18ct white gold and diamond set Piaget ref. 14105 BETA 21 wristwatch, 1971 — view 1 of 5 — View 1 of 5 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 5 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

18ct white gold and diamond set Piaget ref. 14105 BETA 21 wristwatch, 1971

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Piaget (maker)
Date: 1971
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: white gold
Dimensions: Case 40 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: G3048
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G3048)
Catalogue title (original): 18ct white gold and diamond set Piaget ref. 14105 BETA 21 wristwatch. Made 1971 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G3048), this is a wristwatch by Piaget, made in Switzerland, dated 1971. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 40 mm. The record is illustrated with 5 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 — Somlo Antiques

The BETA 21 was created in 1969 and it was agreed by the 20 Swiss houses to produce 6,000 of these movements. Later that year, a few hundred of the BETA 21 watches were released at Basel, setting a new record at the Fair. The BETA 21 movement was accurate to 5 seconds per month, which was far superior to any automatic and manual-winding watch at the time. The design for the BETA 21 watches were also very characteristic of the era --they were generally thick, angular, and even chunky (partly out of necessity as the first generation of quartz movements were comparatively large.) Brand: Piaget Made: 1971 Model: BETA 21 Reference: 14105 Calibre: B 21 Movement: Quartz Material: 18ct white gold Features/complications: Cushion shaped diamond stepped stepped case set with 441 brilliant cut diamonds weighing 1.96 carats Dial: P avé diamond dial set with 156 brilliant cut diamonds weighing 1.86 carats featuring sapphire quarter hour markers set with 8 sapphires weighing 0.14 carats with baton hour and minute hands Case dimensions: 33 x 40mm Bracelet/strap: Leather strap Accessories: N/A SKU: 3048

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: 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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component
Quartz crystal oscillator — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Somlo Antiques — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"18ct white gold and diamond set Piaget ref. 14105 BETA 21 wristwatch, 1971." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, G3048. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/18ct-white-gold-and-diamond-set-piaget-ref-14105-beta-21-wristwatch-19-eab73e.