The present lot is a stunning and extremely rare specimen of the Rolex Oysterquartz Day-date; the timepiece is sumptuously embellished with 28 baguette-cut ruby set bezel and fitted with a bracelet festooned with externally placed round diamonds and rubies set on the center. The champagne dial is furthermore set with diamond hour markers.

Rolex had been working on quartz movements well before 1970, the year that saw the first Rolex quartz watch. The earliest forays of the company into this field date as back as the early 1950s with a first patent granted in 1952. Rolex subsequently decided to join other prominent watch manufacturers in the development of the Beta 21 caliber, released in 1970, but then opted to pursue an in-house quartz movement, which was embodied in 1977 in a Day-Date version (Cal. 5055) as well as in a Datejust version (Cal. 5035), exemplified by the present lot. Both quartz calibers are recognised as among the most beautifully finished quartz movements ever produced by any manufacturer, rivaling even modern competitors in terms of movement elegance and beauty.

The present ref. 19168 represents a rare occasion for Rolex connoisseur to become the owner of an extremely rare and well-preserved Oysterquartz specimen.