1970's Patek Philippe Beta 21 Yellow Gold Ref. 3603

The Patek Philippe Beta 21 Ref. 3603 is a remarkable timepiece that encapsulates a pivotal era in horological history. The Quartz crisis was in full flesh after Seiko had introduced the first Quartz movement in 1969, the Seiko Astron challenging watchmaking globally including the Swiss market that had to come down on their knees and was fighting for survival. It was a period when traditional mechanical watchmakers faced significant competition from emerging quartz movements. Lower production cost, lower maintenance, higher accuracy and low market prices to consumers, all these consequences were hard to resist and the quest for Swiss Quartz movements began.

The result and Swiss answer to the crisis was the Beta 21, a movement was a technological masterpiece and was first launched in 1970 as the first Swiss Quartz movement, developed by a consortium of 21 brands at the Centre Electronique Horologer (CEH) involving brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, IWC, Piaget and many more. It was like the transition from a Nokia 6110 to a Smart Phone featuring a touchscreen display and depending on the brand and model the watches were often manufactured in large (due to the movement dimensions) precious metal cases making them available only to the wealth part of the audience. Very interesting here is also that the watch has a sweeping seconds hand. If you didn’t know this watch you’d still think its mechanical.

The Patek Philippe Ref.3603 was introduced in 1973, this model was part of Patek Philippe's foray into quartz technology during the Quartz Crisis but not only that, the result was a new watch with a fantastic design language. The large and bold case was a novelty in Patek Philippe’s so far very traditional line up. 

The first thing that comes to mind when looking at this watch is the retro design with its very interesting integrated bracelet. With a thickness of 10mm and almost 170grams the solid 18K yellow gold case has a very chunky and heavy feel that becomes even more prominent with its step and oval shape around the dial. The case back bears a beautiful engraving featuring the initials JGK. The crown is signed and hallmark is visible to the naked eye.

The minimalistic dial has a very warm gold tone that is keeping an overall monochrome look of the watch. Hour indexes with open minute track, Dauphine hands and a date that is positioned at 6 o’clock. The condition of the dial is mint.

Interestingly the bracelet has been fitted to the upper edge of the case to give the watch on the wrist a very streamlined look giving the watch an overall harmonizing feel.

The market today is dominated by luxury, the demand for loud precious metal watches is strong for gold watches with integrated bracelets, especially from the era of the 1970s as this was the ‘Golden’ era for these.  The 3603 stands out from the crowd, not only because of the design and metal but also due to its large and chunky dimensions. Most Beta 21 watches have become iconic over the last decades and we are happy they are finally getting the appreciation they deserve