ROLEX TEXANO REF. 5100 VERY RARE LIMITED EDITION IN WHITE GOLD
Marchio - Brand Rolex
Modello - Model Texano
Referenza - Reference 5100
Seriale - Serial Numbers N. 219/1000
Anno - Year 1971
Condizione - Condition Perfect , Second Hand – Used Watch
Documenti originali - Original Papers NO
Stato dell'orologio - Availability Available
Highlights Very rare collector’s watch Limited edition of 1000 pieces Only 150 watches made of white gold Lifetime warranty on originality Overhauled – One year guarantee on the functioning of the watch
Rolex Texano 5100 Limited Edition N 219/1000, only 150 pieces made in white gold
Years: 1971
Case:
in solid white gold
very good condition
Dial:
Original Rolex silver dial
Perfect condition
Bracelet:
original Rolex in white gold
Very good condition
Accessories:
None
Price 80.000 €
Why Texan?
It was said that you had to be a Texan oilman to afford this watch.
Let’s look at a bit of history: 1962,the years of the first quartz watches, it seemed the era of mechanical watches was over, so Rolex participated along with 20 other Swiss brands in the Centre Horologer Elettronique to develop an electronic movement for wristwatches to counter the invasion of quartz watches made in Japan.
The components concerning the movement were made by Ebauches SA, today’s ETA.
The end result was the BETA 21, a genuinely innovative, form-fitting movement with performance above the standard of the period-in fact it was advertised that the running error was contained to less than one minute per year.
Featuring a technology very similar to the Bulova Accutron, it is characterized by the continuous movement of the seconds hand, entirely similar to that of a mechanical movement and lacking the “jerks” typical of common quartz watches. The cost of making it was very high.
About 16 brands mounted this movement on their models, and the assembly of this movement did not allow any particular customization depending on the brand that mounted it. On June 5, 1970, at the Basel fair Rolex presented a special limited and numbered series of 1,000 named 5100 all exclusively in gold, of which only about 150 were in white gold, all numbered on the side. This is the third instance in which Rolex has produced a numbered series, linking back ideologically to what it did in 1945 with the first 100 examples of Date Just ref. 4467 and to the King Midas.
There were many avant-garde features for the time: a synthetic sapphire mineral crystal was fitted, a detent for more precise synchronization of the time, and a quick date click that was achieved independently by pressing and turning the crown down.
An avant-garde design, inspired by the trends of the day, and textbook sales promotion meant that the series was booked and sold before it was even produced and thus a success for Rolex. Indeed they were elite watches and presented thus:
“At our headquarters in Geneva there is a register, called the Roll of Honor, of our customers who can proudly count the Rolex Quartz among their possessions. They can be members of the Rolex Quartz Club, one of the most exclusive clubs imaginable.
Club members are welcome in Geneva. On their first visit, they are invited to sign the Gold Register and may enjoy a personal tour of Rolex Geneva headquarters.”
Although Rolex was proud of the 5100 it represented an anomaly in its tradition.
Rolex had built its reputation around the Oyster case and in this case had instead had to adapt a case to a movement and its measurements, which is why the 5100 was declared moisture resistant and not waterproof.
Moreover, fitting a movement that was present and identical to 16 other Maisons put Rolex in an untenable position, and in 1972 it withdrew from the BETA 21 consortium and began designing its own quartz movement.
The 5100 was the most expensive watch in Rolex’s catalog at the time, a veritable ingot, expertly and manually crafted by the crowned house’s expert goldsmiths.
The case is divided into 3 parts, with the bezel having the function of holding the sapphire crystal and the case back that attaches to the case by two pins and a rail system. Everything in this watch is exclusive and designed only for this model, the President-inspired bracelet is made of gold links worked in a scaled-down fashion with a retractable clasp. The dials were generally made in silver colors for white gold and champagne silver for yellow gold, there are, however, rarities within rarities, with black, blue and even rarer dials with diamond hour markers.
The dedicated presentation box was made of leather with the Rolex logo buckle placed at the top. This watch, nicknamed “The Texan,” encapsulates a piece of Rolex history but also a piece of the watchmaking evolution of the 1970s.
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