Rolex Turn-O-Graph

Often overlooked, the Rolex Turn-O-Graph nevertheless turns heads. Released the year before the Submariner, its thick case and rotating bezel foreshadow the Submariners that would follow. In fact, it's on the bones of the Turn-O-Graph that the Rolex sports models--like the Submariner and the GMT--would be built. And yet the Turn-O-Graph was never a bestseller, being pulled from the catalogs nearly a decade after its release; but rather than fade into obscurity, the Turn-O-Graph has assumed a place in the pantheon of watches that would shape history.  The Turn-O-Graph was meant to be a substitute for a chronograph, which were more expensive than time-only watches. Rolex intended the wearers to use the bezel (which Rolex called the "time-recording rim") to make precise mathematical calculations. Since the Daytona was still over a decade away, Rolex touted the Turn-O-Graph (with its sturdy waterproof case) as a sportier and more affordable alternative to chronographs. Understandably, Rolex marketed the Turn-O-Graph to business travelers and pilots, shown in its debut advertisement on the wrist of a suited gentleman as he sat in the seat of an airplane.  "Simplest 'stop-watch' ever," the headline proclaims, "yet waterproof and self-winding!"  But the "time-recording rim" had applications in other pastimes as well.  "For example," the ad ran, "if you're a yacht-racing enthusiast, it will time the minute-gun for you." Rolex used many different dials for the Turn-O-Graph throughout its nearly ten years of existence, including those with a "honeycomb" texture that are particularly attractive. This particular Turn-O-Graph, a Reference 6202, has a black lacquer dial that has gained a heavy patina to the luminescent elements of the hour markers and hands. With a red triangle insert on the bezel, this Turn-O-Graph is an excellent example of an incredibly rare watch.