For eleven straight years, from 2009 to 2020, the Submariner 116613LB was the Bluesy. It's the version most owners actually have on the wrist today: the two-tone blue Sub with the ceramic bezel, the broad-shouldered "Super Case," and that unmistakable mix of Oystersteel and yellow gold that manages to look at home on a boat deck and at a dinner table in the same afternoon.
And if yours has been on the two-tone bracelet since day one, a strap swap is the cheapest way to make a watch you've owned for years feel new again. It also happens to be the smartest way to protect it: every day on rubber is a day your gold center links aren't picking up scratches and stretch.
Get the size right: 40mm, not 41mm
This is the single most important paragraph in this guide, so let's not bury it.
The Submariner 116613LB is a 40mm case with a 20mm lug width. On Helvetus product pages, the option you must select is Submariner 40mm.
Do not pick the 41mm option. That one belongs to the newer generation (the current 126613LB), which moved to a 21mm lug width in 2020. The two watches look nearly identical in photos, but the sizing is different, and a 41mm strap on your 116613LB will never sit right at the lugs. One dropdown, one correct answer: Submariner 40mm. Lock that in and everything below fits perfectly.
Eleven years of the two-tone blue Sub
The 116613LB arrived in 2009 and quietly changed what a two-tone Submariner was. It introduced the scratch-proof blue Cerachrom ceramic bezel to the Bluesy formula, wrapped it around the beefier Super Case with its wider lugs and thicker crown guards, and added the maxi dial with oversized lume plots. Early examples came with a flat blue dial; from 2013, Rolex switched to the sunburst blue that most people picture today, the one that shifts from navy to electric depending on the light.
Inside runs the caliber 3135, one of the most proven movements Rolex ever built, with around 48 hours of power reserve and 300 meters of water resistance behind it. Collectors have a soft spot for this reference because it's the last 40mm Bluesy — the proportions purists prefer, with all the modern ceramic durability. And that broad Super Case is exactly why it wears rubber so well: the wide lugs give a fitted strap real presence instead of swallowing it.
Every color you choose has to work with three things at once: blue dial, blue bezel, yellow gold. Here's what does.
Blue: the pairing everyone copies
The signature move: Blue Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
There's a reason blue rubber on a Bluesy became a cliché — it's one of the most popular strap choices among owners of this reference, and it simply works every single time. The strap continues the dial and bezel down the wrist, the watch reads as one deliberate blue-and-gold design, and the yellow gold hour markers and crown suddenly stand out twice as much. On the 40mm Super Case in particular, the wide lugs make the blue flow into the strap almost seamlessly.
If you're only ordering one strap, this is the obvious first pick.
Black with Blue LuxLine®: the modern daily
The refined option: Black and Blue Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap – LuxLine®
A full blue strap makes a statement. This one makes a point. The black base tones the two-tone down to daily-wear levels, while the integrated blue centerline keeps a visual thread running back to the bezel and dial. It's the strap for the owner who wants the Bluesy to feel current and sporty on a Tuesday morning, not just on vacation.
Go for the deployant version and it clicks straight onto your original Rolex clasp — which, on the 116613LB, means the two-tone Oysterlock with its gold accents stays on your wrist. Best of both worlds: rubber comfort, gold clasp.
Brown: the gold-lover's pick
The rich one: Brown Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
Most straps on this watch answer to the blue. Brown answers to the gold. It pulls the warm tones forward, softens the sporty edge, and gives the 116613LB an almost leather-strap elegance while staying fully waterproof and worry-free. After a decade or more of seeing your watch one way, this is the swap that genuinely surprises people — the Bluesy suddenly looks like a dress watch that happens to dive. Especially good if you wear a lot of browns, tans, and earth tones.
Light Blue: the summer wildcard
And the fun one: Light Blue Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
Light blue sounds risky until it's on the wrist. Against the deep sunburst dial it creates a two-level blue effect — dark up top, bright below — and with the yellow gold in the mix, the whole watch turns into pure holiday. This is the strap for warm weather, white shirts, and being the only person in the room whose Bluesy doesn't look like everyone else's. Not the everyday choice, but as the second strap in the drawer, it earns its spot fast.
The full lineup for the 116613LB
Those four are the strongest matches, but the complete color range for this watch lives in one collection, with every strap offered as a deployant version for your original Rolex clasp or with a classic pin buckle: All Rolex Submariner Rubber Straps
Just carry the one rule with you: select Submariner 40mm, and everything there fits your 116613LB exactly as it should.
Final thoughts
The 116613LB has already proven it can go a decade without aging. The right strap keeps it that way — lighter in the heat, immune to salt water and sunscreen, and sparing your two-tone bracelet from the daily wear that shows fastest on gold. When the bracelet does come back out for special occasions, it looks the way it did years ago. That's the quiet economics of a rubber strap on a two-tone Rolex.
Helvetus keeps the whole decision low-risk: straps built for a precise fit on this exact Submariner generation, a lifetime warranty, free worldwide shipping, and no import costs at checkout — backed by more than 50,000 customers worldwide. Blue for the look this watch is famous for, brown for the version nobody sees coming, and the LuxLine® for every day in between.
