In 2012 Rolex produced 600 Turn-o-graph reference 116263 for the Japanese market (300 white dial and 300 black dial). Two tone steel and yellow gold, they came in both Oyster and Jubilee bracelets, and featured a sweep second hand and typography in green. I don't think they're numbered, but 600 is a pretty limited run.
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=611256
Cheers,
-GW
Thanks for this.
Interested, I dig around end ended up a little confused by it. It seems these “Japanese special edition” versions were sold beginning in 2011, the same year the T-o-G was otherwise discontinued. So it’s not as though Rolex spun up production again, so much as used some stock on hand. In fact, apparently the series for these watches date them to 2004/2005, despite widespread agreement they were sold through 2011/2012.
Meanwhile, the watches don’t have any limited edition numbering or other “special” marks; instead, they are differentiated only by having green rather than red central hand, a green numbered date wheel, and also in green are the words “Turn-O-Graph” on the dial.
Meanwhile, I’m just a quick review of listings for green hand T-o-Gs purported to be part of the Japanese edition, I saw at least three assertions of the number in the run: 100, 300 total, or 300 of each of the two dial color/bracelet offerings for a total of 600. The most authoritative post I found on the numbering assets that the number of watches built is known only due to reports from Japanese retailers at the time. Given that the watches themselves otherwise have no special numbering, there’s really no concrete or official way to know how many were made but for believing such reports of Japanese retailer assertions from a decade ago.
At one point in the last few years, apparently a Rolex exec asserted there were no such watches, only to later purportedly recant when informed these Japanese editions were legit. For related reasons, there’s apparently some anxiety about what might happen if sent to Rolex for service: might they come back with the standard red hand, black date wheel, etc., taken for unauthorized mods?
In any event, these watches should be characterized as
limited production rather than limited edition, insofar as yet again they’re not an official limited in number, unique, offering.
A very interesting watch, though!
