Tropical 1976 Rolex Oyster-Perpetual Date (Ref. 1530)

 In the late 1970s and early 1980s, quartz Timepieces were dominating the market and yes even Rolex was affected by what is now known as the “Quartz Crisis” of the late 1970s and of the early 1980s. These Rolex models produced in this era referred to as “Oysterquartz” and were only produced in the Oyster-Perpetual Date, Datejust, and Day-Date models. However, in this time period, Rolex still had a demand for Automatic mechanical Timepieces. Thus creating the crossover production of Rolex mechanical movements in the new “Oysterquartz” designed cases. This occurrence was Rare from the beginning making production numbers of these Timepieces extremely low, making their rarity even more so today.

The angular case design, integrated Bracelet, with sapphire crystal give this watch impeccable presence on the wrist. This watch is extremely comfortable to wear and, while still being under the radar, adds a much different stylistic flavor from the traditional design. These Oyster Perpetual Date’s are Rare in their own right, but it’s even more uncommon to find them with such vibrant Tropical dials. 

SPECS

Stock #		RLXOP1530-2
Brand		Rolex
Style		Oyster-Perpetual Date
Model		1530
Serial		41XXXXX
Size		Men’s
Material		SS
Dial		Silver (Tropical)
Millimeters		35
Bracelet		Rolex 96660 Integrated Oyster Bracelet

CASE & BRACELET

The wonderful case has been lightly polished in the past and remains in overall excellent condition, showing honest wear and retaining its chamfers down the sides of the case. The smooth stainless steel bezel show very light signs of wear. The sapphire crystal is free from scratches and blemishes. The original Rolex 96660 integrated Oyster bracelet shows normal wear with very little stretch.

DIAL & HANDS

The original dial is absolutely stunning and has taken on a vibrant and unique champagne Tropical patina. The original tritium lume plots all remain intact and have taken on a lovely yellow patina, under U.V. light inspection the 2, 3, 4, and 7 o’clock lume plots show light degradation. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly and show some oxidation which matches the overall aesthetic of the watch, under U.V. light inspection the hands exhibit no degradation or lume loss. The silver date wheel is era correct with open 6’s and 9’s.

Accessories 

None. The watch is running at spec, additional service history is unknown