Quartz is cheap and basic? How come in 1970 a Quartz watch could easily cost you as much and often more than the most expensive time-only piece in a brand's catalogue. Moreover, the 1970 'City of Geneva Prize' in the category watchmaking explicitly prescribed the subject: "styling of a wristwatch equipped with a quartz electronic movement". So what does that tell you?

January 17, 2025

"The Neuchatel Project" - A Guide to the Beta 21, the First Swiss Quartz Watches

    Marcus Siems @siemswatches
    Collector, Author, Data Analyst

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Quartz is cheap and basic? How come in 1970 a Quartz watch could easily cost you as much and often more than the most expensive time-only piece in a brand's catalogue. Moreover, the 1970 'City of Geneva Prize' in the category watchmaking explicitly prescribed the subject: "styling of a wristwatch equipped with a quartz electronic movement" ([source]). What does that tell you?

 

Winner (left, design by Hans Boeckh of H. Stern do Brasil) and honorable mention (right, Claude Brunner of Universal Geneva) of the 1970 'City of Geneva Prize' in the category watchmaking. Quartz was hip, you snobs. Photo Courtesy of Europa Star, 120, 1970.

 

All these cheap, unimaginative and redundant mall watches we're thinking of today when Quartz is mentioned are the result of a technological revolution some 50+ years ago. And it's this early period around the turn of the decade - 1969 to 1970 - that would change the watch world in so many aspects... This is the story of the first Swiss Quartz watches.

 

1) Start of the Centre Electronique Horloger in 1962

The history of electronic watches actually starts in Japan (for example [here]) and the USA (for example [here]) outside the heart of modern watchmaking: Switzerland. However, with more and more progress with battery powered watches and traditional Swiss brands fearing about their unique selling points in the world, a new research organization was founded in 1962 - The Centre Electronique Horloger, or CEH in short. The people behind the institute were from Ebauches SA (later ETA) and the Swiss Federation de l'Industrie Horlogère (FH, [source]).

 

The original 1960 Bulova Accutron Tuning Fork movement - the electronic watches' success story of the 1960s. Photo Courtesy of Grail Watch & Europa Star, 62, 1960.

 

Zooming out for a second, electronic and semiconductor innovations in the 1960s, not just in watches, were dominated by Japanese and US American research institutes and resulting patents. A central goal of the CEH was thus to find ways to development usable patents and ultimately a 'battery-powered' wristwatch... An endeavor that wasn't necessarily met with enthusiasm by Swiss brands ([source]).

The first CEH movement prototypes were underway in 1964 - the Alpha and the Beta project. The Beta 1 movement (or CEH-1020) from 1965 was the first major update and the first Quartz-powered wristwatch ever - actually 5 years before the first Seiko*! It was delivered to the Neuchatel Observatory for its annual 'International Chronometric Competition' in August 1967 with record-breaking success ([source])**.

 

The encased Beta 1 or CEH-1020 (left) and the men responsible for its assembly (right). From left: Charles-Andre Dubois, Francois Nikles, Jean Hermann, Richard Challandes, Charles Frossard. Photos Courtesy of CSEM, Dr. Armin H. Frei, J. Hermann, R. Challandes & QuartzWristWatch.

 

2) The Beta 21

Contrary to common believe the Beta 21 is not named after 21 watch brands participating in its conception. Much rather it might better be pronounced Beta 2.1 ... But let's start from the top. The Beta 1 was the first wristwatch using a Quartz crystal resonating 8,192 times a second (Hertz = Hz) and using 14 stages of halving the frequency down to 0.5 Hz, the dead-beat rhythm well recognized from modern Quartz watches. As impressive as this marvel is, it also drains the battery way too quickly in under 1 year ([source]).

The Beta 2 was another take on the Quartz technology and instead of using 14 frequency dividers they only applied 5, bringing the frequency down to 256 Hz, that's in the range that can be used with vibration motors (similar to the Bulova tuning-fork) and adds the charme of a truly sweeping seconds hands (compare [here]).

 

The 1967 Beta 1 & 2. Not just two different movements but also two different teams, two distinct visions, two complementary approaches. In the end, the Beta 2 proved more convenient. Photo Courtesy of Eric A. Vittoz, IEEE, 2008.

