Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1953 Reference No: 6202 Movement No: 80'055 Case No: 952'184 Model Name: Turn-O-Graph Material: Stainless steel and yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, 9 3/4''' Bracelet/Strap: Stainless Steel and gold Rolex Oyster, reference 6635, end links stamped 64 Clasp/Buckle: Folding deployant clasp, stamped 2.56 Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed, stamped 1.54 inside the case back
Catalogue Essay
Reference 6202 can be considered the first Rolex tool watch ever produced in series. With its engraved rotating bezel calibrated to 60 units, it is the starting point of 60 plus successful years of diver’s and sport watches at Rolex. The present example from 1953, the first year of production, must be considered as the luxury version of the Turnograph, not only featuring a gold bezel but also a stainless steel and gold riveted Oyster bracelet. The visually most striking element however is the black lacquer dial with applied gold hour markers surrounded by a gold-coloured ring, such enamel coated dials were usually reserved for gold watches only.
Founded 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.