Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Rotary GS3982 Tri-Colour Quartz Dress Watch, Gold Plated, circa 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Rotary (maker)
- Date
- c. 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Stock no.
- vws4178
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4178)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Rotary GS3982 Tri-Colour Quartz Dress Watch - Gold Plated - c.1980s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4178), this is a wristwatch by Rotary, dated c. 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist
What's on Offer Few watches capture the design spirit of the 1980s quite as effectively as this eye-catching Rotary GS3982. The standout feature is undoubtedly its unusual tri-colour dial, combining gold, silver and rose-toned diagonal striping to create a bold geometric aesthetic that reflects the decade's flair for distinctive design. Housed within a gold-plated cushion-shaped case, the watch is powered by a Swiss ETA 978.002 quartz movement and remains in excellent overall condition, with crisp dial colours, strong case plating and minimal signs of wear consistent with its age. Adding to its appeal, the original Rotary caseback sticker is still present, a detail often lost over the years and a good indication of the watch's careful ownership and preservation. Paired with a tan leather strap that complements the warm tones of the dial, this distinctive Rotary offers collectors an affordable and highly wearable piece of 1980s watch design with genuine period charm.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Quartz, digital and electronic watches
Electronic watches arrived in three steps. The Hamilton Electric 500 (1957) was the first battery-powered wristwatch, still with a balance; Bulova's Accutron (1960) used a tuning fork. On 25 December 1969 Seiko released the Astron 35SQ, the first quartz wristwatch, closely followed by the Swiss Beta 21 group. In 1972 Hamilton's Pulsar introduced the LED digital watch, and LCD displays soon made digital watches cheap.
The 'Quartz Crisis' that followed devastated the Swiss mechanical industry, which lost two-thirds of its workforce between 1970 and 1984 before recovering with the Swatch (1983) and the luxury mechanical revival. Solar, radio-controlled, kinetic and connected smartwatches continue the electronic line.
What to look for
- Battery hatch in the case back and calibre markings with 'Quartz' or a crystal frequency.
- Display technology: LED (red, push-button) versus LCD (always-on).
- Tuning-fork hum and a smoothly sweeping seconds hand on Accutrons.
- Model and reference numbers, often printed on the back.
Dating clues
- Electric balance watches: from 1957.
- Tuning-fork watches: 1960–c. 1977.
- Quartz analogue: from December 1969; LED digital: 1972–c. 1978; LCD from 1973.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Seiko calibre 35A (Astron)
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