Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz Steel & Gold Ref : 17013 quartz 1982 36 mm

For the little story

As many brands struggled to survive the quartz crisis in the 1970s, several leading Swiss companies introduced their own version of quartz watches to remain competitive in this new era of watchmaking against the Japanese giants. Rolex launched its first quartz watch in 1970, a limited edition 18K gold model. This Date reference 5100 was powered by the Beta-21 movement. This caliber was developed thanks to the Centre Electronique Horloger, a group of twenty Swiss brands that joined forces to develop the movement. However, due to the Beta-21's large and awkward size, Rolex could not use its famous Oyster case, and then thought it was not desirable to have watches equipped with the same movement as other brands. The brand decided to leave the CEH in order to develop its own quartz movement.

To do this, Rolex recruited René Le Coultre who was technical director of the Fédération Horlogère. His mission was to set up a top-level electronics laboratory composed of 13 people, with the objective of developing a quartz movement with superior precision to other contemporary quartz movements and almost infinite durability. Development began in 1972.

Five years later, Rolex introduced the 5035 quartz caliber for the Datejust and the 5055 for the Day-Date models. Unlike other quartz movements of the time, the 5035 had eleven jewels and looked more like a traditional watch movement. Eighteen months after its release, the 5035 was certified by the COSC.

The Rolex Oysterquartz was produced for 25 years and saw a resurgence of interest after its discontinuation in 2001. It is estimated that only 25,000 timepieces were made for the market, making this model uncommon to find.

A funky design

This reference 17013 presents a 100% vintage and 100% seventies look. It has an angular case with a barrel shape of 36 mm in diameter, with prominent edges and the famous break at the handles. The jubilee bracelet is perfectly integrated into the case and fits the wrist perfectly. It is one of the very first Rolex bracelets with "solid" links, which explains its longevity and good fit. The fluted yellow gold bezel adds that little "Rolex" touch to this Datejust.

The classic champagne dial has a nice patina, and the hands retain a uniform cream color all over, matching the Tritium lume plot. This watch is a MK2 version, recognizable by its "SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED" line.

An exceptional calibre

The 5035 caliber that powers this Oysterquartz was far ahead of its time, as it is a hybrid mega-quartz movement. Indeed, it has an anchor escapement and an anchor wheel as on a mechanical movement, all powered by a quartz movement. This movement offers an exceptional precision, because it has a 32 KHz oscillator and a thermo-compensation to keep the quartz crystal at a constant temperature. Its accuracy was about 1 minute per year, which in 1975 was a record.

Moreover, this caliber 5035 is finished as a mechanical movement, with Côtes de Genève, circular graining and even beveling of the bridges! It is without a doubt one of the best calibers developed by Rolex!

The package

This Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz reference 17013 is in superb condition and will be delivered in a Rolex service pouch, without papers. It dates from 1982. It has been authenticated by our Rolex authorized watchmaker and benefits from a one year Lepage Vintage warranty. The water-resistance of the watch has been checked and a polishing/satinning has been done. You can benefit from a free engraving on the case back upon request.