 

In February 1968 the CEH management decided to bring the project into the production stage.  Although slightly less accurate than the Beta 1 the improved battery life made the consortium decide on the Beta 2 as the base for their production grade movement - the Beta 2.1 ([source]). The Beta 2.1 also features a date functions with quickset and integrated the driver-divider circuitry with 110 components (see also [here] & [here]; patent CH681067A4).

The production proved challenging and thus was split to three sites: The circuit was done internally by CEH in Neuchatel, Omega took over the vibration motor, and Quartz crystals and other mechanical parts were constructed by Ebauches SA. Finally, all parts were assembled by Ebauches Electronique SA (ESA/ETA) in Marin ([source]).

 

Movement (left) and an early Ebauches SA prototype with see-through case (right). Photos Courtesy of Europa Star, 117, 1970 (see also [here]); & PlusUltra.

 

3) Production Watches

So far we've spoken about the consortium and the organization behind the research and development of the Beta 21 but we all know that there was a horde of different watch brands involved in the introduction of the fully assembled watches. Within the CEH was the “Communauté d'Intéreéts pour l'Industrialisation du Calibre Bêta” (Community of Interests for the Industrialization of the Beta Caliber) that was financing exactly that: the at-scale production of the Beta 21 ([source]). 

Depending on how you're counting somewhere between 19 to 27 companies*** were involved in the launch and financing of the Beta 21 in April 1970. Depending on their financial investment the brands were allocated a certain percentage of the final production volume of 6,000 Beta 21 movements (the first 1,000 delivered in early 1970, [source]).

 

Overview over the most common production references featuring the Beta 21****. Photos Courtesy of Ancienne Watches, Shuck the Oyster, The Keystone, Monaco Legend Group, PlusUltra, Caso Watches, Mathew Bain, Christie's, & Revolution Watch.

 

Omega - Electroquartz 196.005

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 1300
    Production: 2,000 (~1,600 steel, 400 gold)
    Case: Serva SA (hallmark #352), "Pupitre", 37mm
    Specifics: Left-hand crown (movement upside-down)
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Longines - Quartz-Chron 8444

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 6214
    Production: ???
    Case: 42mm, steel
    Specifics: Crown at 4 (movement rotated)
    Source: Grailium

 

Rolex - "Texano" 5100

    Caliber Internal: RE10
    Production: 250-320 (80-90% YG, 10-20% WG)
    Case: Baumgartner (#2), 40mm, Mark I folding clasp bracelet (Gay Freres)
    Specifics: Only first batch with Beta 21, after No. ~300 with Beta 22
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Patek Philippe - "Cercle d'Or" 3587

    Caliber Internal: Beta 21
    Production: 400 (340 YG, 60 WG)
    Case: Atelier Reunis (#28), 41mm
    Specifics: Swiss-Cheese bracelets made in Pforzheim (Germany)
    Source: PlusUltra

 

IWC - "International" 3203/3003

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 2001
    Production: ~500
    Case: P.A. Nardin (#143), 36mm
    Specifics: same case as Zenith
    Source: PlusUltra

 

IWC - "Da Vinci" 3501/9500

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 2001
    Production: ~100 (75 YG, 25 WG)
    Case: Classicor SA/Nardin (#55), 38mm
    Specifics: Hexagonal
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Piaget - Rectangular 14101

    Caliber Internal: Cal. XP4
    Production: 320 (75% YG, 25% WG)
    Case: "UR", 34mm
    Specifics: 3-step bezel
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Piaget - "Andy Warhol" 15101

    Caliber Internal: Cal. XP4
    Production: 80 (75% YG, 25% WG)
    Case: 45mm
    Specifics: 3-step bezel (not 5), often stone-dial
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Zenith - de luxe 70111

    Caliber Internal: Cal. B21
    Production: 200
    Case: P.A. Nardin (#143), 36mm
    Specifics: same case as IWC 'International'
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Bulova - "Alien" AccuQuartz

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 10EACD
    Production: 100 YG
    Case: Favre & Perret (#115), JPE bracelet
    Specifics: left-handed crown (movement upside-down)
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Bucherer/Credos - "Giant" 71.1969.08.002

