Note: "This watch was owned by Capt. Charles W Maultsby, who flew "Right Wing" for the Thunderbirds from 1957-1961. The Thunderbirds are the aerobatic demonstration team for the United States Air Force, and have been in existence since 1953. Capt. Maultsby was part of one of the first teams that flew the F-100C Super Sabre, which was the 1st supersonic aircraft in the USAF arsenal. While the dial is not in the greatest shape, it is original, and bears the unique "Thunderbird" insignia. In person, the dial actually has quite a presence, as you can imagine all the exciting flights that Capt. Maultsby performed as a member of the team. The caseback is engraved with his name, and The Thunderbirds written in bold script. The watch is accompanied with its original timing paper/ guarantee as well as some service documentation. The papers are presented in a very rare original folder original to the watch. All in all an amazing and historically important piece." - Eric Ku
The reason why "Thunderbird" is used to describe the Datejust models with rotating bezels, particularly in the USA, is due to this association with the USAF aerobatics team as well as the original Rolex advertisements for this model highlighting this linkage.
