact number driven by production year, flat versus sunburst dial, overall condition, and whether the watch carries its original box and papers. Full sets with the warranty card sit at the top of that band, while polished or paperless examples land lower. As a discontinued reference, supply is fixed, which tends to make pricing steadier over time than an in-production model still subject to waitlist swings.
The headline value story is the gap to the current generation. The 116613LB consistently trades roughly $3,000 below the in-production 126613LB, despite sharing the same blue-on-blue identity, the same Cerachrom bezel, and the same Glidelock clasp. You give up the newer movement and the slimmer case, and you gain gold dial text plus a meaningful discount. It also commands a slight premium over the black-dial 116613LN, reflecting stronger collector pull toward the blue combination. The Bluesy spans our Rolex watches under $20,000 segment, which is where most clean examples land.
Want a Fair Number on a 116613LB?
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Speak To a RepresentativeHEAD TO HEAD
How It Compares
The Bluesy against the alternatives buyers actually cross-shop.
Rolex 116613LB vs. Rolex Submariner 126613LB (Current Bluesy)
This is the decision almost every Bluesy buyer faces. The current 126613LB grew to a 41mm case with slimmer, more refined lugs, switched to the Caliber 3235 with its 70-hour power reserve, and uses white dial text for higher contrast against the blue. The 116613LB answers with the chunkier 40mm Maxi case, the proven 48-hour Caliber 3135, and warmer gold dial text that many collectors prefer for how it unifies the dial with the gold hardware. If you want the latest movement and the slimmer profile, pay up for the current model. If you prefer bolder wrist presence, the gold-text look, and saving roughly $3,000, the 116613LB is the smarter buy.
"We sell both generations of the Bluesy every week, and the 116613LB is the value play, full stop. You are getting the same iconic blue-on-blue two-tone Submariner, the same bulletproof platform, for a few thousand less than the current model. The gold text is not a downgrade, plenty of buyers walk in wanting it specifically. Unless you genuinely need the 70-hour movement, the older generation is the one I point people toward."
| Rolex 116613LB | Rolex 126613LB | |
|---|---|---|
| Case Size | 40mm (Maxi case) | 41mm (slimmer lugs) |
| Movement | Caliber 3135 | Caliber 3235 |
| Power Reserve | 48 hrs | 70 hrs |
| Dial Text | Gold | White |
| Production | Discontinued 2020 | Current |
| Secondary Market | $13,000 - $17,000+ | $16,000 - $20,000+ |
Rolex 116613LB vs. Rolex Submariner 116613LN (Black Two-Tone)
The closest sibling is the black-dial Rolex Submariner 116613LN, which shares the exact same 40mm Yellow Rolesor case, Caliber 3135, and Glidelock bracelet. The only meaningful difference is color: the LN runs a black dial and black Cerachrom bezel for a more understated, traditional look that blends with the gold rather than playing against it. The blue LB is louder and pulls stronger collector demand, so it usually carries a slight premium. If you want the two-tone Sub to read as discreet, the LN is your watch. If you want it to turn heads, the Bluesy earns its name.
Rolex 116613LB vs. Rolex Submariner 116610LN (All Steel)
Buyers torn on whether to go two-tone at all often cross-shop the all-steel Rolex Submariner 116610LN from the same era. Same Maxi case, same Caliber 3135, same Glidelock, but in pure Oystersteel with a black dial and bezel. The all-steel version is the quieter tool watch and trades for less. The 116613LB is the dressier, more expressive choice and asks a premium for the gold. It comes down to whether you want a Submariner that disappears into a sport-watch role or one that doubles as jewelry.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Verdict
Is the Bluesy worth your money?
The Rolex Submariner 116613LB is worth buying, and for a lot of people it is the smartest way into the two-tone blue Submariner. You get the full Bluesy identity, the scratch-proof Cerachrom bezel, the proven Caliber 3135, and warmer gold dial text, all for roughly $3,000 under the current generation. As a discontinued reference with fixed supply, it has also been one of the steadier pieces in the Submariner family.
This watch is perfect for the buyer who wants one serious, expressive Rolex that crosses from the office to the weekend and is happy to be noticed. It is also ideal for the value-minded collector who would rather pocket the savings than chase the latest movement. Who should look elsewhere? Anyone who needs a 70-hour weekend-proof power reserve, anyone chasing the slimmest possible profile, and anyone who finds two-tone too loud, that buyer is better served by the all-steel 116610LN or the current 126613LB. The single strongest reason to buy the 116613LB is simple: it delivers the entire two-tone Submariner experience at the best price-to-icon ratio in the lineup.
"The 116613LB is one of the easiest recommendations I make. It is the full two-tone Bluesy, it is built like a tank, and it costs less than the current one while giving you a look a lot of people actually prefer. Buy a clean, unpolished example with box and papers and you are getting a watch you will enjoy wearing and that will hold its value. This is a buy-and-wear watch, not a flip, and that is exactly why it works."
