Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph 6202

Turn-O-Graph 'Exclamation Dial', Reference 6202 | A stainless steel wristwatch with gilt dial | Circa 1953

Dial: gilt, black, exclamation dial Calibre: automatic, 19 jewels Case: stainless steel, screw-down case back Case number: 950'358 Closure: stainless steel Rolex buckle Size: 36 mm diameter Signed: case, dial, and movement Box: no Papers: no Accessories: noneRef. 6202 was released and first presented at the Basel Fair in 1953. The Turn-O-Graph was the first series-produced Rolex to feature a rotating bezel. Rolex often promoted this first series tool watch as a convenient and simple way of calculating the "timing of a transatlantic telephone call, the rate of a machine, a patient's pulse or the speed of a train." In the late 1950s, the Turn-O-Graph was popularly marketed as "Thunderbirds" because the U.S. Air Force equipped their Thunderbird aerobatic squadron pilots with Ref. 6202 for navigational calculations. The model was soon discountinued as it was seen as rather redundant when compared with the timing and diving abilities of the Submariner and the GMT-Master, making surviving examples sought-after by collectors.