I will spare you the boring history of the Rolex quartz because there is not very much of it. The purpose of the post is to answer the question, did they make them?
They did, and it was during that time in the seventies when everyone thought quartz was the way of the future. Will they hold value or become the most sought after pieces ever produced by Rolex? Well, they are soft now and I think they will be soft for many years to come. The Oysterquartz models are expensive to service, semi-attractive, and overall a piece that watch geeks wager bets on if they are real or not. I’m not a fan, but some might be willing to bet on the collectability.
Watch pictured is a two-tone white Roman dial Oysterquartz Datejust model 17013.
Bracelet case setup looks like an AP!
Looks fake to me.
I own the watch pictured, the Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz 17013. I acquired the watch sometime in the 1980s (details are hazy looking back), and over the years have grown to love it. It is about as no-nonsense as Rolex watches come, made with stainless steel and 18k yellow gold and not much flair. I like the look of it as it is not as big as today’s mega watches, and not real flashy, but it is a Rolex and people who care will know you understand quality.
It’s also dependable as they come. Every 10 years or so I send it back to Rolex for general maintenance – just did this again this month – and Rolex has never charged me a penny for this. I just pay shipping.
I have owned watches that cost ten times what this one does through the years but can’t say the value of those matched this one. I’m not a connoisseur though, and the fact it uses quartz technology has never been a factor to me, except to stir up a conversation from time to time when someone notices the watch and asks me if I know it is a fake (it’s not) or can’t believe that Rolex ever made a quartz watch.