Rolex

Antiquorum, Geneva, November 2023, Lot 201

Property of the original British family

The Rolex Monometer reference 6202 occupies a fascinating and extremely rare position in the history of Rolex sports watches. Introduced in 1953, the model represents one of the earliest attempts by the brand to combine a rotating bezel with the robust Oyster case architecture that would soon define Rolex’s professional tool watches. Produced in extremely small numbers, the reference 6202 is widely regarded as one of the rarest pre-Submariner models and an important precursor to what would later become the Turn-O-Graph line.

Rolex registered the “Monometer” brand name in June 1953, with the first watches appearing shortly thereafter. The present example’s case back is stamped “III.53,” indicating production in the third quarter of 1953 and placing it among the earliest examples of the reference. The Monometer was launched alongside the Submariner reference 6204, sharing the innovative concept of a rotating bezel intended to measure elapsed time, yet offering a distinct design that bridges the aesthetics of classic Oyster watches and the emerging era of purpose-built sports models.

Production of the reference 6202 is believed to have been extremely limited, with scholarship suggesting that fewer than 100 pieces were manufactured. Only a handful of examples have surfaced publicly over the years, including serial numbers:

• 949401 (regular dial, Antiquorum, 17 March 2013, lot 493),
• 949477 (honeycomb dial, Antiquorum, 12 November 2006, lot 366),
• 949738 (regular dial, Antiquorum, 11 May 2014, lot 270),
• 949742 (Antiquorum, 9 May 2021),
• 49484 (honeycomb dial, Phillips, 12 November 2016, lot 49).

The present watch, serial number 949579, belongs to this exceptionally small corpus of known examples.

Adding further appeal, the watch has remained in the hands of the family of its original owner until its acquisition by the current owner, representing a remarkable continuity of provenance. Combining extreme rarity, historical importance, and early Rolex innovation, the Monometer reference 6202 stands as a crucial milestone in the development of the brand’s rotating-bezel sports watches.