Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph 116263

The 116263 is the steel Datejust Turn-O-Graph with an 18k yellow-gold bezel. Rolex's May 2011 US price list specifies a 36 mm case, a 31-jewel chronometer movement and a sapphire crystal. Its May 2011 and June 2012 lists both offer Oyster or Jubilee bracelet options. Auction catalogues identify Cal. 3135 in individual examples. Sources place the final Turn-O-Graph generation around 2004–05; the end date is less clear, since Rolex still listed 116263 in June 2012.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	116263
model	Oyster Perpetual Datejust Turn-O-Graph
documented dates	Rolex US catalogue listings effective May 2011 and June 2012; auction examples catalogued circa 2004 and circa 2005. Factory start and end dates not established.
case	36 mm; stainless steel
bezel	Rotating Turn-O-Graph bezel in special 18k yellow gold
crystal	Synthetic sapphire (Rolex catalogue wording)
movement	31-jewel chronometer in Rolex's list; Cal. 3135 in the cited auction examples
bracelet options	Oyster 72603 or Jubilee 63603 in Rolex's 2011 and 2012 US lists

Where it sits in the line

The six-digit Turn-O-Graph generation was sold as part of the Datejust line. Rolex's 2011 list identifies 116263 as the yellow-gold version, alongside the pink-gold 116261 and white-gold 116264. All three use a 36 mm case; the rotating bezel is the feature that separates them from a standard Datejust. 116261 is the documented pink-gold sibling.

Production outline

Fratello dates the final generation to 2004. Sotheby's catalogues a 116263 as circa 2004, and Phillips dates another to circa 2005. A Rolex Forums discussion gives either 2004 or 2005 as the generation's start, depending on the contributor. These dates put examples near the beginning of the run but do not establish the first production year.

Rolex's May 2011 and June 2012 US price lists both include 116263. Phillips and Fratello give 2011 as the end of production. The June 2012 list places the reference in Rolex's catalogue after that date, but does not establish whether production continued or Rolex was selling existing stock. The factory end date remains unconfirmed.

Movement notes

Rolex's 2011 list specifies a 31-jewel chronometer movement but does not name its caliber. Sotheby's and Phillips identify Cal. 3135 in their respective examples. Those are catalogue attributions to the watches they inspected; check a surviving watch's movement rather than assuming every example remains unchanged.

Dial map

Sotheby's photographs a grey dial with red seconds hand, date numerals and Turn-O-Graph text. Fratello describes the usual red details on the final generation. These sources document the standard appearance, but the price list reviewed here does not provide a complete dial-option schedule for this reference.

Grey dial with red seconds hand, red date numeral and red Turn-O-Graph text on a Rolex 116263 — Grey-dial 116263 catalogued by Sotheby's, circa 2004.

Phillips catalogues a Japanese-market white dial with green seconds hand, date wheel and Turn-O-Graph text. A 2016 Rolex Forums sales post shows a black-dial example with green details. Phillips and Fratello each report 300 watches per dial color; the forum seller gives a total of 300. No Rolex production record confirms the number or formal limited-edition status, so both the count and the scope of the special series remain reported claims.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Rolex's May 2011 list specifies a 36 mm steel case and synthetic sapphire crystal; its June 2012 list describes a rotatable fluted bezel in steel and yellow gold. Neither list specifies the bezel's full graduated layout or a crown variant. Sotheby's photographs show the bezel's timing scale and the crown on a circa-2004 example; those details should not be used to infer a change across the run.

Case and crown profile of Sotheby's circa-2004 example.

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes

Rolex's 2011 and 2012 lists offer the 116263 with Oyster bracelet 72603 or Jubilee 63603. The 2012 list describes the 20 mm Oyster with 13 links, Oysterclasp and Easylink; the 20 mm Jubilee has 24 links and a Crownclasp. Phillips describes its circa-2005 Japanese-market example on a two-tone Oyster bracelet and records a clasp stamp of 5ZF. The Sotheby's circa-2004 watch is also catalogued on Oyster. These records show documented configurations; they do not establish which bracelet was delivered with another watch or whether a bracelet is original to its head.

Phillips lists a guarantee dated 24 April 2011, a 2015 service guarantee, box, papers and other accessories with its example. Those items belong to that sale set, not to a standard 116263 package.

Outer caseback and two-tone Oyster bracelet of Sotheby's circa-2004 Rolex 116263 — Caseback and bracelet of the same Sotheby's example.

Special branch

Phillips identifies the green-accent Japanese-market watch as a limited edition. Its essay says each dial color was limited to 300 pieces and suggests Rolex may have used earlier Datejust or Turn-O-Graph cases, based on the F serials. The 2011 guarantee dates a sale or registration event, not manufacture. These are Phillips's interpretations; no factory document reviewed here confirms the edition size, the case-reuse theory or a distinct production period.

Auction record

record	catalogue details	what it documents
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 2023, lot 954	Case F543956; circa 2004; grey dial; Cal. 3135, 31 jewels; steel and 18k yellow gold; Oyster bracelet	One early-dated grey-dial example; four selected views from the catalogue's five-view set
Phillips, Hong Kong, TOKI, 2024, lot 14	Case F995188; circa 2005; white-and-green dial; Cal. 3135, 31 jewels; Oyster bracelet and clasp stamped 5ZF; guarantee dated 24 April 2011	One Japanese-market green-accent example; edition count and production interpretation remain Phillips claims

Sotheby's, Hong Kong, lot 954: whole watch, circa 2004.
Dial and bezel detail from the same lot.
Case and crown profile from the same lot.
Caseback and bracelet from the same lot.

Sources

--- 9060 chars, 4 images ---

 [hero] Ref 116263 hero.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/116263/images/public/Ref 116263 hero.webp
 [dial-detail] Ref 116263 dial-detail.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/116263/images/public/Ref 116263 dial-detail.webp
 [crown] Ref 116263 crown.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/116263/images/public/Ref 116263 crown.webp
 [caseback] Ref 116263 caseback.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/116263/images/public/Ref 116263 caseback.webp