FS: Vintage Rolex ref. 1625 WG/SS Thunderbird Datejust w/ Sigma Dial

[tomvox1]

Up for sale is this classic Rolex reference 1625 Oyster Perpetual Certified Chronometer Datejust with steel case and stunning engine-turned white gold revolving elapsed time bezel, aka the Thunderbird or Turn-O-Graph Datejust. This circa 1962 T-Bird comes equipped with what I believe to be a model correct but slightly later silver Sigma dial in stunning Near Mint condition with beautiful patina to its original Tritium lume plots. Overall the watch is in Excellent vintage condition and its uncommon caliber 1565 is running like a champ. It also comes on what is probably its original rolled-link Swiss made Jubilee bracelet date coded 1963. 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 1960s Rolex Thunderbird Datejust with beautiful Sigma dial is $3950 USD OBRO, which includes fully insured shipping worldwide. Bank Wire strongly preferred. 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 43mm stainless steel Oyster case wears a bit bigger due to the prominent rotating bezel shows previous polish and has acquired some scratches and marks from wear since then but no major dings — Excellent vintage condition. There is wear between the lugs from the years and the correct model number 1625 is fairly faint with the complete case serial number of 784,k somewhat more legible. The correct early version slightly rounded outer caseback has also looks to have been detailed at some point and also 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 "1625" reference & is date coded "II.62," the latter perfectly matching the case SN in terms of era of production.

DIAL & HANDS: Absolutely stunning and Near Mint model specific pie pan silver sunburst dial with white gold bar markers and original Tritium luminous. Look closely and you will see the sigma sign flanking the T SWISS T markings below the "6" indicating the solid gold nature of the applied markers. Rolex only did this for a few years and in my opinion it was only in the late 1960s to early ‘70s. In addition to the T for Tritium markings this indicates a service dial, as both these dial notations come post-1962. That said the dial is in stunning Near Mint condition with the lume dots all intact and displaying a lovely patina. The only flaw that I can detect is a minor hand drag mark near the "6" and "8" quadrant. It is only visible at certain angles with a powerful loupe and very hard to either see with the naked eye or in macro photos for that matter. White gold bar markers are bright and free of corrosion and the original heavy serif black print is crisp and intact. Original Tritium "stick" hands are Excellent with some very light corrosion and slightly lighter lume than the dial. Both the dial and hands lume will glow briefly when exposed to UV light, as they should.

CROWN: After close inspection I believe the signed steel Rolex Twinlock crown is actually the slightly smaller GMT-Master size than Datejust size so I will be including a correct OEM 6mm DJ crown if the new owner should want to swap it out. That said, the current crown still has full functionality, screwing down properly and pulling out to the winding and time-setting positions as it should.

CRYSTAL: Older bevelled acrylic Cyclops crystal has been polished but still shows some residual scratches and some wear to the edges — Very Good 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 and 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 1625 features Rolex's excellent cal. 1565 (marked 1560 on the bridge as was usual) 26-jewel automatic Chronometer-grade movement originally adjusted to 5 positions and temperature. This is the precursor to the legendary 157x family and was only produced from about 1959 to 1965. If you look closely you can see that this example even has the rare “balance guard,” a cool little extra detail. Though I do not know this watch's service history and so cannot guarantee that it will not need service in future, the watch is keeping excellent time with strong power reserve and the trademark instantaneous date change at midnight. Guaranteed it to be functioning properly at the time of shipment.

BRACELET: This great T-Bird comes on what I assume to be its original SWISS-made rolled link Jubilee date coded 2-63. The bracelet itself has no reference number, which is correct for this era of Jubilee, and the ends are the proper matching 55s. This clasp was likely polished in the past as the coronet logo appears a bit smoothed out and it has re-acquired some scratches. It has only minor stretch and is easily in Very Good+ original condition. At maximum extension it should fit up to a 7.5" wrist comfortably.

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.
[email protected]

[tomvox1]

Bump

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BumperBird

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Labor Day W/E Bump

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ThunderBump

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Superlative Bump

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W/E T-bird Bump

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nt