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catalogo orologi

ROLEX QUARTZ

rolex quartz

In 1960 Rolex, along with several Swiss companies specialising in haute horlogerie (Bulova, Eberhard, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Patek Philippe, Zenith, etc), joined the Centre Electronique Horloger (C.E.H.), a syndicate for the development of a communal quartz movement.
Each manufacturer contributed individually to the creation of the new calibre whilst the predecessor to the present day ETA, Ebauches SA, produced the mechanical parts.
The first prototypes (Beta 1 and Beta 2) produced in 1970 were combined to produce the Beta 21, a calibre characterised by its sweep seconds hand.
The first quartz watch, Quartz ref. 5100, was presented at the BaselWorld fair in 1970.
This quartz model is distinguished by its typically 1970s design: straight lines and bold corners, fluted bezel, longer hour markers, date aperture at 3 o’ clock and a solid President style bracelet with a hidden clasp.
The Rolex ref. 5100 has a 21 Beta movement with a snap on caseback, making the case just water resistant and not water proof.
rolex quartz The Quartz ref. 5100 was also the first to carry sapphire crystal, a feature that would characterise all subsequent models produced by the company.
The 5100 was made only in yellow gold (except for some rare versions in white gold) and in a limited series (the identification number is engraved on the opposite side of the case to the crown).
To increase the exclusivity of the Quartz 5100 Rolex offered each buyer a guided tour of its headquarters in Geneva. However, despite initial commercial success, the model  went out of production in 1972 due to a marked drop in sales.
In the same year the company withdrew from the Centre Electronique Horloger; its technicians and experts however continued to work on an entirely Rolex quartz movement until 1977, when the new Oysterquartz line was launched.
It is important to point out that manufacturers’ interest in the creation of a competitive quartz movement was increased by the subsequent electronic revolution that came about in those years, especially in Japan. It was a period of extreme crisis for Swiss luxury watchmakers who were overtaken rapidly by their Asian competitors and forced to open up to microelectronics, even though slightly unconvinced by the introduction of the quartz movement.



Rolex Quartz references

Legend:
Sapphire crystal Plexiglass Gold


REFERENCE

CASE MATERIAL

CRYSTAL

5100

Plexiglass


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