Guess I was wrong. 
"At the Basel World watchfair in 1970 Rolex introduced their first ever quartz watch, The Quartz Date ref. 5100. It was equipped with the Beta 211 movement. Much to the surprise of Rolex it was quite a seller and the first bunch was sold out shortly afterwards. In 1970 the quartz technology was quite new and many watch lovers were looking for something new and modern which might explain the strong demand at the time.
The case of the Quartz Date was an angular-shaped non Oyster case, equipped with a sapphire crystal. However, by 1972 the Quartz Date was discontinued as the initial interest wore off quickly.
After that it almost seems like Rolex took time off to think about their next move with regards to a new quartz powered watch.
By 1977 Rolex was ready to introduce the new Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust ref. 17000. A Day-Date version was also made available - the ref. 19018. The Datejust was equipped with the new 11 jewel quartz movement the cal. 5035. The Day-Date with the – also 11 jewel – cal. 5055.
The Oysterquartz was a much better watch than its predecessor. It had a slimmer case with the Oyster’s screwed down crown. And the calibres 5035/5055 oscillated at a frequency of no less than 32,768 Hz. The cal. 5035 is seen in the photo.
The Oysterquartz, being a much more solid and angular style watch than the classic Datejust style, is the only Oyster ever designed to include an integral band. The bracelet is composed of large flat solid links and is, without doubt, the strongest bracelet ever seen on a Rolex watch.
The misconception by the public that quartz watches were cheap and of inferior quality resulted in the rather limited success of the Oysterquartz. Only very few wanted to buy an expensive Rolex watch with a quartz movement.
During the 1980-ies and 1990-ies the Oysterquartz only comprised approx. 2% of Rolex’ total production of watches. It is thus believed that no more than a total of 20-25.000 units were produced over a period of 23 years from 1977 to 2001. The production enden in 2001. However, Rolex continued to sell the Oysterquartz line until 2003. Watches sold from 2001-2003 were manufactured in 2001 or earlier."
"At the Basel World watchfair in 1970 Rolex introduced their first ever quartz watch, The Quartz Date ref. 5100. It was equipped with the Beta 211 movement. Much to the surprise of Rolex it was quite a seller and the first bunch was sold out shortly afterwards. In 1970 the quartz technology was quite new and many watch lovers were looking for something new and modern which might explain the strong demand at the time.
The case of the Quartz Date was an angular-shaped non Oyster case, equipped with a sapphire crystal. However, by 1972 the Quartz Date was discontinued as the initial interest wore off quickly.
After that it almost seems like Rolex took time off to think about their next move with regards to a new quartz powered watch.
By 1977 Rolex was ready to introduce the new Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust ref. 17000. A Day-Date version was also made available - the ref. 19018. The Datejust was equipped with the new 11 jewel quartz movement the cal. 5035. The Day-Date with the – also 11 jewel – cal. 5055.
The Oysterquartz was a much better watch than its predecessor. It had a slimmer case with the Oyster’s screwed down crown. And the calibres 5035/5055 oscillated at a frequency of no less than 32,768 Hz. The cal. 5035 is seen in the photo.
The Oysterquartz, being a much more solid and angular style watch than the classic Datejust style, is the only Oyster ever designed to include an integral band. The bracelet is composed of large flat solid links and is, without doubt, the strongest bracelet ever seen on a Rolex watch.
The misconception by the public that quartz watches were cheap and of inferior quality resulted in the rather limited success of the Oysterquartz. Only very few wanted to buy an expensive Rolex watch with a quartz movement.
During the 1980-ies and 1990-ies the Oysterquartz only comprised approx. 2% of Rolex’ total production of watches. It is thus believed that no more than a total of 20-25.000 units were produced over a period of 23 years from 1977 to 2001. The production enden in 2001. However, Rolex continued to sell the Oysterquartz line until 2003. Watches sold from 2001-2003 were manufactured in 2001 or earlier."
