History of the Rolex Quartz Movement
The 1970s brought about a period of time in the watchmaking world commonly referred to as the Quartz Crisis. In 1969 when the first quartz movement was introduced, some brands embraced the movement, but many brands such as Rolex were hesitant to produce a quartz watch. Just a year later, Rolex did produce a quartz watch, but it was quickly retired. Continue reading to learn more about:
> The First Rolex Quartz Watch
> Mechanics of the Quartz Movement
> How to Buy a Rolex Oysterquartz
The First Rolex Quartz Watch
Rolex released their first quartz watch in 1970, but instead of producing an in-house quartz movement to match their in-house mechanical movements, the brand used the Beta 21 quartz movement. Rolex did not use a Japanese quartz movement, instead, this was a movement used by about 20 swiss watch manufacturers, including Omega, Piaget, and Patek Philippe. These maisons formed the Centre Electronic Horloger (CEH) to create Swiss-made quartz movements designed to surpass other quartz movements.
Rolex didn’t produce this Beta 21 Quartz model, reference 5100 for too long. It is estimated that only 1,000 models were released before the brand retired the reference. The design of the quartz Rolex 5100 was also unique for the brand. Rather than utilizing the same casing as other models, Rolex needed to produce a larger case to house the quartz movement.
Reference 5100 Design
This large movement resulted in a 39mm case that was thick and angular, able to fit in the Beta 21 movement. This model featured the classic Rolex fluted bezel and a three-link bracelet. The bracelet was also unique to Rolex at the time because it was integrated into the case, reminiscent of the Royal Oak released a few years later. While never confirmed, it is thought that Gerald Genta, famed watch designer, was contracted to design this case. The reference 5100 was also the first Rolex to feature a sapphire crystal. It was first produced in yellow gold but some white gold models were also released.
Even though the watch was popular with collectors, and it is thought to have instantly sold out after being released, Rolex stopped producing the model.
The Oysterquartz
In 1972, when Rolex stopped producing the reference 5100, they left the CEH and set out on a quest to develop an in-house quartz movement. This development took five years, and in 1977 two new quartz movements were introduced to the market. These were the 5035 caliber for the Oysterquartz Datejust and the 5055 for the Oysterquartz Day-Date.
Mechanics
These new quartz movements were quite similar to each other. They had 11 jewels and a 32khz oscillator, which was a higher frequency than the Beta 21 movement. These also featured a quick-set day and date function as well as hacking seconds for accurate time setting. At the time, they were more accurate than any Rolex mechanical movement in production. These quartz movements had a standard of +/- 0.7 seconds per day compared to the -4/+6 for mechanical movements. The caliber 5035 was not sent to be COSC certified until a few years after being sold, however the 5055 Day-Date reference was COSC certified since the first release.
The 5035 Oysterquartz Datejust pre-COSC became known as the Mark I while the latter is known as Mark II movements. This is noticeable on the dial, where the Mark I models do not feature the ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ label on the dial.
Updated Case Design
These first Rolex Oysterquartz models were the references 17000, 17013, and the 19018. Rolex also updated the case design for these in-house quartz movements enabling them to utilize the classic Oyster case. Even though these had a 36mm Oyster case base, the watches still featured a more angular design and integrated bracelet.
Over the course of the Oysterquartz lifetime, the Datejust was produced in steel, yellow, and two-tone and the Day-Date was in yellow or white gold. The Day-Date version also featured an integrated President style bracelet, in line with the model family, while the Datejust had an Oyster or Jubilee bracelet. The Day-Date even had a few references produced with gem-set bezels, like the Oysterquartz Day-Date reference 19078 with a yellow gold case and rainbow gem-set bezel.
Discontinuing the Oysterquartz
In the late 1980s, Rolex worked on a quartz perpetual calendar movement and even created a few prototypes. This venture was eventually sidelined and the model never went into production, however, one of the prototypes did come up for auction in 2020.
Rolex produced their quartz watches, the Oysterquartz Datejust and the Oysterquartz Day-Date for about 25 years. Over this period, it is estimated that Rolex only produced 25,000 quartz watches, making them extremely rare to find. Rolex stopped applying for COSC certification for their quartz movement in 2001, and the two-tone Oysterquartz Datejust was the last quartz available to purchase up until 2003 in some authorized retailers.
Buying A Quartz Rolex
Even though there was an extensive 25-year production run for the varying Oysterquartz references, they are hard to come by on the pre-owned market today because of the limited number made each year. The prototype sold in 2020 saw a price of over $250,000.
The Oysterquartz Datejust can be found for around $4,000-$8,000 while the precious metals of the Oysterquartz Day-Date command a higher pre-owned price point of around $14,000- $17,000. The gem-set versions or day-date models with pyramid style bezel and links are even rarer and thus command an even higher price point.
These rare Oysterquartz models do not stay online long at The 1916 Company because collectors are keen on adding a unique piece of Rolex history into their collections. If you’re ready to find your perfect Rolex or Oysterquartz, browse our current Rolex inventory.
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