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Import reference 116619LB article
Fact correction: 116619LB launched jointly with the yellow-gold 116618 in 2008, not as sole first ceramic Submariner (Sotheby's Important Watches 2025 116619LB note; Monochrome, Mulraney 2020; Fratello, Broer). First-year 2008 production anchored to Christie's Collector's Edition 2020 lot 47 V-serial and Phillips Game Changers NY 2019 lot 33. Cerachrom debut dated to GMT-Master II 116718LN 2005.
 
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[[File:Ref_116619LB_hero.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Photo: monochrome-watches.com]]
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116619LB Submariner}}
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|title=Rolex Submariner 116619LB 'Smurf' — White Gold, 2008–2020 | BezelBase
|description=The 116619LB is the first white gold Submariner and the first Submariner with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2008, two years…
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|image_alt=Rolex Submariner Ref. 116619LB
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|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:08Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:40Z
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The 116619LB holds two firsts in Submariner history: it is the first white gold Submariner ever produced, and it is the first Submariner with a ceramic bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2008, two years before the steel 116610LN received its own Cerachrom insert in 2010. The Smurf was the proving ground for ceramic in the Submariner family.
<small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] -> '''116619LB'''</small>


Collectors call it the Smurf because the blue dial and blue bezel sit on a case that looks silver-toned from a distance, giving it a blue-on-white appearance. The white gold case is the trick. It looks like steel in photographs and across a room. The weight gives it away on the wrist — 18k white gold is roughly twice as dense as steel, so the 116619LB is noticeably heavier than a 116610LN despite identical dimensions. This stealth-wealth quality drives a large part of the collector appeal. The eye cannot tell it is a precious-metal watch; the wrist knows immediately.
The 116619LB is the first white-gold Submariner, and one of the first two Submariners fitted with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2008 alongside the yellow-gold 116618, two years before the steel 116610LN received ceramic in 2010. Collectors call it the Smurf, for the blue dial and blue bezel on a case that reads silver from across a room. White gold looks like steel in photographs, but weighs roughly twice as much, and the difference is obvious on the wrist the moment the watch goes on. That stealth-wealth quality drives much of the collector appeal.


Rolex produced the 116619LB exclusively with a blue dial and blue bezel. There is no black-dial 116619. A single-configuration watch for its entire 2008–2020 production run.
The 116619LB was produced exclusively with a blue lacquer dial and blue bezel across its entire 2008–2020 run. No black-dial 116619 exists.


==Core facts==
<span id="core-facts"></span>
 
[[File:Ref 116619LB hero 2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Submariner Ref. 116619LB|Rolex Submariner Ref. 116619LB]]
 
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|-
|-
| production
| production
| approximately 2008 to 2020
| about 2008 to 2020
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
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|}


==Where it sits in the line==
<span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
 
== Where it sits in the line ==
The 116619LB is the white gold member of the ceramic-era Submariner generation:
 
* <code>116610</code>: steel (from 2010)
* <code>116613</code>: Rolesor (two-tone, from 2009)
* <code>116618</code>: full 18k yellow gold (from 2008)
* <code>116619LB</code>: full 18k white gold (from 2008)
 
The 116619LB and 116618 launched together in 2008 as the first Submariners with Cerachrom ceramic bezels. Steel and two-tone models followed later. This made the Smurf the proof-of-concept reference for ceramic in the Submariner family.
 
No black-dial 116619 exists. Blue dial and blue bezel only — a deliberate identity choice. Rolex did not offer the black-dial option that exists for the 116613 and 116618. The 116619LB is the blue Submariner in white gold, full stop.
 
===Why white gold matters===
 
The 116619LB was the first time Rolex produced a Submariner in white gold. Yellow gold Submariners date back to the 1680 era. Two-tone Rolesor Submariners arrived with the 16613. But white gold was new territory. Using white gold instead of platinum or another alloy created a Submariner that could pass for steel while weighing twice as much. No previous Submariner had this character.
 
