Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph Model Ref.1625 Steel & 18ct Yellow Gold 1966

Rolex

Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the company became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving to its new Geneva headquarters in 1919. The success of the wristwatch can be largely attributed to many of Rolex’s innovations which made the company one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These have included its famous “Oyster” case — the world’s first water-resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and its “Perpetual” — the world’s first reliable, self-winding movement for the wristwatch, launched in 1933. These would form the foundation for Rolex’s Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956. Also and equally importantly, Rolex is known for its sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

During the 1930s and ’40s, Rolex also became quite masterful at courting tremendous publicity and excitement through literally being ‘on hand’ during numerous record-breaking events. These were, for example, swimming the English Channel (1927), breaking the world automobile speed record (300mph, 1935), breaking the sound barrier (1947) and climbing Everest for the first time in 1953. No matter how well orchestrated these events came to be, we have to admire Rolex for becoming masters of self-promotion and capitalising on every opportunity with simultaneous worldwide marketing campaigns.

Of course, Rolex is now so ubiquitous it is almost its own kind of its currency. A Rolex is the watch you want on your wrist when you’re in a Third World country when revolution breaks out and there’s only one seat on the plane, – and there’s a guy standing there with a machine gun! You give him a Rolex and he’ll give you the seat!

Description

The launch of the Rolex Turn-O-Graph was a highly significant moment in the development of Rolex as a company. It was Rolex’s first sports watch. The Rolex Reference 6202 was first released in 1953 following the Datejust in 1945 and around a year before the Submariner in late 1953 / early 1954. The next upgrade to the Turn-O-Graph came in 1959 and continued the focus on dress and home use. Reference 1625 was produced in many different case and dial variations, including yellow and white gold and steel, and was produced until 1977. The Turn-O-Graph was Rolex’s first commercial release of a watch with a rotating bezel. If one takes a look at the earliest examples of each model, it’s clear the earliest Rolex Turn-O-Graph was the testing ground for the Rolex Submariner, as each looked remarkably similar. The Submariner has of course become Rolex’ most popular sports watch, however it is the Turn-O-Graph which broke all the new ground.

The Reference 6202 was soon replaced in 1954 by the much-revised Reference 6309. In effect, this returned the Turn-O-Graph to the Datejust family, as a date function, and cyclops window were added along with the new engine-turned bezel with markers every five and ten minutes as seen on Turn-O-Graphs ever since. In fact, the 6202 looked very similar to the watch you see here, the Reference 1625. This model also introduced the highly successful Calibre 1570 movement which was introduced in 1965 and used until around 1974.

The example you see here is a very rare and collectable, mixed steel and 18ct yellow gold Turn-O-Graph with its original Rolex steel and 18ct yellow gold bracelet. This beautiful Turn-O-Graph is completely original, unrestored and untouched, yet remains in absolutely incredible condition. Its original Calibre 1570 movement is running strongly and accurately having been overhauled and serviced by ourselves.

The Dial

The highly sought after, original, unrestored and untouched ‘starburst’ dial is typical of an early 1960s Datejust. Applied gilt ‘baton’ hour indices which are centred with black, are matched by the original gilt ‘stick’ hands, which also remain original and unrestored. This wonderful dial carries the well known cyclops date window at 3, which looks perfectly placed and of course, the perennial Rolex Coronet tops the dial at 12.

Considering this watch is almost 60 years old, it remains in absolutely remarkable condition with the case, bezel, dial and movement all adding to its perfection.

The dial is correctly signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’, ‘Datejust’ with ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ at the bottom just above 6 and ‘T Swiss T’ at the very bottom, below 6.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The watch carries its original, very high grade ‘Superlative Chronometer’ Calibre 1570, 26 jewel automatic movement which is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely overhauled and serviced which involves full dismantling, ultrasonic cleaning, inspection under high magnification and replacement new original Rolex parts where required. Then careful reassembly and oiling ready for testing and calibration. The watch is therefore now running perfectly, having been calibrated and timed within -14 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed by our electronic timegrapher, rendering it now suitable for many more years of faithful service.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, and ‘Twenty Six Jewels’ with the Calibre number 1570 and the reference number D243830. These movements are very strong, very accurate and very reliable making this watch particularly suited to everyday use should you so wish. This particular movement is in superb A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run very happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore pleased to offer 12 months warranty on this watch movement*.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Watch Case

The extremely rare and highly sought after steel and 18ct yellow gold case measures a large 36mm, excluding the Rolex Oyster screw-down crown. The case has been carefully inspected inside and out and then very gently cleaned and lightly hand-polishing to remove any tarnishing. This truly is an outstanding example and in superb condition with very little of the definition being lost and all the lines remaining clear.

The watch carries the Turn-O-Graph bezel which is very well defined, with very few marks visible to the naked eye. This rotating bezel was designed so that the watch can be used as a simple chronograph. Rather than setting the seconds hand to zero and starting it to time and event, the bezel can simply be rotated so that zero lines up with the second’s hand as it rotates, and you may then time an event in seconds by reading the elapsed seconds on the bezel. Similarly one may time an event in minutes by aligning zero on the bezel with the minutes hand. As can be seen, the bezel remains in excellent condition and is free from any marks, which is unusual as the bezel is the most prone part of the watch case and most easily damaged through nicks and scratches.

The screw-down case-back is of full-thickness, having never been inscribed. The inside of the case-back carries the Rolex model number 1625 and is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Switzerland’ and ‘Stainless Steel’.

Please note – although the waterproof seals have been replaced and this watch was originally specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed. As always, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The mixed steel and 18ct yellow gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet is original to this watch and is of full size, complete with its original 18 links plus the Rolex adjustable clasp. The bracelet has been lightly used and has simply required a gentle polish to bring it back to the condition you see here.  This bracelet can be adjusted from 15.9cm or 6.25″ to 18.4cm or 7.25″.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with the watch, the numbers and markings are all correct, dating this watch to 1966.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The watch comes complete with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual presentation box, as shown in the photographs.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

To summarise, this is an incredibly rare Rolex with an incredible amount going for it! It will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to wear, treasure and enjoy! It will make the perfect evening wear dress watch as well as a practical, highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis. Although this is one of our more expensive watches, its quality will be remembered for long after its purchase price will be forgotten.

Vintage gold Rolex Datejust watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong, meaning this watch will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though vintage Rolex prices have risen strongly in recent years, we feel high-quality fine examples such as this still remain undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage watches expands, availability will become more limited, so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.