Uber Rare 18kt Gold Unpolished Rolex "Texano"-the first Rolex Quartz watch, limited to a total of 1000 units which were pre-sold and ahead of its time.
At the time, this 18kt gold watch was the most expensive Rolex in its catalog and was touted the "Texano" or "Texan" as it was the most opulent Rolex ever produced, with an 18kt gold weight in excess of 6 ounces. It was said to be affordable only to Texan Billionaires, hence its nickname.
#613 out of 1000 produced
18kt Gold Rolex Datejust Oyster Quartz Single Quick Set, with perpetual second hand
Reference 5100
Circa 1971
Size 39mm
Factory Champagne Dial with 18kt Gold Markers + 2nd Refinished Factory Dial in Turquoise
Movement State of the Art Swiss Beta 21 Quartz movement with sweep second hand
Crystal Sapphire
Condition Excellent, Unpolished
One Year Warranty
18kt Gold Solid Bracelet
Oyster Quartz Leather and Wood Box
Only Texan Oil Billionaires can afford a Beta 5100, that’s where this watch got its nickname from.
The Beta 5100 is one of the rarest serial production Rolex watches, from the limited run of 1000 pieces, 900 were made in yellow gold and 100 in white gold, each case is individually numbered with a running number. The Beta was firstly launched in 1970 as the first Quartz watch in Rolex history but it was not just a Quartz watch.The Texano is the first watch to bear a sapphire crystal as well. It was something new, something opulent and something for the rich, this at the time most expensive Rolex watch had a gigantic 39mm solid gold case and uniquely designed bracelet, which was ahead of its time with the futuristic design. It was discontinued very shortly after in 1972. The initial launch pieces were sold out prior to the launch in 1970. Not only was it the gold which was making this watch exorbitantly expensive but also at the time new Quartz technology. In this case with a sweeping seconds hand but proudly mentioning 'Quartz' on the dial.
The Texano is a piece of Rolex history, a very extraordinary piece which is definitively an eye catcher and conversation piece.
21 of the most important Swiss Maisons, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, IWC, Omega, and Piaget, came together in a consortium to create an entirely Swiss quartz movement and formed the Centre Electronique Horologer. In 1966, he best engineers and technicians in every canton of Switzerland created the first prototype of the movement, called “Beta-1“. Despite the state-of-the-art technology, it will take another three years of refinement to get the final version of the movement. The legendary Beta-21 movement was born in 1969, ready to send Swiss watchmaking into the 20th century. The Quartz movement, was hyper precise (+/-0.003 sec/day) and without the need for adjustments or maintenance, insensitive to gravity and with that hand that, a microscopical tick after the other (it may be mistaken for an automatic), sends everyone immediately into space.
