The quartz crisis of the late 1960s and early 1970s brought profound change to the Swiss watchmaking industry as brands were forced to compete against low cost/high-accuracy battery-powered watches mass produced by Japanese brands. It is well-known that Swiss brands worked to reinvent their offerings and marketing efforts, with Audemars Piguet introducing the Royal Oak in 1972, and Patek Philippe the Nautilus model in 1976 - both conceptually new watches aimed at a new, younger and more dynamic audience.

However in the formative years of quartz technology, Patek Philippe along other brands including Rolex, Omega and Piaget, began to research quartz movements when they joined together to form the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH) in 1962. Seeking to develop alternatives to mechanical movements with greater accuracy, the CEH first released the Beta-1 movement in 1966, with the ground breaking Beta-21 movement following in 1969, which delivered unprecedented accuracy of just five seconds deviation per month. The cooperating brands agreed to produce 6000 Beta-21 movements that would be shared amongst the group.

The present timepiece, reference 3587/2 is distinguished by its "television"-shaped case and integrated woven bracelet. Preserved in excellent condition, it displays a hallmark to the case band and crisp finishes to the outside caseback.