Rolex Oysterquartz

Rolex Oysterquartz 18kt Day Date

Rolex holds a powerful reputation as a leader in quality and workmanship. In 1970, while the watch market was excited by quartz technology Rolex dd not disappoint. The Oysterquartz Date  (ref. 5100) was a huge success and the market was introduced to a higher standard in quartz technology. Initial inventories sold out almost immediately. The Oysterquartz is a beautiful watch offering a modern look and feel but with the classic Rolex DNA. The angular shaped case and sapphire crystal gave it a distinctive and powerful look.

Manufacturer: Rolex Model OysterQuartz Day Date 19018 Gender: Men's Features: Quartz movement, Quickset date, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, waterproof screw-down crown. Case: 18k yellow gold w/ fluted bezel Dial: champagne Index w/ gold index markers Bracelet: 18k yellow gold

Rolex produced the Oysterquartz for 25 years. While initial sales were strong demand for the Automatic movements eclipsed sales of the Oysterquartz.

The 5035 and 5055 quartz modules were great accomplishments of technology. The 11 jewel movements utilized the latest CMOS circuitry, a 32khz oscillator, and analog thermocompensation. In addition, they were finished to even higher standards than Rolex's mechanical movements.

Today the Oysterquartz is a highly collectible piece of Rolex history. There are rumors that Rolex developed a prototype for a new quartz watch that found its way into auction. The Oysterquartz made its mark in timepiece history and has a healthy contingency of loyal enthusiasts.
We find the Oysterquartz to be a spectacular timepiece with a classic period look.

Model numbers of the Rolex Oysterquartz include:
Rolex Quartz Date 5100 - Introduced in 1970
Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust 5035 - Introduced in 1977
Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date 5055 - Introduced in 1977
Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust 17000
Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust 17013
Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust 17014
Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date 19018
Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date 19019

Additional Links:

Oysterquartz.net
WikiPedia
BeckerTime

Watch Complications

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Watches offer all types of features and enhancements to their mechanical movements. Each additional feature of a watch, beyond telling time, is known as a complication. Every complication requires expert levels of skill and craftsmanship from the watchmaker. Watches with multiple complications have become highly desired among collectors. As a reference we are listing some of the complications (features) that can be added to a watch:

PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Calendar indications can display the date, weekday and month, but they need resetting at the start of certain months. A perpetual calendar has been built to account for short months and leap years. It will automatically adjust to the first day of the new month, no matter whether the last month had 28, 29, 30 or 31 days.

MINUTE REPEATING

A watch that acoustically strikes the hours, quarters and minutes. often activated either by a sliding piece or push button in the band, it acoustically indicates the correct time by means of hammer(s) striking one or several gongs.

TOURBILLON

The tourbillon was invented by A. L. breguet in 1801 to eliminate errors of rate due to gravity distorting the clockwork more in one direction than any other – as watches on the wrist tend to spend most of the time with either 12 or 3 pointing downwards. A tourbillon is a cage that carries all the parts of the escapement. The cage rotates once per minute around its centre, annulling errors of rate in the vertical positions.

CHRONOGRAPH

A timepiece allowing its wearer to measure time intervals without influencing or pausing the main time indication. Usually, a chronograph is activated with a button and stopped with the same button or another. most commonly, chronographs measuring the seconds are mounted in the centre of the dial. In order to register time intervals with duration over 1 minute, chronographs are also often equipped with minute and hour registers.

SPLIT-SECOND CHRONOGRAPH

A chronograph allowing its wearer to simultaneously measure several different events that start at the same time using an additional, superimposed, second hand. Pressing the split-second button stops the lower hand, while the upper hand continues to rotate around the dial. After taking a reading from the paused hand, pressing the button again snaps this “rattrapante” hand (rattraper = to catch up) back to join the upper hand. This can be repeated indefinitely. After the last measurement the two hands can be stopped together and returned to zero.

POWER RESERVE INDICATION

This provides a visual indication of the remaining energy in the main spring, constantly informing its wearer of the available power, and ensuring that they can re-wind the watch in good time.

The Most Complicated Watches in History

Pocket Watches

Watch manufacturer Patek Philippe claims the three most complicated watches in the world are all pocket watches made by them.