==Production outline==
 
The 116619LB ran from 2008 to 2020. Some sources treat 2008 as catalog introduction only, with retail deliveries starting in 2009. No major mid-run changes are documented. Specification was stable from launch to discontinuation.
 
Always a low-volume reference. White gold sport Rolex watches are produced in smaller numbers than steel or yellow gold. This relative scarcity contributes to its secondary market position.
 
==Movement notes==
 
Caliber 3135 throughout — the same movement used in the 116610, 116613, and 116618. Quick-set date, 28800 bph, Microstella regulation, Parachrom hairspring. The 126619LB successor moved to caliber 3235 with 70-hour power reserve.


As with the 116618, the movement is identical to what sits in the steel 116610LN. The premium is entirely about the case material, the blue lacquer dial, and the white gold bracelet.
The 116619LB is the white-gold member of the ceramic-era Submariner generation. It launched in 2008 alongside the full yellow-gold [[Reference:116618|116618]], the two precious-metal models carrying ceramic into the Submariner line before steel got it; Tom Mulraney's Submariner history for Monochrome (2020) puts the Rolesor [[Reference:116613|116613]] at 2009 and the steel 116610 at 2010. Cerachrom had reached Rolex three years earlier, on the 2005 GMT-Master II 116718LN, per the same Monochrome history.


==Dial map==
Yellow-gold Submariners date back to the 1680/8 era, and Rolesor arrived with the 16613. White gold was new territory. A precious-metal Submariner that passes for steel carries the weight and the price of gold without announcing either, which no gold Submariner before it could do.


===Blue lacquer (the only dial)===
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==


Only one dial was ever produced: blue lacquer with maxi-format luminous markers and Chromalight lume (blue glow in the dark). No black-dial variant. No other known configurations.
The 116619LB ran from 2008 to 2020, and the Basel introduction and the start of production fall in the same year: Christie's sold a V-serial example it dates to first-year 2008 manufacture (''Watches Online: The Collector's Edition'', 2020, lot 47), and Phillips describes the reference as Rolex's first serially produced white-gold Submariner (''Game Changers'', New York 2019, lot 33). Nothing changed mid-run. Volume was always low; Rolex makes white-gold sport watches in far smaller numbers than their steel or yellow-gold siblings.


The blue lacquer is distinct from the sunburst blue dials on the yellow gold 116618LB and the two-tone 116613LB. Lacquer has a deeper, more uniform blue appearance — less directional shimmer than a sunburst, more of an even, saturated blue that holds its color across lighting conditions. In direct comparison, the 116618LB's sunburst blue shifts and plays with light while the 116619LB's lacquer blue stays more constant. Both are blue, but they are different blues.
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
== Movement notes ==


White gold markers and white gold hands sit against the blue lacquer with platinum-toned accents, creating a cool-temperature color palette. The 116618LB, by contrast — gold markers on blue sunburst — produces a warm-temperature palette. The Smurf reads cold and clean; the 116618LB reads warm and rich.
Caliber 3135 throughout, the same movement used in the 116610, the 116613, and the 116618. Quick-set date, 28,800 vph, Microstella regulation, Parachrom blue hairspring. The premium over the steel 116610LN buys case material, dial, and bracelet. The mechanics are identical. The 126619LB successor moved to caliber 3235 with a 70-hour power reserve.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==
<span id="dial-map"></span>
== Dial map ==


===Case===
<span id="blue-lacquer-the-only-dial"></span>
=== Blue lacquer (the only dial) ===


40mm 18k white gold with the Super Case proportions (broader lugs than the five-digit era). Crown guards are present. Triplock crown seals to 300m. Solid 18k white gold case back.
Blue lacquer dial with Maxi-format luminous markers, the oversized plots of the ceramic era, and Chromalight lume. The lacquer reads differently from the sunburst blues on the 116618LB and 116613LB. It is deeper and more uniform, with none of the directional shimmer, and it holds its color whatever the light does.


