FS: Vintage Rolex ref. 6609 WG/SS Thunderbird Datejust Turn-O-Graph

[tomvox1]

Up for sale is this classic Rolex reference 6609 Oyster Perpetual Datejust with steel case and super cool engine-turned white gold revolving elapsed time bezel, aka the Thunderbird or Turn-O-Graph Datejust. This circa 1958 T-Bird comes equipped with a slightly later silver sunburst dial in stunning Excellent+ condition with beautiful patina to its original Tritium lume plots. Overall the watch is in Excellent vintage condition and its uncommon caliber 1065 movement is running like a champ. With its handsomely crafted elapsed-time bezel in solid gold, the Thunderbird Datejust is the perfect blend of tool watch and elegance — a Sports watch for the board room, if you will — and certainly one of Rolex’s most interesting and innovative designs. And IMO, the white gold & steel version is the one to have.

The asking price for this classic vintage Rolex Thunderbird Datejust with beautiful silver dial is $3,250 USD OBRO, which includes fully insured FedEx shipping worldwide. Bank Wire strongly preferred. Paypal is also OK with split fees (+2% to the buyer — sorry, no FF). Other payment options upon application. Payment must be made in US DOLLARS. Watch will ship upon full clearance of the funds, as well as any necessary bank vetting.

































CASE & BACK: Classically proportioned 36mm x 44mm stainless steel Oyster case wears a bit bigger due to the prominent, finely engraved rotating bezel. The case does show previous light polish IMO but keep in mind that the lugs of the ref. 66xx Datejusts are longer (by 1mm) and also a bit slimmer to begin with than the later ref. 16xx version of DJ. The lug holes are not distorted and the sides and underside of the lugs have acquired some minor scratches and marks from wear but no major dings — Excellent vintage condition. There is wear between the lugs from the years and the correct model number 6609 has some end-piece marks through its center. The complete case serial number of 355,k is more intact and legible. The correct slightly rounded outer caseback has superficial scratches and dulling of the finish but no real nicks or bad tool marks to speak of — again Excellent cosmetic condition overall. The inner caseback shows no corrosion and bears the correct "6609" reference and all Rolex nomenclature of the period and is date coded "I.1958," the latter perfectly matching the case serial number in terms of era of production (bear in mind that Rolex reset their serial numbers back to 10,000 when they reached 999,999 in 1954).

DIAL & HANDS: Absolutely stunning and Excellent+ model specific pie pan silver sunburst dial with faceted white gold bar markers and original Tritium luminous. Look closely and you will see T SWISS T markings below the "6" indicating a later, likely early to mid-1960s era service dial for this 1958 watch. That said the dial is in beautiful Excellent+ condition with all the lume dots intact and displaying a lovely patina. It has just a few minor surface blemishes keeping it from being categorized by me as Mint but is otherwise top notch for a more than 50-year-old dial. Faceted white gold bar markers are bright and free of corrosion and the original serif black print is crisp and intact. Original Tritium "stick" hands are Near Mint with very minor signs of age and their luminous inlay matches the dial perfectly. Both the dial and hands lume will glow briefly when exposed to UV light, as they should, and in this case with equal intensity and fade.

CROWN: Signed steel Rolex Twinlock crown is cosmetically Excellent, screws down properly and pulls out to the winding and time-setting positions as it should.

CRYSTAL: Older rounded bevel acrylic Cyclops crystal has been polished and is very clear and scratch free for the most part and without chips or nicks — vintage condition.

BEZEL: This engine-turned rotating white gold elapsed time Thunderbird bezel is one of the nicest I have seen, never having been polished and with only some minor scratches, all the fine details super crisp and the chunky serrations very sharp. These are usually described as 14k but I have not tested it so it might even be 18k. Like a Submariner or GMT, this bezel rotates in both directions smoothly with light finger pressure. It is easily in Excellent+ condition with only a few minor scratches, some acquired patina and perhaps a bit of dirt in some of the numerals.

MOVEMENT: This 6609 features Rolex's excellent cal. 1065 25-jewel automatic Chronometer-grade movement originally adjusted to 5 positions and temperature. This is the precursor to the legendary 15xx family and was only produced from about 1955 until 1959. As you can see, this example has its original “butterfly” rotor, a cool little extra detail. I had the watch serviced when I acquired it and so it is keeping excellent time with strong power reserve and the trademark instantaneous date change at midnight. Guaranteed to be functioning properly at the time of shipment.

STRAP: This great T-Bird comes on a brand new, unworn handmade black shell cordovan strap with black stitching and generic steel buckle that suits the watch beautifully. This Datejust has a 20mm lug width.

As a matter of policy I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch in any way, shape or form.

This classic Rolex Thunderbird Datejust is offered with a 3-day inspection period from the date of receipt and may be returned for a full refund (less any shipping costs incurred by the buyer). This refund is unconditional and once I get back the watch in exactly the same condition as it was sent to you, your money will be refunded. Of course, once the 3 days are over the sale will be considered FINAL.

Thanks for looking,
T.
tomvox1@hotmail.com

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