In 1978, a Contax 137 IMS (Internal Motor System) attracted much attention at Photokina, but it was never released commercially. It was one of the first cameras with an integrated electric motor capable of shooting at 2 frames per second either in burst mode or single frame. It was also intended to feature TTL flash metering.

In 1980, the Contax 137 MD Quartz was introduced. As the name suggests, its shutter speeds were regulated by a quartz crystal. The camera operated in semi-automatic aperture-priority mode. Initially, selecting a specific shutter speed was not possible on the 137 MD Quartz (as it lacked a dedicated dial for this purpose). This limitation could be overcome by using exposure lock (AE lock): once the desired speed appeared in the viewfinder, it could be temporarily memorized by slightly turning a lever near the shutter release.

Bulb mode (B) allowed for long exposures, such as night photography, as long as the shutter release was held down.

The viewfinder displayed information digitally, making it the second camera after the Canon A-1 to do so. It included an electronic frame counter (on the left side of the image), in addition to the usual mechanical counter visible in a small window. Above the viewfinder image, in the center, aperture information was displayed. To the right, a vertical column indicated all possible shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1000 seconds. A tiny red LED next to this scale indicated the selected shutter speed by the camera's program, or when flashing, the speed locked by the user via AE lock. An additional LED indicated whether exposure compensation was applied, though it did not specify the amount. Finally, another LED indicated flash usage and readiness.

The successor to the Contax 137 MD Quartz in 1982 was the Contax 137 MA Quartz, which offered slightly faster motor drive (up to 3 frames per second instead of 2 on the 137 MD Quartz), a different film rewind crank, and crucially, a manual shutter speed dial located under the crank. This feature was absent in the 137 MD Quartz. Additionally, TTL flash metering, which was promised in 1978, seemed not to have been integrated into the 137 MD Quartz, but it was introduced with the Contax 137 MA Quartz in 1982.

The back hinge of the camera allowed for its removal, although the 137 MD Quartz did not seem to be equipped for a date back (like the Data back quartz D5 intended for the 137 MA Quartz), as it lacked the necessary contacts.