Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1953 Reference No: 6202; inside caseback additionally marked “6202”, “I.54”, and “18” Movement No: 05’952 Case No: 950’286 Model Name: Submariner “Turn-O-Graph” Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. A260, 19 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex riveted Oyster bracelet, end links stamped 80, max overall length 200mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp, stamped 4.62 Dimensions: 35mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Accessories: Accompanied by period-correct Rolex “new-old-stock” bezel insert.
Catalogue Essay
One of the earliest Rolex sports watches produced in series, the reference 6202 was introduced to the market in 1953, changing the landscape for sports watches forever. Bearing the unwieldy moniker “Turn-O-Graph”, it stayed in production for only a few short years, but its influence was nevertheless long-lasting.
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.
The present watch comes from a small town in Montana. The consignor inherited a local jewelry store from his father, who was also a watchmaker, in the mid 1970s, and the watch was part of that inheritance. As it was without a bezel when the consignor came into possession of it, he sourced a “new-old-stock”, period-correct bezel from a watchmaker in Stockholm, Sweden. Having held onto it for many years, we are delighted that he has trusted Phillips with the sale of this impressively well-preserved, historically important timepiece.
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.
Ref. 6202; inside caseback additionally marked “6202”, “I.54”, and “18” A very rare, fresh-to-market, and well-preserved stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with black galvanic dial, gilt printing, and bracelet, with "new-old-stock" Rolex bezel
Circa 1953 35mm Diameter Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
