*Unpolished* 1968 Rolex Two-Tone Datejust "Thunderbird" Turn-O-Graph (Ref. 1625) Silver Dial "United States Air Force Academy"

Do you know why the Rolex Turn-O-Graph has the nickname "Thunderbird"?  The Name Thunderbird comes from the late 1950s, at the dawn of the Jet Age. The United States Air Force equipped the Thunderbird's aerobatic flight demonstration team with the 18k Rolex Turn-O-Graph watches for navigational timing & calculations. The Rolex ref. 1625 Tun-O-Graph models worn by the Thunderbirds team members were made from 18K solid yellow gold and featured the Thunderbirds logo at the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

The Rolex Turn-O-Graph is quite an interesting piece due to the fact that it is also alongside the Submariner and GMT one of the first "tool" watches made by Rolex. In fact, the Rolex Turn-O-Graph was first launched by Rolex in 1953 the same year that the Rolex Submariner was introduced, and the GMT was introduced a year later in 1954. The Rolex Tun-O-Graph is considered a tool watch due to the fact that it has a rotating bezel that allows the person who wears the watch to rotate the bezel to time different events. Unlike the regular Datejust, the Turn-O-Graph was never offered with an Oyster bracelet it was only sold on a leather strap or on the Jubilee style steel or two-tone bracelets.

We always love a watch with a story and this 1968 Rolex Datejust "Thunderbird" certainly delivers in that department, along with being a beautiful example. The case back of this ref. 1625 example states the original ownership of "Ernest R. Jennings" with an engraving along, who is a man of many accomplishments. Ernest attended college at the United States Air Force Academy where he was the star wide receiver for the football team, in fact he still holds records for the school's team. After graduating from the USAFA in 1971 Ernest was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers and played professional NFL football until 1975, after which he began a career at NASA. It's not every day we get in a watch as beautiful as this, but with provenance that overshadows it, but it's always a great day when we do.