One of the first ref. 6202 Turn-O-Graphs ever made, serial no. 9.51XXX. 

A very important transitional model in Rolex history, the ref. 6202 'Turn-O-Graph' was the brand’s first rotating bezel tool-watch category, the direct ancestor to both the Submariner and the GMT-Master.

This exceptionally early example, dating to 1954, features the rarer gilt chapter ring dial with applied gold baton hour markers a cleaner, more sophisticated variation of the luminous 'Submariner-style' dial often seen on the reference. The glossy black lacquer has aged beautifully, with warm gilt text and original untouched lume across hands and markers.

Its original deep green/black aluminium bezel insert (has a definite dark green hue when it catches the light) remains remarkably well preserved, showing the early '50' red triangle configuration unique to first-series Turn-O-Graphs. The 36mm stainless steel Oyster case retains strong proportions and crisp chamfers, housing the self-winding A260 calibre movement  Rolex’s first rotor-equipped automatic movement to feature in a sport model. The lug and inner caseback both etched '18' confirming they were assembled together during production at Rolex. Fitted to the early riveted Oyster bracelet.

Predating the Submariner by a matter of months, the 6202 bridges the gap between dress and tool watch a pioneering design that laid the foundation for Rolex’s modern professional line.

A rare, historically significant piece of early Rolex innovation and one of the cleanest gilt-dial 6202s we’ve ever handled.