The Patek Philippe Calibre 89 has 33 complications, using a total of 1728 parts. It was released in 1989 commemorating the 150th anniversary of Patek Philippe. The complications include the date of Easter, sidereal time, and a 2800-star celestial chart.

The Super-complication built for Henry Graves, Jr. in 1933 has 24 complications. The watch was reportedly the result of a watch race between Graves and automobile manufacturer James Ward Packard. The Super-complication took three years to design and five to build, and includes a star chart of the nighttime sky at Graves' home in New York. When it was auctioned off for USD $11-million in 1999 it was the world's most expensive watch.

The Star Caliber 2000 has 21 complications. They include sunrise and sunset times and the lunar orbit, and it is capable of playing the melody of Westminster quarters (from the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London).

Wristwatch

The Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 is the world's most complicated wristwatch. It has 36 complications, 25 of them visible, 1483 components, 99 Jewels and 1000-year calendar.

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The Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie is the world's second most complicated wristwatch. Powered by the Jaeger LeCoultre Calibre 182 movement, with 27 complications and over 1300 parts. The movement is housed in a 44mm by 15mm 18k white gold case

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1942 Rolex 4113 Splt Seconds

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This rare watch, Reference 4113, was the only split seconds chronograph model ever offered by Rolex. A split seconds chronograph can time two separate events simultaneously, making it popular with racing enthusiasts. The fact that this watch was made at the height of World War II makes it all the more intriguing and may account for why only twelve examples of the super rare reference were apparently made.

A super rare split seconds chronograph made in 1942 sold at Christie’s in 2012 for $1.16 million USD. That set a record for Rolex and was the first time the brand topped the million dollar mark at auction. Combining the Rolex mystique with the rarity of a complicated model attracted sophisticated and devoted bidders

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The 4113 ref. was an over-sized watch for its day; at 44mm, the case was huge for 1942. During that period most gent’s watch cases were between 30-35mm.

The history of reference 4113 has always been the subject of speculation and legends. In fact, since this model was never publicly available and never illustrated or mentioned in Rolex's advertisements from the period, all knowledge of its origins was based on hearsay and auction catalogue entries following the seller's descriptions. Interestingly, there is a clear pattern throughout all those examples known and they all lead to the world of car racing.

The vast majority of reference 4113 which have returned to the market during the last thirty years was linked to Sicily, home of the famous "Giro Automobilistico di Sicilia", with its 11,000 bands at the time the longest closed circuit race in Europe.

All research and conversations with family members of the original owners lead to the conclusion that these twelve watches were exclusive gifts to famous race drivers and team owners during the early 1940s. This fact further enhances the exclusivity and myth surrounding this ultimate model.

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Rolex Prince "Jump Hour"

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Any watch aficionado is aware of the increasing trend to include a "Jump Hour" watch in their collection. Serious collectors are looking to include something individual, unique and remarkable. Vintage "Jump Hour" watches give collectors an exceptional opportunity to own a milestone in watchmaking.

Jump Hour watches have the distinction of being the first "Digital" watches. When one hears mention of the term Digitial Watch our minds quickly go to watches with an electronic display. However, these mechanical "Jump Hour" watches are the first digital watches (diplaying the time in numbers rather than by a dial and hands.)

Jump Hour watches are highly desired by collectors for their uniqueness. The first recorded jump hour watch was made by esteemed French watch makers Blondeau for the French King of the time in around 1830. The first mass produced jump hour watch was designed by Joseph Pallweber for the Cortobert company in the 1880s.

The Rolex Prince has its place in watch making history as being one of the most groundbreaking watches released. Rolex released this watch in 1928 and its accuracy and ease of use set the standard for luxury watches. The Rolex Prince featured a stylish rectangular shape as well as two easily legible dials. Hours and minutes were tracked by the larger dial on top and seconds were counted on the smaller dial on bottom.

Rolex offered a "Jump Hour" version of the Prince line and it holds a unique attraction to both Jump Hour and Rolex collectors.

Jump hour watches are again becoming highly fashionable as more and more people are looking for an interesting and different watch. There is a very large market for vintage watches which has lead many companies to release new designs of jump hours.

Womble Watch is proud to have one of these rare Rolex Prince "Jump Hour" watches in our collection. This watch is available to purchase at our online store and is a must have for any serious collector.

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