Reference:116619LB: Difference between revisions

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Submariner -> 116619LB

The 116619LB is the first white-gold Submariner and the first Submariner fitted with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2008, 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.

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; the Rolesor 116613 followed in 2009 and the steel 116610 in 2010.

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, though the sources split on whether 2008 is the catalog introduction with retail deliveries only starting in 2009. 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

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

Submariner 116618 — Yellow Gold (2008–2020)
Submariner 116613 — 2009–2020
Submariner 116610LV — "Hulk", Green Dial (2010–2020)
Submariner 116610LN — 2010–2020
Submariner 114060 — 2012–2020
Submariner 16610LV — "Kermit", Green Bezel (2003–2010)

Sources

History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
The 1916 Company Smurf guide — The 1916 Company, The 1916 Company
The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
Bob's Watches two-tone Submariner history — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
Gray & Sons Submariner Date history — Gray & Sons editorial, Gray & Sons
Rolex Submariner Reference Guide — Professional Watches editorial, Professional Watches

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 == Where it sits in the line ==
-The 116619LB is the white-gold member of the ceramic-era Submariner generation. The steel 116610 arrived in 2010, the Rolesor [[Reference:116613|116613]] in 2009, the full yellow-gold [[Reference:116618|116618]] in 2008, and the full white-gold 116619LB alongside it — the white and yellow gold pair launched together as the first ceramic-bezel Submariners, with steel and two-tone following.
+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; the Rolesor [[Reference:116613|116613]] followed in 2009 and the steel 116610 in 2010.
-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 could pass as steel, with the weight and the market signaling that a gold Submariner never offered.
+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.
 <span id="production-outline"></span>
 == Production outline ==
-The 116619LB ran from 2008 to 2020. Some sources treat 2008 as the catalog introduction year with retail deliveries starting in 2009. No mid-run changes are documented. The reference was always low-volume — white-gold sport Rolex watches are produced in much smaller numbers than their steel or yellow-gold siblings.
+The 116619LB ran from 2008 to 2020, though the sources split on whether 2008 is the catalog introduction with retail deliveries only starting in 2009. 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.
 <span id="movement-notes"></span>
 == 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 runs entirely on case material, dial, and bracelet rather than on the mechanics. The 126619LB successor moved to caliber 3235 with a 70-hour power reserve.
+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.
 <span id="dial-map"></span>
@@ Line 99: / Line 99: @@
 === Blue lacquer (the only dial) ===
-Blue lacquer dial with Maxi-format luminous markers and Chromalight lume. The lacquer reads differently from the sunburst blues on the 116618LB and 116613LB — deeper, more uniform, without the directional shimmer of a sunburst finish. It holds its color across lighting conditions rather than shifting with the angle of the light.
+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.
@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 === Case ===
-mm 18k white gold in Super Case proportions — broader lugs than the five-digit era, with crown guards present and a Triplock crown sealing to 300m. The case back is solid 18k white gold. From across a room, the primary visual identifier is the blue dial and bezel; the case itself reads as steel.
+mm 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.
 <span id="bezel"></span>
 === Bezel ===
-Blue Cerachrom ceramic insert matching the dial. Numerals and graduation marks are filled with platinum rather than gold — a visual distinction from the 116618, which uses gold filling to match its yellow-gold case. Platinum filling gives a silver-grey tone that works with the white-gold case. Cerachrom does not fade, scratch, or discolor.
+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.
 <span id="crystal"></span>
@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 === Hallmarks ===
-Hallmarks follow the standard Swiss precious-metal system. 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 750 stamp indicates 18k — 750 parts per thousand — gold content.
+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.
 <span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
@@ Line 133: / Line 133: @@
 === Bracelet ===
-Full 18k white-gold Oyster ref.97209 with Glidelock offering roughly 20mm of micro-adjustment. The finishing is all brushed — no polished center links as on the 116618 or 116613, a choice that reinforces the reference's steel-appearance strategy. The bracelet is unchanged across the production run.
+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.
 <span id="special-branches"></span>
 == Special branches ==
-No special branches, and a single configuration throughout — one of the simplest references to catalog in the modern Submariner line. The 116619LB is also the only ceramic-bezel Submariner to keep a flat, non-sunburst blue dial for its entire run; the 116613LB and 116618LB both transitioned from flat to sunburst mid-production, while the 116619LB's lacquer stayed constant.
+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.
 <span id="weight"></span>
 === Weight ===
-Rolex Forum owners report about 226.8g with 12 bracelet links fitted.
+Owners posting on Rolex Forums report about 226.8g with 12 bracelet links fitted.
 <span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
 == Historical market and auction record ==
-The 116619LB often trades above the yellow-gold 116618 despite comparable material cost. Historical firsts, low production volume, and the stealth-wealth character combine to place it among the highest-value modern Submariners on the secondary market. It is well represented both in dealer inventories and at auction.
+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.