    Caliber Internal: Beta 21
    Production: ???
    Case: 49mm(!), steel
    Specifics: largest Beta 21, octagonal
    Source: PlusUltra

 

Rado - Quartz 8192

    Caliber Internal: Beta 21
    Production: ???
    Case: steel
    Specifics: rectangular with rounded corners
    Source: Revolution

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre - Master-Quartz 73226

    Caliber Internal: Cal. 01
    Production: 200
    Case: stepped and brushed, 37mm
    Specifics: stepped, automotive-esque case structure
    Source: Christie's, Hodinkee

 

 

What an illustrious bunch! Quartz was new and cool, the designs were unusual and futuristic to say the least. Not everybody's cup of tea today but there's a reason an entire design competition was targeted to encase this exciting vision of precision timekeeping ([source]).

The design however was in part also restricted by the Beta 21 dimensions. at 24.3mm x 29.0mm its base dimensions were still manageable but the quite massive height at 7.5mm meant that this heart would only fit into a beast of a watch... For example the Omega ElectroQuartz would hence come in at 15mm thickness ([source]). IWC also took the challenge to another level and introduced the Beta 21 in a pocket watch as well (ref. 3001, [source]). If we go through the different executions we'll find that for example Piaget (33.5mm x 41mm) and JLC (37mm x 41mm) were on the 'petite' end of this spectrum. While the Bucherer topped them all: A brobdingnagian octagonal/roundish case with a 49mm(!) diameter.

 

One of my personal (aesthetic) favorites from the bunch - a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz ref. 73226. Photo Courtesy of Christie's.

 

Apart from the production models there seem to have quite a few prototypes that didn't end up to be made serially. This includes Universal Geneve ("Uniquartz", 18k), Zodiac (18k), Enicar ([source], [source]), Borel and Doxa (18k, [source]). These prototypes seem to have been presented at the Basel Fair in 1970 but that's were their stories seem to have ended.

 

Non-production Beta21 watches from Universal Geneve, Zodiac, Enicar and Doxa. Photos Courtesy of Grail Watch & Europa Star, 117, 1970.

 

4) But Why wasn't it a Success?

So, the Beta 21 has been the most accurate timing technology fit for a wristwatch in 1967 and the initial batch was basically sold out immediately after it was launched at Basel Fair 1970... But it still wasn't considered a major success in hindsight, so how can that be? The aesthetic (from a modern standpoint) might be one of the reasons but there's more to it.

On one hand, it's simply the price. New developments come at a cost but the bill for the Beta 21 was otherworldly even for some of the most prestigious brands. The first Patek Philippe Beta 21 ref. 3587 for example retailed at 3,500 USD upon introduction... that's about 60% more than a ref. 2499 that same year ([source])! Many of these early Quartz watches came in 18k gold cases, the components were assembled by hand, which would easily retail at about 20,000 CHF (around 65,000 CHF today, [source]). That's a major price tag for many of the "2nd-tier" brands who simply didn't have the clientele to sell these to.

Put on top that the technology was moving forward almost as quickly as the Quartz-crystals were vibrating the Beta 21 very soon became an obsolete giant. Seiko, Longines and Omega all would already in 1969/70 present rivaling movements with superior technology.

 

An interesting example is this Longines-cased example with an unheard of "Centre Electronique Horloger" (CEH) and Beta 21 signed dial and an interesting VC 222-esque bracelet in steel. Photos Courtesy of Shuck The Oyster.

 

5) The Misconceptions

However, because the original Beta 21 designs were so high in demand in 1970-72 and many collectors were left empty-handed... why not making more of them to satisfy the demand? And here's an important bit of information that is completely misrepresented in almost all sources: the overall production output of the Beta 21!

We always read the number 6,000 ([source]). This is indeed the initial production that was split up into three sites and overseen by CEH. However, after 1972 Omega completely took over the production, added a few twists to the design and continued to make "Beta 21" - as the Omega cal. 1301. Another 50,000-60,000 Beta 21 movements (Omega 1301) were made well into the 1980s this way ([source], [source], [source]). Let that sink in for a moment. These are different movements, differently built and used in newer models and collections.