The white gold case and bracelet look similar to steel in photographs and at a distance. The primary visual identifier from afar is the blue dial and blue bezel, but those exist on multiple Submariner references. Weight is the tell — immediately apparent when picking up the watch or putting it on the wrist.
White-gold markers and hands on that blue lacquer produce a cool palette: platinum-toned metal against dense blue, where the 116618LB's gold-on-sunburst reads warm and rich. The two references sit on opposite sides of the same blue-dial generation.


===Bezel===
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
[[File:Ref 116619LB detail.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Detail view|Detail view]]


Blue Cerachrom ceramic insert, matching the dial. Numerals and graduation marks are filled with platinum, not gold — a visual distinction from the yellow gold 116618, which uses gold filling. The platinum-filled numerals create a silver-grey tone that complements the white gold case.
<span id="case"></span>
=== Case ===


This blue Cerachrom was the first ceramic bezel insert in any Submariner, debuting in 2008 before the steel models received ceramic in 2010. The blue ceramic does not fade, scratch, or discolor.
40mm 18k white gold in Super Case proportions, with broader lugs than the five-digit era, full crown guards, and a Triplock crown sealing to 300m. The case back is solid 18k white gold. From across a room the blue dial and bezel do the identifying; the case reads as steel.


===Crystal===
<span id="bezel"></span>
=== Bezel ===


Sapphire with Cyclops magnifier at 3 o'clock. Anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.
Blue Cerachrom ceramic insert matched to the dial. Numerals and graduation marks are platinum-filled, where the 116618 uses gold filling to match its yellow-gold case; the platinum gives a silver-grey tone that sits with white gold. Cerachrom does not fade, scratch, or discolor.


===Hallmarks===
<span id="crystal"></span>
=== Crystal ===


Hallmarks for 18k white gold follow the standard Swiss precious metal system. After 1995, the St. Bernard dog "Barry" mark is used for Swiss precious metals (replacing the earlier Helvetia bust hallmark). Check the mid-case underside of lugs, case back, and bracelet blades for hallmarks. The 750 stamp indicates 18k gold content.
Sapphire with Cyclops at 3 o'clock and anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.


==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes==
<span id="hallmarks"></span>
=== Hallmarks ===


===Bracelet===
Hallmarks follow the standard Swiss precious-metal system. A 750 stamp indicates 18k, or 750 parts per thousand gold content. The St. Bernard "Barry" mark is the Swiss precious-metals stamp used post-1995, replacing the older Helvetia bust mark. Markings appear on the mid-case under the lugs, on the case back, and on bracelet blades.


The 97209 is a full 18k white gold Oyster with Glidelock extension clasp. Approximately 20mm of micro-adjustment without tools.
<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==


The white gold bracelet contributes significantly to the watch's weight and stealth-wealth character. Visually, the white gold Oyster reads almost identically to a steel bracelet — brushed finishing on the outer links, consistent Oyster three-link pattern. No polished center links as on the yellow gold 116618 or the two-tone 116613. This all-brushed approach reinforces the under-the-radar aesthetic.
<span id="bracelet"></span>
=== Bracelet ===


The bracelet does not change during the run. All 116619LB examples carry the same Glidelock-equipped 97209.
Full 18k white-gold Oyster ref.97209 with a Glidelock extension giving roughly 20mm of micro-adjustment. Finishing is brushed throughout, with none of the polished center links the 116618 and 116613 carry, which keeps the whole watch reading as steel. The bracelet does not change across the production run.


==Special branches==
<span id="special-branches"></span>
== Special branches ==


No special branches. Produced in a single configuration throughout its run. The absence of dial variants (no black dial, no sunburst, no alternative colors) makes the 116619LB one of the simplest references to catalog in the modern Submariner line.
One configuration throughout, and no special branches. That makes the 116619LB one of the simplest references to catalog in the modern Submariner line, and the only ceramic-bezel Submariner to keep a flat, non-sunburst blue dial for its entire run. The 116613LB and 116618LB both moved from flat to sunburst mid-production; the 116619LB's lacquer stayed constant.


