The Other Vintage Rolex Quartz Watch
Rolex ‘Texano’ ref. 5100, Beta 21 / Credit: Raymond Lee Jewelers
Rolex is the most popular watch brand in the world, with the majority of its models, even the historical ones, being well known by even the most novice of watch enthusiasts. The Rolex ‘Texano’, however, is not so well known, and was a very unique and particular timepiece. The nickname itself denotes that it was not the typical Rolex, not to mention its appearance…
History of the Rolex ‘Texano’
Vintage Rolex ‘Texano’ / Credit: Ralf Meertz
The Rolex ‘Texano’ ref. 5100 was Rolex’s first quartz watch and featured the famed Beta 21, released in 1970. The Beta 21 had debuted the previous year, at Baselworld in 1969, and was among the many innovative showings of that year’s fair – featured in over a dozen new watches around that time. Rolex was part of Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH), a group from Neuchâtel founded in 1962 to produce/commercialize quartz watches. The group was made up of 20 Swiss watch companies.
Now, the Beta 21 is certainly not the first quartz wristwatch or the first quartz movement produced by this group. CEH produced several other movements of the Beta family including the 1, 2, and 22 – after the Beta 21. Nonetheless, the many companies that made up this group used the Beta 21 in many popular models at the beginning of the Quartz Crisis. Not only Rolex, but also Patek Philippe, Longines, IWC, Omega, Piaget, and more produced timepieces that are now very collectible, using the Beta 21.
The Rolex Texano was released in an edition of 1,000 pieces when it came out in 1970 and legend says it was sold out before it even hit the shelves, these were all in 18k yellow gold. Now, we mentioned it had an atypical look for a Rolex; although it did have the classic fluted bezel, the Rolex Texano was very large for the time – coming in at 39 mm – and did not have an Oyster case which is unusual for non-Cellini Rolexes. Its case did not even have a screwdown crown, instead it was ‘popped’ off.
Rolex Texano production lasted only a couple years, as Rolex left CEH in the early 1970s to produce its own quartz movements that appeared in the subsequent Oysterquartz. So, why the nickname ‘Texano’? Apparently, no reason in particular! The nickname is due to its size, since, you know, everything’s bigger in Texas – even Rolexes!
By: Andres Ibarguen