Rolex Ref 17000 Oyster Quartz Date-Just Ref 17000, 1978 Early Buckley Dial, Unpolished, RARE

At first glance, this Rolex Ref 17000 in stainless steel looks like the desirable but not-so-uncommon Oysterquartz Date-Just with the Roman numeral, the so-called Buckley dial. Not so fast… This particular Ref 17000 is one of the earliest versions of Oysterquartz made for only 18 months after the model was launched. One can confirm this because the watch was made in 1978 and the one-line inscription on the dial simply says Oysterquartz. It wasn’t until 1979 that Rolex reconfigured the tuning fork of this model and obtained the Chronometer Certification from COSC. That year, Rolex also changed the dial to the double-line print. In my years of collecting watches, this is the first time I have seen a Buckley Roman dial that belongs to the first generation of Oysterquartz produced only through 1978.  Because of the omission of the rather lengthy phrase “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified,” the Roman numerals on our watch have room to stretch their legs. The slender looking letter