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Had a chance to try on this rare beauty in a local pre-owned watch dealer's shop in Singapore 
I have always been fascinated by Rolex quartz series for their unique styling, over-engineered movement and the very limited production (hence existence). This particular piece is the very first generation quartz in mint yellow gold case produced in 1970. It houses the Beta 21 quartz movement which Rolex co-developed with several other Swiss watch companies in the 60's. According to my reading from internet sources, Rolex only produced 1000 units of this model, and they do not have a model no., but rather a production no. from 1 to 1000. It's such an esteemed product that owners of this watch will receive VIP treatment by Rolex Geneva, which includes a special invitation to visit the Rolex headquarter in Switzerland.
Unlike other ordinary quartz watches whereby the second hand ticks every second, this particular watch has a sweep second hand just like a mech movement. Observed closely, the sweeping action is actually smoother than a 28,800bph mech mvmt. The gold case is huge (>40mm) and the integrated links are very solid. It is a very hefty and heavy watch due to the full solid gold structure. However, due to the design of the thick case and the integrated bracelet, the lug area on both ends do not bend flexibly like the ordinary oyster/jubilee bands, hence it does not hug around my 7.25" wrist nicely. By the way, this is the first Rolex model that is fitted with a synthetic sapphire glass, and it comes with a cyclop and date function. The watch is "water resistant" rather than "water proof" (as for other oyster models) to 50m. More info about this watch can be found here: www.oysterquartz.net.
Here's showing some pics of this minty 40 year-old beauty, with a perfect gold case and fluted bezel, strong kicking Rolex quartz mvmt and a nicely aged dial and set of hands
I have always been fascinated by Rolex quartz series for their unique styling, over-engineered movement and the very limited production (hence existence). This particular piece is the very first generation quartz in mint yellow gold case produced in 1970. It houses the Beta 21 quartz movement which Rolex co-developed with several other Swiss watch companies in the 60's. According to my reading from internet sources, Rolex only produced 1000 units of this model, and they do not have a model no., but rather a production no. from 1 to 1000. It's such an esteemed product that owners of this watch will receive VIP treatment by Rolex Geneva, which includes a special invitation to visit the Rolex headquarter in Switzerland.
Unlike other ordinary quartz watches whereby the second hand ticks every second, this particular watch has a sweep second hand just like a mech movement. Observed closely, the sweeping action is actually smoother than a 28,800bph mech mvmt. The gold case is huge (>40mm) and the integrated links are very solid. It is a very hefty and heavy watch due to the full solid gold structure. However, due to the design of the thick case and the integrated bracelet, the lug area on both ends do not bend flexibly like the ordinary oyster/jubilee bands, hence it does not hug around my 7.25" wrist nicely. By the way, this is the first Rolex model that is fitted with a synthetic sapphire glass, and it comes with a cyclop and date function. The watch is "water resistant" rather than "water proof" (as for other oyster models) to 50m. More info about this watch can be found here: www.oysterquartz.net.
Here's showing some pics of this minty 40 year-old beauty, with a perfect gold case and fluted bezel, strong kicking Rolex quartz mvmt and a nicely aged dial and set of hands
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