ROLEX. A STAINLESS STEEL WRISTWATCH WITH DATE AND BRACELET

The present Oysterquartz is preserved in very good overall condition.

Rolex had been working on quartz movements well before 1970, the year that saw the first Rolex quartz watch. The earliest forays of the company into this field date as back as the early 1950s with a first patent granted in 1952. Rolex subsequently decided to join other prominent watch manufacturers in the development of the Beta 21 caliber, released in 1970, but then opted to pursue an in-house quartz movement, which was embodied in 1977 in a Day-Date version (cal. 5055) as well as in a Datejust version (cal. 5035), exemplified by the present lot. Both quartz calibers are recognized as among the most beautifully finished quartz movements ever produced by any manufacturer, rivaling even modern competitors in terms of movement elegance and beauty. The two versions were discontinued in 2001. Since then, Rolex has not produced any other Oysterquartz wristwatches.