One distinction: the 116619LB is the only ceramic-bezel Submariner to retain a flat (non-sunburst) blue dial for its entire production run. While the 116613LB and 116618LB both transitioned from flat to sunburst blue dials during their runs, the 116619LB's blue lacquer dial remained unchanged from 2008 to 2020. This consistency is a quiet collector talking point — the lacquer finish is a period marker for the 116619LB era.
<span id="weight"></span>
=== Weight ===


===Weight===
Owners posting on Rolex Forums report about 226.8g with 12 bracelet links fitted.


Forum owners report the 116619LB weighing approximately 226.8g with 12 bracelet links fitted. The density of 18k white gold makes the watch noticeably heavier than any steel Submariner — the primary on-wrist identifier.
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==


==Historical market and auction record==
The 116619LB often trades above the yellow-gold 116618 despite comparable material cost. Low production volume and the stealth-wealth character do most of that work, helped by the reference's status as a first, and it sits among the highest-value modern Submariners on the secondary market. It turns up in dealer inventories and at auction alike.


The 116619LB commands a strong premium in the secondary market. It often trades above the yellow gold 116618, despite the material cost of white gold being roughly comparable to yellow gold. Several factors drive the premium:


* '''First ceramic Sub''': the 116619LB was the first Submariner with a Cerachrom bezel, giving it historical significance
== Related references ==
* '''First white gold Sub''': there was no white gold Submariner before the 116619LB
* '''Stealth-wealth appeal''': the ability to wear a precious-metal watch that looks like steel resonates with a specific collector profile
* '''Low production volume''': white gold sport Rolex watches are produced in smaller numbers
* '''Single-configuration simplicity''': blue dial only, no variant confusion


The reference is well represented in dealer inventories and appears at auction with regularity. No specific hammer prices have been captured in this pass, but the Smurf has been consistently one of the highest-value modern Submariners in the secondary market.
* [[Reference:116618|Submariner 116618]] — Yellow 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)


==Sources==
See also the [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ Tom Mulraney, "History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date", Monochrome, 2020-08-19]
== Sources ==
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-smurf-guide.html unknown, "The 1916 Company Smurf guide", The 1916 Company]
* [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.sothebys.com/en/articles/how-to-start-collecting-the-rolex-submariner Stephen Pulvirent, "The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's, 2025-03-07]
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-smurf-guide.html The 1916 Company Smurf guide] — The 1916 Company, The 1916 Company
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-two-tone-submariner.html unknown, "Bob's Watches two-tone Submariner history", 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/ unknown, "Gray & Sons Submariner Date history", Gray & Sons]
* [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://professionalwatches.com/rolex-submariner-reference-guide/ unknown, "Rolex Submariner Reference Guide", Professional Watches]
* [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


[[Category:Submariner]]
[[Category:Submariner]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Latest revision as of 22:30, 8 August 2026


Submariner -> 116619LB

The 116619LB is the first white-gold Submariner, and one of the first two Submariners fitted with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2008 alongside the yellow-gold 116618, two years before the steel 116610LN received ceramic in 2010. Collectors call it the Smurf, for the blue dial and blue bezel on a case that reads silver from across a room. White gold looks like steel in photographs, but weighs roughly twice as much, and the difference is obvious on the wrist the moment the watch goes on. That stealth-wealth quality drives much of the collector appeal.

The 116619LB was produced exclusively with a blue lacquer dial and blue bezel across its entire 2008–2020 run. No black-dial 116619 exists.

Rolex Submariner Ref. 116619LB
Rolex Submariner Ref. 116619LB

Core facts

detail value
reference 116619LB
family Submariner Date
production about 2008 to 2020
movement caliber 3135 (date, quick-set, 28800 bph, ~48hr power reserve)
case 40mm, full 18k white gold, Super Case
crystal sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance 300m
bezel 18k white gold with blue Cerachrom ceramic insert, platinum-filled numerals
lume Chromalight (blue glow)
bracelet 18k white gold Oyster ref.97209 with Glidelock
dial blue lacquer, maxi format, white gold markers
rehaut engraved ROLEX ROLEX
nickname Smurf
predecessor none (first white gold Submariner)
successor 126619LB

Where it sits in the line

The 116619LB is the white-gold member of the ceramic-era Submariner generation. It launched in 2008 alongside the full yellow-gold 116618, the two precious-metal models carrying ceramic into the Submariner line before steel got it; Tom Mulraney's Submariner history for Monochrome (2020) puts the Rolesor 116613 at 2009 and the steel 116610 at 2010. Cerachrom had reached Rolex three years earlier, on the 2005 GMT-Master II 116718LN, per the same Monochrome history.

