Rolex quartz with ultra smooth second hand

[KBH 7]

The Oysterquartz traces its roots all the way back to 1970 and the very first quartz watch produced by Rolex, the Ref 5100. This watch was the fruit of Rolex's participation (along with twenty other Swiss brands) in the Centre Electronique Horloger, which was founded in 1962 by several leading Swiss watchmakers to develop an electronic movement for use in wristwatches. The final result was the Beta 21, a 13 jewel, 8Khz quartz module first seen in prototype form in 1967.

 

In 1968 an industrial consortium of Swiss watch manufacturers was created to mass produce the Beta 21. This was a true collaborative effort among otherwise competing watch companies, all of whom would be using the Beta 21 in their own branded quartz watches. The CEH itself designed the module and produced the integrated circuit. Ebauches SA (the forerunner of today's ETA) manufactured the mechanical parts of the movement as well as the quartz oscillator. Omega was responsible for producing the micromotor that powered the watch hands. This "motor" was really a vibrating unit that drove a tiny horizontal pendulum set to oscillate at 256Hz and this pendulum drove the hands by means of a ratchet and index wheel. (This drive mechanism was virtually identical to that used on the original Bulova Acutron.) The end result was that unlike with modern quartz movements, the second hand of a Beta 21 watch moved around the dial smoothly—even more smoothly than the highest "hi-beat" mechanical watch of the time.

 

Final assembly of Beta 21 movements took place in three different manufacturing facilities, with very limited modifications to the movements being made depending on a brand's specifications. Sixteen different Swiss watch companies began selling Beta 21 quartz watches under their individual brand names in 1970, including Rolex with the Quartz Date 5100.

 

The 5100 debuted on June 5, 1970 and initial orders far exceeded Rolex's expectation, with the planned limited run of 1000 watches selling out before production even began. In the end, all 1000 serially numbered 5100s were sold between 1970 and 1972. Today a 5100 complete with box and papers is a highly prized collector's piece.

 

From an esthetic standpoint the 5100 was a styling triumph, with a clean, modern design that utilized an integrated case and bracelet crafted entirely from 18K gold (about 25% were made in white gold). The crystal on the 5100 was synthetic sapphire, a first for Rolex. Clearly this was a very unique watch for Rolex, and they focused heavily on its exclusivity and limited production in their promotional materials:

 

At our Geneva Headquarters, there is a Golden Register, a Who's Who of our clients who proudly count a Rolex Quartz among their most precious possessions. They form the Rolex Quartz Club, one of the most exclusive clubs imaginable because so few of these revolutionary timepieces are being made. Members of the Club are always welcome at Geneva. On their first visit, they are invited to sign the Golden Register and can enjoy a personal tour of the Geneva world Headquarters.

 

 

 

Despite Rolex's own high praise for the 5100, this watch was an anomaly for the company. Because they had to work with an existing movement, and only limited modifications could be made to it, Rolex essentially had to design the Quartz Date around the the Beta 21 module. This meant that the Oyster case (upon which Rolex had built their reputation for the past forty years) could not be used and the 5100 was listed as "water resistant" rather than "waterproof." In addition, the 5100—despite having the Rolex name on the dial—contained a movement that for all intents and purposes was identical to that found in the watches of sixteen other companies. This put Rolex in a rather untenable position, one they had not been in since the early days when J. A. Aegler produced movements for both Rolex and Gruen. For these reasons, one can surmise that Rolex was never completely happy with the 5100 despite the overwhelmingly positive response it received from the watch buying public. Consequently, in 1972 they withdrew from the CEH as well as the Beta 21 consortium and began developing a quartz movement of their own design and the watch that would house it, the Oysterquartz.

 

________________

 

References:

 

The Smithsonian Institution

Prometheus Bound by Carlos Perez

The Omega Marine Chronometer Page

The Rolex Report by John E. Brozek

[Luthier 1]

Great watch, I'd buy gen. in a heartbeat.

Even being Quartz, it still had 11 stones.

 

[alphakazi 0]

very interesting KBH and I thought Seiko's spring drive was the only one... The Seiko spring drive is superior but that would be comparing apples with oranges

 

Here is the Beta 21 in action in the Bulova accuton - I get a kick outa watching the ole commercial and then seeing the ultra smooth seconds hand

 

they even had a termosensor that regulated time based on the ambient temp - impressive stuff - here's a vid of the originator

 

 

today, they build very cheap quartz movements with a smooth sweeping hand (a $5 movement) - my office clock has one of these movements - a quite, ultra smooth seconds hand but I believe these ones have a separate gear set to control the seconds hand which is not interconnected with the main time keeping movement - basically a motorized spinning hand.. looks sexeh though

[KBH 7]

I believe the smooth second hand quarts watches are all 110/220 vac because of the amount of electricity they use.

[alphakazi 0]

Here is a quick video I made of my wall clock for you to check out... this is 1.5v btw

 

[KBH 7]

Like the video and I stand corrected.

 

But then, the batteries in that are still a lot bigger than the ones in a watch.

[alphakazi 0]

Like the video and I stand corrected.

 

But then, the batteries in that are still a lot bigger than the ones in a watch.

 

ya, many more Milliamp hours but even a little watch battery can shock you into submission with high voltage like a dogs bark control collar

 

doesn't really matter here because this wall clock's seconds hand is (I believe...) not related to the actual time - it's a "faux" seconds hand so to speak

[greg_r 81]

Fascinating stuff, KBH. Great post!

