The Rolex Submariner 16613 is the two-tone Submariner Date built from 1988 to 2009, pairing a stainless steel case with an 18k yellow gold bezel, winding crown, and bracelet center links. If you are sizing up a replica Rolex Submariner 16613 against a genuine example, start with the reference facts. A 40 mm case, 300 m depth rating, caliber 3135 movement, sapphire crystal, and a dial color that depends on the production year.
Reference Facts at a Glance
- Production run: 1988 through 2009, then replaced by the ref. 116613
- Case: 40 mm stainless steel with an 18k yellow gold bezel and crown
- Movement: Rolex caliber 3135, automatic, 28,800 vph, roughly 48 hours of power reserve
- Crystal: sapphire with a cyclops lens over the date window
- Bracelet: Oyster, steel outer links with solid 18k yellow gold center links
- Water resistance: 300 m / 1,000 ft
Dial and Bezel Variants
The dial is the single biggest driver of value on this reference, and it is also where most replica listings fall apart. Know which version you are looking at before you compare anything else.
- Blue sunburst dial with a blue and gold bezel insert, the version collectors call the Bluesy
- Black dial with a black and gold insert, the more subdued option
- Champagne or silver dials on a smaller share of production
- Serti dials with sapphire, ruby, or diamond hour markers instead of lume plots
Checks Before You Pay
- Read the reference number and serial engraved on the case flank between the lugs. Use a loupe, and confirm the reference reads 16613.
- Measure the case across the bezel with calipers. It should land at 40 mm, not the 41 mm or 42 mm case some copies use.
- Inspect the bezel insert numerals. On a genuine two-tone insert the gold markings are cut into the metal surface, not printed flat on top of it.
- Look at the gold. Solid 18k yellow gold holds a deep, warm tone and shows wear as fine scratches, while gold plating on a steel core wears through to a pale edge.
- Weigh the watch in your hand. A genuine two-tone Submariner has real mass; a lightweight head or bracelet is a warning sign.
- Check the dial printing under magnification. Text should be crisp with clean edges and no ink bleed or fuzzy serifs.
- Have a watchmaker remove the caseback and confirm the movement is a caliber 3135, not a lower-beat substitute running at 21,600 vph.
- Verify the bracelet end links fit the case with no gaps, and that the clasp stamping matches the reference era.
Where Replica Examples Fail
Most copies of this reference give themselves away in the same three places: a painted bezel insert instead of a machined one, a 21,600 vph movement instead of the 3135, and gold-tone plating that cannot match the color of solid 18k. Crown guard shape and dial text spacing are the next most common tells.
Price Expectations
Genuine 16613 examples trade based on dial variant, condition, and whether box and papers are present. Bluesy examples with full sets sit at the top of the range, serti dials command a premium, and plain black dials sit lower. A listing priced far under the going rate for the dial variant pictured should be treated as suspect until the checks above are completed.