The Quartz Revolution of the late 1960s and early ‘70s brought profound change to the Swiss watchmaking industry, as brands were forced to compete against low-cost, battery-powered watches produced in mass by Japanese companies. It’s well-known that Swiss watchmakers worked to reinvent their offerings and marketing efforts at the time. However, in the formative years of quartz technology, Patek Philippe, along with other makers including Rolex, Omega, and Piaget, began to research quartz movements, coming together to form the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH), in 1962. Seeking to develop alternatives to mechanical watchmaking with greater precision, the CEH first released the Beta-1 movement in 1966, with the ground-breaking Beta-21 movement following in 1969, delivering unprecedented accuracy of just five seconds deviation per month. The cooperating brands agreed to produce 6,000 Beta-21 movements that would be shared among the group.

Patek Philippe’s reference 3587 was introduced in 1969 at Basel as their first quartz wristwatch. It was the largest-diameter, serially produced wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe at the time, measuring an impressive 43mm in diameter. The watch is the synthesis of 1970s modernity with an oversized cushion-shaped case and screw-down caseback that is opulent and glamorous. The present example with integrated bracelet, weighing almost 200 grams, is in excellent overall condition with a shimmering blue dial and luminous hour markers and hands that have all aged nicely over time. Accompanied with its original Certificate of Origin, the 3587/2 is a watch that has a unique place in history, introduced at a time of great change in the world, from politics to fashion, setting out to counter threats to the world of traditional European haute horlogerie.