If somebody instructed you there’s a Rolex you’ve by no means heard of, powered by a quartz motion, and promoting for lower than a Datejust, you’d in all probability assume it’s faux. And with good purpose. Rolex is without doubt one of the world’s pre-eminent luxurious watch manufacturers – arguably, probably the most well-recognised watch model at the moment -producing north of one million items yr to dominate the market share with distinctive and sought-after items.
However for one of many world’s most essential manufacturers, budding collectors are nonetheless stunned to listen to that Rolex was producing quartz-powered items for practically 1 / 4 of a century. It’s known as the Rolex Oysterquartz. It’s actual. It ticks like a attraction. And it is perhaps one of many smartest Rolex buys in at the moment’s petulant market.
When Did Rolex Make Quartz Watches?
Within the Seventies, the so-called Quartz Disaster hit Switzerland like a tonne of precision-cut Japanese bricks. Seiko had simply dropped the Astron, the primary quartz watch, and all of the sudden, everybody wished tech over custom. The doomsday clock had began for the Swiss luxurious market, with manufacturers like OMEGA, IWC, even Patek Philippe scrambling to adapt to the altering tide.
And sure, even Rolex then received in on the act with a line of watches developed solely in-house to compete with the wave of battery-powered precision.
Launched in 1977 after 5 painstaking years of improvement, the Rolex Oysterquartz wasn’t some low cost throwaway effort. The actions contained in the Oysterquartz, the Calibres 5035 and 5055, have been COSC-certified and ticked away at a blistering 32kHz, 4 instances quicker than the sooner Beta-21 quartz normal.
They have been a number of the most correct Rolex watches ever made. And but, the horological snobs by no means gave them a correct look. Why? Due to what was ticking away beneath the figurative hood.
The Finest Rolex You’ve (Most likely) By no means Heard Of
Between 1977 and the early 2000s when Rolex evetually put this mannequin out to pasture, the Swiss luxyry Maison solely made round 25,000 Oysterquartz fashions. That’s nothing in Rolex phrases. A drop within the crown-shaped bucket in comparison with the big scale produciton to which we have now grow to be identified at the moment.
So, while these Oysterquartz fashions can’t declare to be probably the most spectacular in at the moment’s horolofgical area, they’re definitely rarer than some limited-edition Daytonas. Comparatively talking. And that rarity is strictly why collectors are starting to circle again to this as soon as easy inventory.
You’ve received the Datejust variants just like the reference 17000 in metal, the 17013 with a yellow gold bezel, or the 17014 with a white gold bezel, all sharing that particular angular case and built-in bracelet that screams Seventies luxurious. It jogs my memory of the early Gerald Genta fashions throughout this era, besides with out the Royal Oak price ticket.
Then, after all, as a result of that is nonetheless Rolex we’re speaking about, the heavy-hitters hit the market: the Day-Date Oysterquartz fashions in full yellow or white gold, some dripping in diamonds, some with pyramid-shaped bezels, and one reference (the 19068) that appears like a Bond villain’s gown watch.
Most fashions nonetheless commerce for properly beneath $10,000 AUD on the aftermarket. Evaluate that to what you’d pay for the standard mechanical Datejust or Day-Date and all of the sudden the phrase ‘low cost Rolex’ begins to make a whole lot of sense.
Quartz, Rolex… and the Quiet Comeback
Quartz has been getting its groove again. From Grand Seiko’s continued quartz campaign to Cartier’s solar-powered Tanks, collectors are warming to the comfort, sturdiness, and precision that quartz presents, with out the vintage-watch complications.
So why haven’t extra individuals caught onto the Oysterquartz? Straightforward. Rolex doesn’t like to speak about its forgotten releases. There’s no trendy equal. No reissues hitting the cabinets in Watches & Wonders this yr. No nods within the present lineup. It’s as if Rolex quietly buried this chapter of their historical past.
Which makes it all of the extra fascinating. The Rolex Oysterquartz is a stealth collectable; an genuine Rolex watch with out the everyday bells and whistles however with a uniquely rebellious streak. It ticks as a substitute of sweeps; boasts daring ‘70s design which is making a well timed comeback in 2025; and for probably the most half, goes solely unnoticed amongst the ocean of reissues obtainable at the moment.
And right here’s the kicker: whereas everybody else is chasing the identical dozen Rolex fashions, the Oysterquartz sits quietly gaining worth within the nook. Its rarity, story, and wearability are lastly catching the eye of people that know what they’re doing.
So sure, there’s a low cost Rolex. Sure, it runs on quartz. However no, you haven’t even heard of it; that’s precisely why it is perhaps the neatest funding you may make proper now.