Thus, we are better off calling these Omega cal. 1301 based movements Beta 22. Here are a few example pieces that are often erroneously considered Gen1 Beta 21:

Four examples of references with 2nd and 3rd generation Beta 21 (Beta 22) and completely different movements. Clockwise from top left: Patek Philippe 3603 (Beta 22), IWC 3070 (Beta 22), Audemars Piguet 6001 (AP 2510, base Omega 1510, very far from the Beta 21), Patek Philippe 3597 (Beta 22). Photos Courtesy of Bulang & Sons, Watchurbia, Watchfid, Hodinkee.

 

Here, the waters get quite muddy. Even though the movements are different - in particular the trimmer is a well distinguishable feature - and made by different organizations/companies all of them are still marked "B21" on the movement backside. Thus, it is semantically not wrong to call these later generations 'Beta 21' as well. It is however wrong to put them into the same category! It would be a misrepresentation to bring them into the same discussion as the original 6,000 Beta 21. The Beta 22 are not as rare (10x) and don't come with the historical importance and aroma of country-wide effort. The Beta 22 were already obsolete upon introduction, while the Beta 21 marked a true revolution (see also [PlusUltra1],[PlusUltra2]).

So how do we tell the Beta 21 and the Beta 22 apart? This is extremely important as different generations can easily be swapped within the same watch*****. First, original Beta 21 pieces haven't been made past 1972. Second, there are well distinguishable features on the movement that you can quickly catch even when you're not a trained electrical engineer. It is the so-called trimmer that is visibly different between generations:

 

Three generations of Beta 21 movements: First generation (original 6,000) by Longines (top left) & Jaeger-LeCoultre (bottom left), second generation "Beta 22" (top right) and third generation "Beta 23" both by Patek Philippe (bottom right). The most discerning factor is the trimmer (pink): In the original execution it is a large hexagonal element, while it progresses to a large (Beta 22) and even smaller circle (Beta 23). Photos Courtesy of Clinique Horlogere, PlusUltra, Bulang & Sons, Hodinkee.

 

In the original 6,000 Beta 21 the trimmer is a large golden hexagon clearly visible at the back of the movement. It is also only these Gen1 calibers that utilized a 357/303 battery another important tell. Later, the trimmer changed to a large circle (beta 22) and a smaller one (Beta 23). If you look closer you'll also notice the change in the visible circuitry above the Quartz crystal.  The Beta 23 also comes with a much smaller Quartz crystal, which resonates at 32,768 Hz**** ([source]). The Beta 22/23 hereby follow the updates Omega made to its cal. 1301 class - they are identical in construction ([source]). Thus, if you'll find a Beta 22/23 from before 1972 it is a watch with service components.

 

6) The Conclusion

I know that I already headlined the last section 'misconceptions' but I think it is a perfect segway to summarize all the myths and misinformation surrounding these first Swiss Quartz watches to better understand how important these pieces have been.

First, Seiko wasn't the first to produce a Quartz wristwatch but CEH (and yes, I mean the prototype Beta 1 of the Neuchatel Observatory tests). Second, the '21' doesn't indicate the collaborating brands but a version numbering. Third, it wasn't watch brand R&D that led to the development but a small research institute that provided the heads and brains behind this project. The brands started to finance the serial production at some point. Fourth, it wasn't a swift project of two years. Rather it took eight years to get from the inception of the idea to the first presented watches. Fifth, there are many watches and references erroneously attributed to 'Beta 21', which much rather should be described as later generations - Beta 22 & Beta 23. 

 

Definitely one of the most coveted Beta 21 watches in today's market - The Rolex Texano ref. 5100... particularly the early limited numbers up to ~300. Photo Courtesy of Ancienne.

 

Lastly, we need to start to forget about our Quartz snobbism. There are a lot of downright trash watches with cheap Quartz movements, sure. But that's telling us nothing about the Quartz technology, its implications or potential. Just because there are millions of unimaginative scribbles doesn't mean that there's no art in this world... We potentially have to look a lot closer to find the real gems but they do exist.