Yellow-gold Submariners date back to the 1680/8 era, and Rolesor arrived with the 16613. White gold was new territory. A precious-metal Submariner that passes for steel carries the weight and the price of gold without announcing either, which no gold Submariner before it could do.

Production outline

The 116619LB ran from 2008 to 2020, and the Basel introduction and the start of production fall in the same year: Christie's sold a V-serial example it dates to first-year 2008 manufacture (Watches Online: The Collector's Edition, 2020, lot 47), and Phillips describes the reference as Rolex's first serially produced white-gold Submariner (Game Changers, New York 2019, lot 33). Nothing changed mid-run. Volume was always low; Rolex makes white-gold sport watches in far smaller numbers than their steel or yellow-gold siblings.

Movement notes

Caliber 3135 throughout, the same movement used in the 116610, the 116613, and the 116618. Quick-set date, 28,800 vph, Microstella regulation, Parachrom blue hairspring. The premium over the steel 116610LN buys case material, dial, and bracelet. The mechanics are identical. The 126619LB successor moved to caliber 3235 with a 70-hour power reserve.

Dial map

Blue lacquer (the only dial)

Blue lacquer dial with Maxi-format luminous markers, the oversized plots of the ceramic era, and Chromalight lume. The lacquer reads differently from the sunburst blues on the 116618LB and 116613LB. It is deeper and more uniform, with none of the directional shimmer, and it holds its color whatever the light does.

White-gold markers and hands on that blue lacquer produce a cool palette: platinum-toned metal against dense blue, where the 116618LB's gold-on-sunburst reads warm and rich. The two references sit on opposite sides of the same blue-dial generation.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Detail view
Detail view

Case

40mm 18k white gold in Super Case proportions, with broader lugs than the five-digit era, full crown guards, and a Triplock crown sealing to 300m. The case back is solid 18k white gold. From across a room the blue dial and bezel do the identifying; the case reads as steel.

Bezel

Blue Cerachrom ceramic insert matched to the dial. Numerals and graduation marks are platinum-filled, where the 116618 uses gold filling to match its yellow-gold case; the platinum gives a silver-grey tone that sits with white gold. Cerachrom does not fade, scratch, or discolor.

Crystal

Sapphire with Cyclops at 3 o'clock and anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.

Hallmarks

Hallmarks follow the standard Swiss precious-metal system. A 750 stamp indicates 18k, or 750 parts per thousand gold content. The St. Bernard "Barry" mark is the Swiss precious-metals stamp used post-1995, replacing the older Helvetia bust mark. Markings appear on the mid-case under the lugs, on the case back, and on bracelet blades.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Bracelet

Full 18k white-gold Oyster ref.97209 with a Glidelock extension giving roughly 20mm of micro-adjustment. Finishing is brushed throughout, with none of the polished center links the 116618 and 116613 carry, which keeps the whole watch reading as steel. The bracelet does not change across the production run.

Special branches

One configuration throughout, and no special branches. That makes the 116619LB one of the simplest references to catalog in the modern Submariner line, and the only ceramic-bezel Submariner to keep a flat, non-sunburst blue dial for its entire run. The 116613LB and 116618LB both moved from flat to sunburst mid-production; the 116619LB's lacquer stayed constant.

Weight

Owners posting on Rolex Forums report about 226.8g with 12 bracelet links fitted.

Historical market and auction record

The 116619LB often trades above the yellow-gold 116618 despite comparable material cost. Low production volume and the stealth-wealth character do most of that work, helped by the reference's status as a first, and it sits among the highest-value modern Submariners on the secondary market. It turns up in dealer inventories and at auction alike.


Related references

See also the Submariner family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

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