Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz 17013 Rolesor quartz 36 mm 1986 with Watch Certificate

The short story

While 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 model in 18-carat gold. This model "Date" reference 5100 was animated 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 that it was not desirable to have watches equipped with the same movement as other brands. So 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. He was then tasked with setting up a high-qualification laboratory consisting 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 caliber featured eleven jewels and looked more like a traditional watch movement. Eighteen months after its release, the 5035 caliber was certified by the COSC.

The Rolex Oysterquartz was produced for 25 years and experienced a resurgence of interest after it was discontinued 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 "17013" reference features a 100% vintage and 100% seventies look. We find 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 taken on a nice patina, and the hands retain an even cream color throughout, matching Tritium's lume plots. This watch is an MK2 version, recognizable by its "SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED" line.

An exceptional calibre

The 5035 caliber that powers this Oysterquartz was ahead of its time, as it is a quartz movement inspired by mechanical calibers. Indeed, it has a wheel like on a mechanical movement, all powered by a classic quartz caliber construction. 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 at its launch was a record.

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Furthermore, this "5035" caliber receives a finish worthy of mechanical movements, with Côtes de Genève finishes, circular graining and even beveling of the bridges! C'est sans aucun doute l'un des meilleurs calibres développés par Rolex !

The Package

This Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz reference 17013 is in perfect condition and will be delivered to you in a LEPAGE case, without papers. This model was manufactured in 1986 and has been authenticated by our Rolex approved watchmaker and thus benefits from a one year Lepage Vintage warranty. You can benefit from a free engraving on the case back upon request.

Watch Certificate

For complete transparency, this Oysterquartz Datejust 17013 comes with a Watch Certificate, the watch's passport. It is a document signed by our specialists and by an independent expert recognized at the European level and unfalsifiable. It takes the form of a steel card issued at the time of purchase of this watch. This card allows access at any time to a detailed certificate with 53 checkpoints and high definition photos made in our watchmaking workshop.

Click here to access the Watch Certificate for this watch