Audemars Piguet Beta 21 6001

‘Beta 21’, Reference 6001 | A stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet | Circa 1976 Audemars Piguet

Dial: grey tappisserie Calibre: cal. 2510 quartz, 13 jewels Movement number: 153’711 Case: stainless steel, case back secured by 4 screws Case number: 100’129 Closure: stainless steel Audemars Piguet bracelet and folding clasp Size: 35 x 42 mm (width x length), bracelet circumference approximately 185 mm (including additional links) Signed: case, dial and movement Box: no Papers: no Accessories: Audemars Piguet Extract form the Archive and two addiditonal links Audemars Piguet Ref 6001 is also called 'a prototype production', the design is done in a very experimental way and the reference 6001 is definitely a unique line in the Audemars Piguet family. A very avantgarde, bold and geometrical design, obviously influenced by the Gerald Genta design and one can easily see the similarities with the classic Royal Oak design. The shaped case and unique integrated bracelet is very impressive and the 'petit tapisserie' dial has a most delightful nuance of blue, it even features the AP at 6 o’clock like the original Ref 5402. Audemars Piguet Ref 6001 represent an intriguing chapter of horological history, it was the first watch Audemars Piguet ever produced featuring a quartz movement and at the time the Beta-21 caliber 2510 (based on the Omega Cal 1510) was the most accurate movement in production. The small pusher under the crown enables the wearer to correct the one second discrepancy. This rare watch from the 70s 'quartz revolution' checks all boxes and is a rare opportunity for a true collector to add an early historical timepiece to their collection. The Beta-21 electroquartz movement was developed by a consortium of twenty watch companies at the Swiss Electronic Research Centre or CEH (Centre Electronique Horloger) in Neuchâtel. It was the first quartz movement for wristwatches with analogue display and introduced at the Basel Fair in April 1970. 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.