Short answer
There is no Rolex reference 126617LB. The full-gold blue-dial Submariner Date 41 exists as 126618LB in yellow gold and 126619LB in white gold. Some sellers also use 126617LB when they mean 126613LB, which is the two-tone steel and yellow gold version. So the first step with any listing using that number is figuring out which of those three watches is actually in the photos, because the specs, the weight, and the price are wildly different.
If a seller cannot tell you which one they are shipping, that is your answer. Move on.
Why the number matters so much here
A 126613LB has a steel case and a gold bezel, crown, and center bracelet links. A 126618LB is solid 18k yellow gold end to end. A 126619LB is solid white gold. On a replica, that difference decides whether you get a 150 gram watch or something that feels substantial on the wrist.
Most clone listings that say 126617LB are really selling a 126613LB two-tone build, or a gold-plated 126618LB lookalike with a steel core. Ask for a clear photo of the caseback and the clasp stamp. Then ask for the total weight on a scale with the bracelet sized to your wrist.
Weight is the honest signal
- Steel Submariner Date, genuine: roughly 150 to 160 grams
- Two-tone 126613LB, genuine: around 170 to 185 grams
- Full gold 126618LB, genuine: somewhere around 220 to 250 grams depending on link count
- Standard plated clone: often 130 to 165 grams
- Tungsten-core or heavy gold-plated clone: 190 to 220 grams
Heavy does not automatically mean good. A tungsten core can make weight feel right while the bracelet still rattles and the clasp still flexes. Pick it up, twist the bracelet, and listen. A good gold clone bracelet moves with a dull, tight sound. Cheap ones chatter.
The movement question
Ask which 3235 clone is inside. The common ones are VS3235, DD3235, and VR3235, and they are not equal. Ask about the power reserve claim and how the crown threads in. Good ones thread smooth with two or three turns and stop cleanly. Bad ones feel gritty or spin past the stop. Set the date and see if the jump is instant or drifts past midnight.
Case, dial, and bezel checks
These are the areas I look at first on any gold Submariner clone.
- Blue sunburst dial: it should shift from deep navy to bright blue as you tilt it, not sit flat and plasticky
- Ceramic bezel insert: crisp numerals, no paint bleeding, and the pip aligned at 12
- Date window: 2.5x magnification on the cyclops, and the date centered, not hugging the left edge
- Rehaut engraving: aligned with the minute track, not wandering
- Solid end links: flush against the case with no visible gap or step
- Crown guards: tapered and polished, not slab-sided
Gold claims and price sanity
Nobody sells a genuine 18k gold Submariner for 800 dollars. If a listing claims "solid 18k" at a clone price, it is plated, wrapped, or straight-up lying. Plating thickness varies a lot, and thin plating wears through at the clasp and the crown within a year of daily wear.
Realistic clone pricing sits well under a thousand dollars for plated versions, with heavy tungsten builds and better movements pushing higher. Anything asking genuine money for a rep is a scam, and anything asking 300 dollars for "gold" is a costume watch.
Two things I would not do
Do not swim with it, even if the seller claims 300 meters. Gaskets on clones are the cheapest part of the build. And do not assume the reference number on the hangtag means anything. Rep boxes and tags are printed to match whatever the buyer asks for.
Screen the seller, not the sticker. Ask for the reference they are actually building, the movement name, the weight, and a wrist shot in daylight. A seller who answers all four is usually worth dealing with.