Beta21

Beta 21

Beta 21 is the quartz watch movement produced by the Centre Electronique Horloger, a consortium of Swiss watchmakers, in 1970. It was created as a response to the new electronic movements threatening the Swiss watch industry.

Beta 1

As quartz clocks and watches became a reality in the 1960's, many leading Swiss watch companies pooled their resources to create the CEH and a quartz watch movement. The first product of this collaboration appeared in 1967 and was called the Beta 1. It was entered in the International Chronometric Competition in Neuchâtel. Although the Beta 1 is often called the first quartz wrist watch movement, it was not intended for series production.

The Beta 1 used a quartz crystal that resonated at 8192 Hz. The resulting signal was routed through a 14 stage frequency reduction chain, producing a final oscillation rate of 0.5 Hz, or one complete oscillation every two seconds. Each half-oscillation triggered a 60-position stepper motor, causing the seconds hand to advance one second in a distinctive dead beat ticking motion which has become synonymous with quartz watches today. This complex electrical process used a great deal of power, resulting in battery life of less than one year.

Beta 2

The second prototype movement produced by the CEH was the Beta 2. It used a simplified 5-stage frequency reduction process which drove a vibration motor. This resulted in a smoother sweep similar to electronic watch movements like the Accutron and Megasonic. The reduced component could also improved battery efficiency to greater than one year.