The Rolex Submariner 116619LB has the best party trick in the entire Submariner catalog: from across the room it reads like a steel Sub with a blue kit, and only up close does the truth land — the case, the bracelet, all of it is solid 18k white gold. Collectors named it the "Smurf" for the blue-on-blue-on-white-metal look, and since its successor switched to a black dial, the nickname belongs to this reference alone, forever.
It's also, by a comfortable margin, the Submariner that benefits most from a rubber strap. Anyone who has worn a Smurf knows why: that white gold Oyster bracelet is glorious and heavy. Take it off, and two things happen at once — the watch becomes an everyday piece instead of an occasion piece, and a bracelet containing a small fortune in gold stops collecting scratches.
First, the fit: this Smurf takes the 40mm option
The Submariner 116619LB is a 40mm case with a 20mm lug width. On Helvetus product pages, the option you must select is Submariner 40mm.
Ignore the 41mm option — that belongs to the current generation, including the newer white gold 126619LB, which moved to a 21mm lug width in 2020. The Smurf lived its entire 2008–2020 run in the 40mm "Super Case," and that's the geometry these straps are cut for. One correct click — Submariner 40mm — and everything below sits flush against your white gold lugs with no gaps.
The Sub that started the ceramic era
Here's a detail even some owners don't know: the 116619LB wasn't just the first white gold Submariner ever made — launched in 2008, it introduced the scratch-proof Cerachrom ceramic bezel and the broad-shouldered Super Case to the Submariner line two years before the steel models got them. The Smurf was the preview of the modern Sub.
Everything else about it is classic Submariner substance: caliber 3135 with around 48 hours of reserve, 300 meters of water resistance, Glidelock clasp, maxi dial with oversized lume. What sets it apart is the temperature of the whole watch — cool blue over cool white metal, no warm tones anywhere. Twelve years of production and a devoted following later, it remains the definitive stealth-wealth Rolex: a watch that whispers to strangers and grins at its owner.
That cool palette is also the key to strap selection. There's no gold here for warm colors to talk to — so skip the browns and earth tones that suit the two-tone Subs, and work with what the Smurf actually is: blue, white, and ice. Here's how.
Blue: all in on the Smurf
The definitive pairing: Blue Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
Blue rubber is one of the most popular strap choices among owners of this reference, and on the Smurf it's practically a completion of the design. Dial, bezel and strap merge into one uninterrupted run of blue, the white gold case floats in the middle like a frame, and the watch becomes even more of what it already was. It's also the swap that changes the wearing experience most dramatically — the Smurf drops from one of the heaviest Subs on its bracelet to one of the most comfortable on rubber, without losing a single degree of presence.
If the Smurf is getting one strap, it's this one.
White: the white gold echo
The elegant one: White Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
White rubber does something clever here: it picks up the tone of the case metal itself, so the strap reads as an extension of the white gold rather than an accessory to it. The blue dial and bezel become the only color on the entire watch, framed top and bottom in white — crisp, nautical, and unmistakably summer. On a reference this luxurious, white also keeps things intentional; it never looks like a budget swap, because nothing about the combination exists by accident.
The deployant version clicks onto your original clasp, which on this watch means the solid white gold Oysterlock stays on your wrist. Rubber strap, precious-metal clasp — a very Smurf move.
Light Blue: leaning into the nickname
The playful one: Light Blue Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
Let's be honest about what this watch is called. A light blue strap takes the nickname and runs with it — the brighter tone sits under the deep blue dial and bezel like a gradient, the whole watch lightens up visually as well as physically, and the result is the most cheerful serious watch you'll ever wear. It's a favorite for holidays, poolside, and anyone whose Smurf is the fun watch in the box rather than the formal one. Between the two blues and the white metal, nothing clashes; it simply turns the saturation up.
Black: instant incognito
The off-switch: Black Rolex Submariner Rubber Strap
Black rubber completes the Smurf's stealth mission. With the bracelet gone and a black strap on, the last visual cue of "precious metal Rolex" disappears — what's left looks like a handsome blue dive watch, and only you know better. It's the pick for travel, for crowded cities, and for every situation where a five-figure watch is better off not announcing itself. Practical, anonymous, and quietly the smartest strap in this guide.
The complete range, one page
All four picks plus every other color live in the Submariner collection, each available as a deployant version for your original Rolex clasp or with a classic pin buckle: All Rolex Submariner Rubber Straps
One rule to remember at checkout: select Submariner 40mm, and everything there fits your 116619LB exactly.
Final thoughts
The Smurf's whole problem — the only one it has — is that the white gold bracelet makes it too heavy to wear as often as it deserves, and too precious to wear carelessly. A fitted rubber strap solves both in thirty seconds: the weight drops, the worry drops, and the bracelet goes into the box in exactly the condition your eventual buyer, or your kid, will thank you for. For a discontinued reference that only gets more collectible, that's not just comfort — it's stewardship.
Helvetus makes it a safe swap: straps engineered for a precise fit on this exact Submariner generation, a lifetime warranty on every rubber strap, free worldwide shipping, and no import costs at checkout — trusted by more than 50,000 customers worldwide. Blue to complete the Smurf, white for summer, black to make it disappear. The white gold isn't going anywhere; now the watch finally can.
