Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1955 Reference No: 6309 Movement No: 97'675 Case No: 85'606 Model Name: Datejust "Thunderbird" Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. A296, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 185mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp 2.51 Dimensions: 35mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
The rotating bezel has always been an important aid for divers, pilots and other technical-related professionals. The Zerographe, which Rolex made in very scarce numbers, was the very first model from the company to officially feature a rotating bezel. While reference 6202 was officially the first serially produced sports watch to feature a rotating bezel, the reference ceased production after a few years due to its lack of popularity.
Rolex merged the Turn-O-Graph and DateJust models in 1954 with reference 6309. A combination of a sports and dress watch, the watch was advertised with images of the U.S. Air Force acrobatic flying team, or Group Number 3600 of Air Demonstration. Reference 6309 and its successors adopted the namesake Thunderbird after the flying team’s emblem.
The present watch most notably displays the first generation bezel, displaying an engine-turned finish. Incredibly crisp, it would have lost definition with the slightest polishing. The watch itself is preserved in excellent condition, with a crisp hallmark punched beneath the lug. It furthermore retains its original "roulette" date wheel - a rarity itself today.
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.