Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph “Thunderbird”

This Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph Thunderbird 16264 is in overall excellent pre-owned condition.

Reference: Rolex 16264
Caliber: 3135
Diameter: 36mm (excluding crown)
Bezel: White Gold
Rotating Bezel
Oyster Bracelet
Glass: Sapphire
Calendar
Year:2008
bracelet size approx: 20cm

Few watches in the history of Rolex are so distinct as the Datejust Turn-O-Graph, aka the Thunderbird. Recognized and beloved quickly by its Datejust qualities, a closer inspection reveals its namesake rotating white gold bezel with a 60-minute scale, providing both a visually distinguished element in its looks and an additional utility in its wear.

The origin of the name "Thunderbird" comes from the nickname of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, established in 1953, which was the first supersonic aerobatic team. As the story goes, one pilot started wearing a Turn-O-Graph watch, with it eventually becoming the team’s go-to timepiece, and the moniker quickly followed soon after.

When it was launched in the late 1980s, the ref. 16264 represented the next generation of the Thunderbird. The model notably upgraded the movement to the caliber 3135 from the caliber 3035, and crystal from acrylic to sapphire, along the way staking a piece in Rolex's historic catalog until being replaced at the turn of the millennia with the ref. 116264. Sized at the familiar 36mm diameter, and featuring the sub-series' distinct outer bezel, the watch is as quirky as it is useful, the outer 60-minute scale offering additional functionality to the classic oyster style.

At its core, the 16264 is the quintessential Thunderbird: versatile in its looks, available in a variety of colorways and dial styles, and plainly ready for anything. Its 36mm steel oyster case ensures comfortable wear, while its white gold bezel adds just a touch of both elegance and which perfectly captures the "high-low" aesthetic the series is best known for, and that has further helped make it a cult classic for the better half of more than a century.

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