Values & guides
The 16613 is the definitive steel-and-gold Submariner Date — this 1991 example carries the blue-dial 'Bluesy' configuration, no box or papers.
The Rolex Submariner 16613 is the steel and 18-karat yellow gold Submariner Date, produced from approximately 1988 through 2009. This example dates to 1991, placing it squarely in the mid-production run. The 40mm Oyster case is water-resistant to 300 metres, fitted with a sapphire crystal and a screw-down crown. The unidirectional rotating bezel carries a blue aluminum insert — pre-ceramic, as with all 16613 production — and the dial is the blue sunburst configuration that collectors refer to as the "Bluesy."
"Bluesy" has become the standard collector shorthand for the 16613 with matching blue dial and blue bezel insert. The combination of satin-brushed steel and polished 18k yellow gold across the case flanks and Oyster bracelet gives the watch one of the more immediately recognizable profiles in modern Rolex production history. The 16613 replaced the earlier 16803 and introduced a sapphire crystal in place of acrylic, a functional upgrade that meaningfully improved scratch resistance and readability. Produced across two full decades, the reference built a loyal secondary-market following and remains one of the more consistently liquid pre-ceramic Submariners in the resale space. The successor reference, 116613LB with its Cerachrom ceramic bezel, arrived in 2009; no aluminum-bezel two-tone Submariner Date has been made since.
The caliber 3135 is the movement that carried the modern Submariner through most of its pre-ceramic run. It features a paramagnetic Glucydur balance wheel, a Breguet overcoil hairspring, runs at 28,800 vph, and delivers approximately 48 hours of power reserve. The movement is COSC-certified as a chronometer. The 3135 is a broadly serviced caliber with no unusual parts-availability concerns at independent watchmakers. A piece from 1991 is now well over thirty years old, so confirming recent service history — or budgeting for one — is a standard step for any prospective buyer.
The dial is the standard blue with applied luminous hour markers, a date aperture at three o'clock with Cyclops lens, and Mercedes hands. The Oyster bracelet with Oysterlock clasp is the correct configuration for this reference. Condition is used, and the watch is presented without original box or papers — a common situation for a 1991 piece, as factory documentation from this period was routinely separated from the watch over decades of ownership and resale.
The absence of box and papers is the most significant disclosure here. It has no bearing on how the watch performs but does affect secondary-market positioning: paperless examples trade at a measurable discount relative to complete sets, and that is typically reflected in asking prices for honest 16613 examples. Independent pre-purchase inspection by a qualified watchmaker is strongly advisable. Key areas to assess include bezel insert originality (replacements are common on heavily used examples), case sharpness relative to stated condition, bracelet stretch and clasp function, and whether the movement is within service interval. Serial number dating should be cross-referenced against published Rolex production records to confirm the stated 1991 manufacture claim.
The 16613 has been out of production for more than fifteen years, and no direct two-tone Submariner with an aluminum bezel insert has succeeded it.
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