Singer John Mayer spotted wearing a Rolex

John Mayer was photographed on stage — guitar in hand, tattoos on full display — with a distinctly blue-dialed Rolex riding his left wrist. The watch in question is the Rolex Submariner Date 'Smurf,' reference 116619LB, the white gold iteration of Rolex's iconic dive watch. It is not a subtle piece, and for Mayer, a man who has worn vintage Daytonas, Patek Philippe ref. 2499s, and custom-dialed Rolexes on stage, that's entirely the point.

The 116619LB was introduced at Baselworld 2008 and represented Rolex's first all-white-gold Submariner. The 40mm Oyster case is crafted from 18k white gold, paired with a blue Cerachrom unidirectional rotating bezel insert and a blue dial with white gold applied hour markers. Inside beats the calibre 3135, Rolex's workhorse self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve, Parachrom hairspring, and chronometer certification. Water resistance is rated to 300 metres — 1,000 feet — consistent with the Submariner's professional dive-watch heritage.

Among Submariner collectors, the Smurf occupies a peculiar niche. It is simultaneously the most expensive Submariner in the current catalog and the most polarizing. The all-precious-metal construction dramatically elevates weight and wrist presence compared to the steel 116610LV or 116610LN variants. Yet its desirability on the secondary market has been remarkably consistent, largely because white gold Submariners remain low-volume production pieces and attract buyers who want Submariner DNA without the ubiquity of steel.

Mayer's relationship with watches is well-documented and genuinely deep — he has written and spoken extensively about collecting, co-curated exhibitions, and regularly wears historically significant references. Spotting a Smurf in his rotation is unsurprising; it fits his pattern of owning watches that carry both technical pedigree and a degree of collector controversy.

At launch, the 116619LB retailed around $33,650 USD. By the mid-2020s, list price had climbed to approximately $47,550. On the grey market, demand has kept pricing comfortably above retail, with examples trading in the $52,000–$60,000 range depending on condition and box-papers status — a testament to the enduring scarcity of white gold Rolex sports references.