Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph 116261

Reference:116261

Datejust → 116261

Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph 116261 with a black dial, pink-gold bezel and two-tone Oyster bracelet — Sotheby's, Hong Kong, lot 9019: circa-2006 example.

The 116261 is a 36 mm Datejust Turn-O-Graph in stainless steel and pink gold. Rolex's catalogues specify a rotating fluted bezel, sapphire crystal and 31-jewel chronometer movement; auction catalogues identify Cal. 3135 in individual examples. Rolex listed the reference in June 2012, while its last production date remains unconfirmed.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	116261
family	Datejust Turn-O-Graph
documented dates	Individual watches attributed to 2003–circa 2006; Rolex catalogue listing in June 2012 and a Japanese price compilation dated April 2014. Factory start and end dates not established.
case	36 mm; stainless steel with pink-gold bezel
bezel	Rotating, fluted Turn-O-Graph bezel
crystal	Sapphire
movement	Cal. 3135 in auction examples; Rolex lists a 31-jewel chronometer movement
bracelet options	Jubilee 6320J / Oyster 72201 in the UK 2008 catalogue; Jubilee 63601 / Oyster 72601 in Rolex 2010–2012 catalogues

Where it sits in the line

The 116261 pairs a steel case with a pink-gold bezel. In the six-digit Datejust Turn-O-Graph group, 116263 uses yellow gold and 116264 uses white gold. The Turn-O-Graph retains the Datejust case and date layout, with an added rotating timing bezel.

Production outline

Fratello places the six-digit generation in 2004, and Antiquorum dates one example to that year. The Watch Club attributes a 116261 to 2003 and reports a December 2003 warranty card, but the date is not legible in its photographs. The factory start date remains unconfirmed.

Fratello gives 2011 as the end of the generation. Rolex's June 2012 US catalogue still lists 116261 with both bracelet options, and Fulleos's April 2014 Japanese price table lists Jubilee and Oyster versions. These later listings establish catalogue availability, not continued manufacture; the final factory year remains unconfirmed.

Rolex's October 2008 UK list calls the model Everose Rolesor; its 2011 US list describes a special 18k pink-gold bezel. Rolex dates the introduction of Everose to 2005. The Watch Club's reported 2003 example is also labelled Everose, but its card date and the bezel's alloy are not independently legible in the listing photographs. Pink gold is the sound general description for the reference.

Movement notes

Rolex's 2011 and 2012 catalogues specify a 31-jewel chronometer movement. Antiquorum and Sotheby's identify Cal. 3135 in their 116261 examples. These identifications describe the watches at inspection; any surviving watch's movement should be checked individually.

Dial map

A collector's transcription of the 2012 Rolex price list gives white, silver and black configurations. The R-L-X owner report and Watch Club listing show silver-toned dials; the dealer calls its example sundust. Antiquorum describes a red date on its 2004 watch. Sotheby's photographs show a black dial with pink-gold baton markers and hands, a red seconds hand, red Turn-O-Graph text and red date numerals. Heritage catalogues a white-dial example. The transcription is a partial record rather than the underlying Rolex document, so it does not settle the full factory dial range.

The cited catalogues do not map lume material or changes to the hand set across the run.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Rolex specifies a 36 mm steel case, pink-gold rotating fluted bezel and sapphire crystal. The 2011 list calls it the “turn-o-graph” bezel; the June 2012 list describes it as rotatable and fluted. Exact-reference photographs show the same graduated layout. Rolex's catalogues do not describe a crown variant.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Rolex's UK October 2008 list pairs the 116261 with Jubilee 6320J or Oyster 72201. Its 2010 European and 2011 and 2012 US lists give Jubilee 63601 or Oyster 72601. The 2012 list describes the Jubilee as 20 mm with 24 links and a Crownclasp; the Oyster is 20 mm with 13 links and an Oysterclasp with Easylink.

Auction records and owner reports document individual watches on both bracelet styles. The 2005 R-L-X owner describes a Jubilee; a 2018 Rolex Forums owner says his black-dial 116261 was on Oyster. These are as-worn examples, not proof of each watch's original delivery bracelet. The Watch Club lists a box, booklets and warranty card with its reported 2003 example; Sotheby's lists a Rolex guarantee with the circa-2006 watch. The date on the Watch Club card is unreadable in its photographs, and these accessories describe individual sale sets rather than a standard package.

Special branches

Fratello identifies the green-accented Japan-market Turn-O-Graph as 116263, the yellow-gold-bezel model. The article reports 300 white-dial and 300 black-dial examples. That count is a secondary report rather than a Rolex production figure.

Auction record

record	catalogue details	use
Antiquorum, New York, 2012, lot 261	Case F633345; catalogued as made in 2004; Cal. 3135; red date; Oyster bracelet 72201	Early dated example; bracelet and condition apply to this lot
Heritage, 2012, lot 60246	Catalogued circa 2005; photographed steel and pink-gold example	Adds a separate early market record
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 2026, lot 9019	Case D577130; circa 2006; black dial; Cal. 3135, 31 jewels; two-tone Oyster bracelet	Photographs document the black dial and bracelet on this example
Heritage, 2026, lot 13008	Case F616854; white dial; Cal. 3135; 36 mm	A separate white-dial example; bracelet catalogue text is not used

Sources

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