The story of the Beta 21 - the real deal original Beta 21 - is one of these gems. It is a collective effort - first by individuals, scientists, visionaries, and second by almost all of the creme de la creme of Swiss watchmaking. There is some "Manhattan Project" or "Bletchley Park" vibes but minus the War. Can you imagine the high-octane developments we might see from such a consortium of explorers and horological power-houses today?

 

Patent CH681067A4 from 1967 laying out the groundwork for the serially produced Beta 21. Not the simple and cheap mechanism you'd expect from "only" a Quartz watch?

 

The Quartz technology probably fell victim to their own skyrocketing ascent. Within just a decade the very first, the pioneering work of the crew at CEH became obsolete, overpriced and unnecessarily chunky ([source]). But in watchmaking we are used to slowly turning wheels, long traditions and time-constants in the order of decades and centuries. When the offerings change almost monthly with perceivable improvements it can't be that good, can it? Well, maybe, but it also means that whatever got the ball rolling in the first place is on top of them all.

 

 

Acknowledgements

This work stands on the shoulders of the original Quartz giants Manuel Knospe (Founder PlusUltra.ch, @PlusUltra_CH) and Stephen Foskett (Founder of Grail Watch, @Grail_Watch). Without their groundbreaking work and constant passion for the period of early electronic watches a guide like this wouldn't be possible. I can highly recommend everyone to check out their websites and see for yourself what is unearthed on almost a weekly basis.

I'd also like to thank Herman (@Hurmen) and Clavi (@fldx_clavi) for their expert opinion and help in researching and confirming the Beta 21 Jaeger-LeCoultre pieces. Further, I want to thank Arthur from Shuck the Oyster (@ShuckTheOyster) for providing visual aid on the CEH Beta 21 example.

 

Footnotes

* But the Beta 1 was just a prototype and not fit for serial production. Also did it feature a battery-life of less than a year.

** By the way, Seiko also entered a prototype Quartz movement in 1967 but the Beta movements took up all of the Top10 places [source].

*** Bulova, Communauté d'Horlogerie de Précision (together Ebel, Juvenia, Eberhardt, Synchron (Borel, Doxa, Cyma), Zodiac, Favre-Leuba), Credos, Elgin, Enicar, IWC, LeCoultre & Cie, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rado, Rolex Bienne, Rolex Geneva, Zenith, Complications SA (Piaget), Ebauches SA, Fabriques de Assortiments Réunies, Fabriques de Balanciers Réunies, Fabriques de Spiraux Réunies, Fédération Horlogère Suisse

**** The increased frequency of the Beta 23 (32kHz) also means that it 'rings' beyond the perceptual threshold. Adults can only hear up to a frequency between 12-17kHz. In other words, we can listen to the Quartz crystal in the Beta21/22 (8kHz) but not in the Beta 23. So you can even identify a Beta 23 without opening it.

***** A Beta 22 works just like the Beta 21 but swapping parts and adding later components tampers (imho) with the actual value the 21 holds over the 22. It is compatible to swapping the Breguet overcoil out of early Lange 1s ([compare]).

 

References & Recommended Reading

- Patent: Moteur résonnant pour garde-temps portatif (Resonant motors for portable timepieces). Centre Electronique Horloger S.A., Neuchatel. 12.05.1967 [Link]

- PlusUltra on Beta 21. Manuel Knospe [Link]

- Quartz in a nutshell. PlusUltra, Manuel Knospe [Link]

- CEH and the Beta 21: The History of the First Swiss Quartz Watch. Grail Watch, Stephen Foskett [Link]

- Beta 21. Watch Wiki, Stephen Foskett [Link]

- Centre Electronique Horloger. Watch Wiki, Stephen Foskett [Link]

- The Electronic Watch and Low-Power Circuits. IEEE (2008), Eric A. Vittoz [Link]

- History of the First Quartz Wristwatch. Armin Frei (2009) [Link]

- The Patek Philippe Beta 21. Collectability, John Reardon [Link]

- Have We Been Too Quick to Dismiss Quartz? A Collected Man, Josh Sims [Link]

- Four Revolutions, Part 1: A Concise History Of The Quartz Revolution. Hodinkee, Joe Thompson [Link]

 

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