Rolex 6202 Turn-o-graph

[sgunter]

I received this watch from my dad, who got it from his grandfather. It's been in a drawer since the 1970s/1980s. I'm not attached to it, but I would like some advice on it. Can anyone point me in the right direction regarding what is needed? I haven't been able to find a picture of exactly how this watch is supposed to look. Black bezel or gold?

[offrdmania]

The bezel would be gold

[Richard Carver]

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=620...ages&ia=images

[motoikkyu]

This photo makes it look like the bezel itself is there, just needing the bezel insert. If you have a side-view, this would help. Are bezel inserts easier to find than complete bezels? Yes. Are bezel inserts easy to find for this watch? No.

Beautiful watch, by the way!

[sgunter]

Thanks for the help! Here's a photo of the side view. Given the potential difficulty in finding a bezel insert, does that mean this watch is effectively a part watch?

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by sgunter

Thanks for the help! Here's a photo of the side view. Given the potential difficulty in finding a bezel insert, does that mean this watch is effectively a part watch?

I don't know ... looks pretty nice to me, and even if you're not attached to it at the moment, heirloom pieces don't come around every day. It could be a watch that needs a part watch.

[sgunter]

Originally Posted by Dan S

It could be a watch that needs a part watch.

I needed that after a long day at the office.

[interestedwatcher]

Looks like some people opt for a later turnograph insert milled down to size for the 6202, as the original insert is hard to find.

[77T]

From Richard’s link it seems very old ones had an aluminum insert.

But if you can get the bracelet off you’ll see a serial number between the lugs on one side and the model ref.# - might help you date it closer.

Now as for finding the era correct insert, next to Impossible - at a price you’d want to pay...impossible.

Aftermarket inserts are usually made for 40mm watch bezels and that one looks like 36mm to me on the iPhone.


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[interestedwatcher]

Originally Posted by 77T

From Richard’s link it seems very old ones had an aluminum insert.

But if you can get the bracelet off you’ll see a serial number between the lugs on one side and the model ref.# - might help you date it closer.

Now as for finding the era correct insert, next to Impossible - at a price you’d want to pay...impossible.

Aftermarket inserts are usually made for 40mm watch bezels and that one looks like 36mm to me on the iPhone.


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As I understand it, the two tone had the gold insert



https://i213.photobucket.com/albums/...3/DSC09298.jpg

[77T]

You’re right. I couldn’t tell which one the OP had on my phone.



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[sgunter]

Stinks it's going to be potentially impossible to find. But it goes with the territory I guess. The serial number is 953*86. Can't quite make out the 4th number due to fading.

[Nickn]

It’s not an insert it’s sold gold the earlier turn-o-graph has a steel bezel
With a black insert
Do a google search

[motoikkyu]

If it's just a matter of milling down a later insert, that sounds like it's worth doing, unless you can get access to an original and cast it: 18k casting is relatively easy and dimensionally accurate if you use the proper media for the pattern. I'd probably cast 1-5% oversize and mill to fit. I know some members of this Forum that have access to bezel-makers, milling an insert has to be easier.

[Dan S]

It seems that this is a fairly common issue. My watchmaker had one of these in for service recently with the same missing gold insert. He contacted me to ask if I had any thoughts about finding a replacement, since it was a family piece and they were willing to invest in restoring it. Of course, I wasn't able to help.

[Nickn]

Hasn’t someone just added a gold crown to the op watch?
Shouldn’t the 6202 have a black insert?

[sgunter]

Originally Posted by Nickn

Hasn’t someone just added a gold crown to the op watch?
Shouldn’t the 6202 have a black insert?

I didn't add that my great grandfather was a watchmaker, so there's the potential for that. I doubt he would have, though. Despite the link to photos of the 6202, I still haven't found one with the same hour markers with a gold insert. Closest I've found has triangular shaped 3, 6, and 9 but they're truncated, not sharp points like mine.

EDIT: I take that back. Maybe this is what it actually should be?!

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by sgunter

I didn't add that my great grandfather was a watchmaker, so there's the potential for that. I doubt he would have, though. Despite the link to photos of the 6202, I still haven't found one with the same hour markers with a gold insert. Closest I've found has triangular shaped 3, 6, and 9 but they're truncated, not sharp points like mine.

EDIT: I take that back. Maybe this is what it actually should be?!

You would imagine an insert like that would be more likely to fall out.

[sgunter]

Originally Posted by narembeen

You would imagine an insert like that would be more likely to fall out.

Originally Posted by Nickn

Hasn’t someone just added a gold crown to the op watch?
Shouldn’t the 6202 have a black insert?

I took the watch to a local Rolex guy today. We did a test on the bezel, and it's gold. It's just very discolored from time I guess. I would assume it's highly unlikely someone would replace the crown and the bezel from stainless to gold, right? I'm beginning to feel more assured that it should be a gold insert, but that the dial is quite rare, as I've only seen one example that had the same dial. My local repair guy thinks he has a track on procuring an insert.

[southtexas]

Hell no it’s not a parts watch. It’s your family’s watch! You can find that insert, and it shouldn’t be a crazy price.


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[Nickn]

would the insert still be black on this model then?

[motoikkyu]

There are multiple examples with the gold bezel in the Google search, one is from HQ Milton's archives. The configuration of the gold insert very much resembles that of the later 1625, or possibly they have been replaced with that insert.

[Nickn]

It wasn’t clear if the whole bezel is gold ie one piece
Or two piece with a gold insert
As we know water turn-I-graphs have one piece bezels