



134
Rolex
Ref. 6202
Turn-O-Graph
A well-preserved, rare, and early stainless steel wristwatch with glossy black dial, bracelet, and guarantee
- Estimate
- $15,000 - 30,000
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1953
- Reference No
- 6202
- Movement No
- 218
- Case No
- 953’379; also stamped 18, interior caseback stamped I.54 – 18 - 6202
- Model Name
- Turn-O-Graph
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. A260, 19 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel riveted stretch Rolex Oyster bracelet, endlinks 58, max overall length 185mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp, stamped 4.61
- Dimensions
- 36.5mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Rolex guarantee dated 1962, product literature, and plastic wallet.
Catalogue Essay
One of the most remarkable innovations was the rotating bezel, calibrated to 60 minutes, allowing for more precise time measurement. Though the 6202 is not the first Rolex wristwatch to be fitted with the rotating bezel, it is the first reference to be widely distributed, and the ancestor of the more specialized Submariner, GMT-Master, and Milgauss. However, soon the demand for the sons came to eclipse that of the father, and the popularity of the latter references overshadowed the small but mighty Turn-O-Graph.
Accompanied with its original guarantee, the present reference 6202 Turn-O-Graph is fitted with an exceptionally well-preserved bezel and lovely gloss dial.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.