[Member X 91]

I was going to post the other day to ask why a quartz couldn't be made to rotate smoothly, rather than tick solidly!

[trailboss99 994]

Interesting find KBH, well done.

 

BTW, a syncronous clock is not realy a clock at all. It has no movement, just a 110/220 volt motor that drives the hands thru a cpl of gears. The timekeeping is reliant on the correct frequency of AC power being delivered by the supplier to run the motor at the correct speed. It shares more in common with a record turntable than a "propper" clock.

 

Col.

[P_Diddy 0]

is this pic real or a 'wind up' no pun intended

 

Great watch, I'd buy gen. in a heartbeat.

Even being Quartz, it still had 11 stones.

 

 

[trailboss99 994]

Real. Quartz have jewels too!

 

 

Col

[alphakazi 0]

is this pic real or a 'wind up' no pun intended

It is most definitely real and a very high quality movement destroying most, if not all, full mechanical movement accuracy - expensive too. A wind up, is a full mechanical movement that, like an automatic, get's it power from a wound spring - the difference being the automatic winds itself with a rotor that spins with your movement. A hand wind needs to be manually wound. I hope I didn't misread your post

 

 

and how the heck does no one comment on this amazing video of my wall clock - you tell me - this is a sweet wall clock wouldn't you agree?

 

[P_Diddy 0]

why does your wall clock sweep like an automatic movement, instead of ticking like a quartz?

 

is this pic real or a 'wind up' no pun intended

It is most definitely real and a very high quality movement destroying most, if not all, full mechanical movement accuracy - expensive too. A wind up, is a full mechanical movement that, like an automatic, get's it power from a wound spring - the difference being the automatic winds itself with a rotor that spins with your movement. A hand wind needs to be manually wound. I hope I didn't misread your post

 

 

and how the heck does no one comment on this amazing video of my wall clock - you tell me - this is a sweet wall clock wouldn't you agree?

 

[Member X 91]

why does your wall clock sweep like an automatic movement, instead of ticking like a quartz?

 

BTW, a syncronous clock is not realy a clock at all. It has no movement, just a 110/220 volt motor that drives the hands thru a cpl of gears. The timekeeping is reliant on the correct frequency of AC power being delivered by the supplier to run the motor at the correct speed. It shares more in common with a record turntable than a "propper" clock.

 

Col.

 

I think that's the answer!

[alphakazi 0]

this is a somewhat unique clock - it was given to me from a fire department supply wholesaler - I was buying a large C02 bottle to make a home made soda machine - I saw this beauty on the wall at the wholesaler and thought, I MUST have this clock in my office - I offered the guy to pay but he said they are not for sale but given to their highest volume buyers... but he said, give me a sec.. let me see what I can do - he comes back with a white box with this new beaut inside - no charge?! gee thanks I carbonated a few bottles of home made juice and now my machine sits collecting dust - the clock was worth it

 

This clock, I believe (anyone chime in plz) has a faux seconds hand meaning it is not connecting to the main time keeping gears - the seconds hand sweeps smoothly but is an approximate representation while the minute and hour hands keep precise time based on quartz - I'd open it up if I knew where I could buy more

 

there is a chance this is a tuning fork type quartz movement - I doubt that because I don't hear any tuning fork hum - this movement doesn't use a balance wheel to keep time but instead a micro tuning fork that as it vibrates back and forth moves the gears - some examples...

 

[AustinTech 0]

That wall clock is cool as a mutha fucka! Nice video.

 

I want one for my office.

[alphakazi 0]

That wall clock is cool as a mutha fucka! Nice video.

 

I want one for my office.

 

thanks AT - I 'm sure I could track down a supplier for a sterile ver. - I suspect they are quite cheap

 

an RWG wall clock... would be the shit

[iabounty 8]

As you know I am a clock nut and as you know my 40 year old IBM PentiumII can't do you tube and such..... I have tears in my eyes....... I like your find alpha, great price as well.

[iabounty 8]

Oh, and I'd Damn near kill to get one of them smooth sweep Rolex quartz Date Just in gold..........

[alphakazi 0]

As you know I am a clock nut and as you know my 40 year old IBM PentiumII can't do you tube and such..... I have tears in my eyes....... I like your find alpha, great price as well.

Bounty, maybe I could help you get it going

 

Here is a Pentium II running the very latest windows 7 OS with 256MB or memory

 

 

and here is a Penium 1 166mhz with like 80mb of ram running XP

 

 

I know you can't see these vids now but I believe you might just be missing adobe flash... try downloading and installing it

 

what happens when you try to play a video?

[alphakazi 0]

here bounty, I made a very small version of this video - 335kb - the size of some pics on the board - you should have no probs playing this one mate

 

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Y1RyS3d0Q1JtMEpMWEE9PQ

 

 

the link will be active for 7 days - enjoy

[JoeyB 0]

Please don't encourage iabounty to flash.

[iabounty 8]

here bounty, I made a very small version of this video - 335kb - the size of some pics on the board - you should have no probs playing this one mate

 

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Y1RyS3d0Q1JtMEpMWEE9PQ

 

 

the link will be active for 7 days - enjoy

 

 

I tried to download and things were going well the first 3 minutes then a box appeared saying windows can't download yada yada yada..... Thanks for your help but I am afraid I am just computor cursed, too fucking old and live in the middle of nowhere and am forced to use dial up......

[Luthier 1]

Please don't encourage iabounty to flash.

 

...and flush.