This rare Turn-O-Graph is a new old stock. Never been worn. So beautiful! A 2005 watch with a 2021 card.

In 1953, Rolex unveiled the Turn-O-Graph ref. 6202 model. Unbeknownst to some, the inaugural Turn-O-Graph ref. 6202 was actually the first serially-produced Rolex wristwatch to feature a rotating bezel. (The very first Rolex with a bezel was the Zerographe prototype from the 1930s). The Turn-O-Graph watch was positioned as a device that offered an easier way to measure and record time.

As the story goes, a Thunderbirds pilot owned a Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph watch, which caught the attention of the squadron thanks to the practical timing bezel. As a result, the squadron put in an official request to Rolex in the late 1950s to supply the Thunderbirds with watches. So Rolex capitalized on this relationship on began marketing the Turn-O-Graph as the Rolex Thunderbird in the American market. From this point forward, the Datejust Turn-O-Graph picked up the Rolex Thunderbird nickname.

Rolex eventually stopped making the Thunderbird in 2011. While a sad end to an important Rolex model, the Turn-O-Graph “Thunderbird” is thankfully still available the secondary luxury watch market. Better yet, because it is still an unrated Rolex watch.