In this invention, a fiber optic rotary joint and applications of such to retractable fiber optic cables is described. The fiber optic rotary joint consists of a spiral arrangement of a spring and optical fiber pair placed between rotating inner and outer diameters. The fiber optic rotary joint provides a finite number of turns of a fiber optic cable about a primary axis. These turns can be used, for example, with a rotating spool to provide a continuous retractable and extendable cable.