ROLEX TURN-O-GRAPH

The Rolex Turn-O-Graph reference 6202 was first produced in 1953. Distinguished by a particular rotatable graduated bezel which was promoted both for its practicality in daily use and its capacity to make this model an ideal travel companion. In fact, the advertising campaigns of the time present the 6202 on the wrist of an airline passenger and in 1965 in a Rolex catalogue the bezel is described as “rotatable as a reminder of times past, for phone calls, conferences, timing parking and countless other uses.”
This Rolex model, similar to the decidedly technical models but less specialistic, would not compare to the great and rapid success of the Submariner and the GMT-Master.
The Turn-O-Graph, waterproof to 50m, is available only in steel whilst the dial is glossy or honeycomb finished, with gold writing in both cases. On the first models the word Turn-O-Graph is at the 12 o’ clock position with obvious spacing between the words Oyster and Perpetual, whilst on the following models the name is at the 6 o’ clock position and the distance between Oyster and Perpetual is of the standard size. Only very few models are certified chronometers. From the second half of the 1950s the Pencil hands were replaced by the more modern Mercedes hands and the A296 was replaced by the new A260 calibre.

The Turn-O-Graph is made in a rare De Luxe version as well, with a honeycomb dial, appliqué hour markers, rotatable bezel and gold crown. Even some Datejust models, nicknamed Turn-O-Graph, have this particular bezel.
The production of the line ended at the beginning of the 1960s, without being replaced, making way for the more successful and rich Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph series, of which the first model was the 6309. This 1954 model is characterised by a rotatable graduated in a similar way to the rare Turn-O-Graph 6202 De Luxe model and is made only in gold (14kt and 18kt, yellow or rose) or in steel / gold.
The 6309 is known as the Thunderbird as well, from the name of the acrobatic squadron of the US Air Force which took this watch on as their official timepiece.
In 1956 the 6309 was substituted by the reference 6609 with the new 1065 calibre which was characterised by both a flatter caseback with concentric circle polishing and a pie-pan dial lacking fixing pins. The hour markers and hands have a characteristically 1950s design and the date numbers alternate between red and black.
At the beginning of the 1960s the more modern reference 1625 was made, replacing the 6609. The new models have 1565 and 1575 calibres, baton hands and hour markers and a pie-pan dial with fixing pins.
Amongst the important changes of 1977, apart from the introduction of the new 3035 calibre with instantaneous date-jump mechanism, there are the flat dial with wider bezel and square numbers and hour markers .
The new five-number references (16520 with a steel case and white gold bezel, 16523 with steel case and yellow gold bezel, 16528 with yellow gold case and bezel) stayed in the catalogue until 1988, when they are replaced with new models equipped with sapphire crystal.
Amongst the latest references: Turn-O-Graph: 116264 in grey rolesor, 116263 in yellow rolesor, 116261 in rose rolesor.

Steel	Steel and gold	Gold
Gold bezel	Tropic plexiglass crystal
Cyclops plexiglass crystal	Sapphire crystal
The colour yellow represents gold in all its variants: Rose, White and Yellow. For more information contact our experts: drg@dellaroccagioielli.com