Why This Watch Matters Don’t be fooled by the angular case and bracelet of this Rolex, this watch is not an Oysterquartz – this is a reference 1530 with mechanical movement. Futuristic looks but traditional brains, if you will. The Full Story It is often forgotten that Rolex did offer "ticking" watches – they indeed joined the quartz trend along with many other manufactures, researching to build the ultimate quartz movement. As a result, they manufactured 1,000 watches housing the famous Beta 21 movement. In the early 1970s Rolex decided to come up with their own version of a perfect quartz movement that could be serviced by a trained watchmaker. It actually took them five years to reach their goal, but in the meantime they had already built the perfect case to house such a revolutionary caliber. The result was a very angular case with an integrated bracelet, much like the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet. In 1975, Rolex decided to combine this case with the chronometer-certified caliber 1570 movement, launching the short-lived reference 1530, which was discontinued as soon as the first Oysterquartz watches were released in 1977. This 1530 is historically significant as it belongs to an era where Rolex almost transitioned to being a quartz-only maker. It is also a super rare reference, given that the total production is estimated below 1,500 examples. The Fine Print Maker: RolexModel: Date, with "Oysterquartz" caseReference: 1530Year: 1977Case No: 5171XXXMaterial: Stainless SteelDimensions: 36 mm diameter; 13 mm thicknessSapphire Crystal: YesLume: Yes, tritiumCaliber: Caliber 1570 automatic-winding movement Bracelet/Strap: Integrated Oyster bracelet reference 96660Lug Width: NABox/Papers: No What we Love and What You Should Know This reference 1530 is in great condition, with a fat case and well preserved integrated bracelet with minimal stretching. The silver dial has a lovely and uniform patina, and is becoming almost vanilla. All of the lume dots are present on the rehaut that Rolex had implemented to hide the difference in height between the quartz movement they had in mind and the "on-the-shelf" automatic caliber they eventually fit into this Rolex Date.
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