19019 Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date

Some watches just get instantly more attractive overnight, and you just can’t quite put your finger on exactly why. Anyway, this an Oysterquartz, a Day-Date, and in white gold: ref. 19019. It’s the punk younger sibling of something like a 18039 with a mechanical calibre. Whatever you make of the Land-Dweller, there’s no arguing one thing: it’s no Day-Date. This one is, and it comes with a side portion of upsetting purists, which is always good fun.  

Here’s a fun fact. This case shape wasn’t chasing the Royal Oak, at least to start. Rolex’s CEO in 1977, Andre Heiniger, was determined that the Oysterquartz not be mistake for a mechanical counterpart. Each must have a distinct visual identity. The Oysterquartz (and 40mm Texano) used a harsh 36mm case that has only gotten better with time. Not satisfied with the Beta 21 movement at the dawn of the quartz revolution, Rolex took five years to design and develop the Oysterquartz's calibre 5035. It debuted in 1977 and used a higher frequency oscillator, 32 Khz, which had the ability to self-regulate according to ambient temperature. Moreover, it is one of the most beautifully finished quartz movements that had been made in period, decorated with Geneva stripes. The calibre 5035 (Datejust) and 5055 (the Day-Date) set a new bar of +/- 0.07 seconds per day compared to the -4/+6 for mechanical movements.

The Day-Date has several variants, largely separated by fluting, pyramid, or diamond bezel/bracelet style, in yellow and white gold. A raging success in the 70s, demand declined precipitously by the 90s. By 2001 (yes, this was still made in 2001), out of the 762,174 movements Rolex made that year, just 573 were certified quartz. That’s .075% of production. By 2004, the whole category had been scrapped. In recent weeks, this case has returned . . .sorta. But it’s worth knowing where things come from. The Oysterquartz was the first time Rolex showed quartz could really be made properly. Let’s hope does die with that whimper but comes back stronger eventually. But, let’s not dwell on it (sorry, had to) and just enjoy this beautiful example coming up for auction.

This example is pretty strong. The case may have been lightly polished, but it's not abused at all. It comes with its full kit, which is uncommon even as recently as the 80s. The dial is impeccable however, hand tritium as well. It's coming up at auction in Sweden shortly.

Special thanks to our friends at Eqo Time for the photography in this feature.