Searching for a fake Rolex Submariner 16613 usually means you want the two-tone Submariner Date look without paying genuine market price. The honest answer is this: the only 16613 worth owning long term is a genuine, documented example, or a two-tone dive watch from a brand that does not trade on another company's trademark. Our top pick is a pre-owned 16613 with box, papers and a recent service record, bought from a seller that offers authentication and a return window. Every option below is judged on five criteria: originality of case, dial and bezel, condition of the 18k gold components, movement service history, completeness of paperwork, and the legal exposure that comes with counterfeit goods.
What Reference 16613 Actually Is
The Submariner Date 16613 is a two-tone dive watch built on a stainless steel case with solid 18k yellow gold on the bezel, winding crown and bracelet center links. It followed the 16803 in the late 1980s and was later replaced by the 116613 generation, so the reference label covers a long production span and several distinct configurations.
- Dial choices include blue sunburst, black and the champagne and slate variants that appeared over the years.
- Case details changed across production, including lug holes on earlier examples and solid lugs on later ones.
- Serial placement varies by year, stamped between the lugs on older cases and engraved on the inner ring on later ones.
- The movement is the caliber 3135, an automatic with a quick-set date, which is also one of the easiest details to verify on a bench test.
Why Fakes of This Reference Are So Common
Two-tone Rolex models are copied more than any other segment because plating looks convincing in photographs. A gold-colored bezel and center links photograph like real gold, and a listing written in a hurry hides the difference. In person the gap shows up at the edges: genuine gold parts do not fade or turn brass at the clasp, crown or bezel, while plated copies wear through at exactly the points your wrist touches most. Movement quality, case tolerances and date alignment follow the same pattern, and no replica carries a Rolex service history.
How to Inspect a 16613 Before You Pay
If you are evaluating a watch sold as genuine, or trying to see through a replica listing, work through these checks in order.
- Ask for the serial and compare it against the paperwork and any service receipts. Mismatched or polished-away numbers end the conversation.
- Confirm the gold is solid, not plated. Hallmarks should be present on genuine gold components, and the metal should not have worn to base color anywhere.
- Look at the bezel insert. Font weight, spacing and the lume pip shape are hard to copy and are frequently wrong on replicas.
- Check the cyclops magnification and date centering. A genuine Submariner date fills the window cleanly.
- Have the movement inspected by a watchmaker. The caliber 3135 has a known architecture, and a substitute movement is visible within minutes.
- Verify the bracelet end links and clasp codes match the case era, since mismatched parts are a common sign of a build-up or a fake.
- Buy only where authentication and returns are part of the deal. A replica listing, by definition, offers neither.
Option 1: A Genuine, Documented 16613
This is the recommendation for anyone who wants the reference itself. The 16613 is no longer produced, so the market is pre-owned, and condition matters more than the reference number alone.
- Pros: solid 18k gold components that hold value, a serviceable in-house movement, real resale liquidity, and no legal risk.
- Cons: higher entry cost than any replica, production-era variation that rewards research, and service costs that arrive on a schedule.
Use case: a collector or daily wearer who wants the two-tone look and expects to keep or resell the watch.
Option 2: A Legal Two-Tone Diver With the Same Feel
If the appeal is the steel-and-gold aesthetic rather than the coronet, brands such as Tudor build steel and gold divers in the same visual language, and larger Swiss makers offer two-tone dive models with plated or gold accents at every price tier. These watches are legal, warrantied and serviceable anywhere.
- Pros: new condition with a factory warranty, predictable service, no customs or trademark exposure, and often modern water resistance.
- Cons: no Rolex name, different case shape and finishing, and plated models can still wear over long use.
Use case: someone who wants the look on the wrist this month, with a warranty and a clean legal footing.
Option 3: A Replica "16613"
Replicas are sold on the promise of identical looks, yet they fail the same tests every time. Gold is plated, movements are generic, water resistance is unproven, and the watch cannot be serviced by the manufacturer. Importing counterfeit goods into the United States is prohibited, so shipments can be seized and destroyed, and buyers who pay a seller have no recourse when the watch arrives damaged or never arrives at all.
- Pros: low upfront cost and quick visual match at a distance.
- Cons: no resale value, no warranty, no parts, unclear waterproofing, trademark and import risk, and a finish that degrades at the rub points.
Use case: none we can recommend. If budget is the constraint, the two-tone diver path costs more than a replica but delivers a watch you can actually own, insure and service.
Bottom Line
A fake Rolex Submariner 16613 gives you the silhouette and nothing else. Buy a genuine example with provenance if the reference is the goal, or buy a legal steel-and-gold diver if the style is the goal. Either route leaves you with a watch that keeps time, keeps value and keeps you out of a customs notice.