Ref. BA 196.005 was launched in 1970. Although it was intended to be worn on the left arm, the winding crown was placed at 9 because the watch never requires winding and the movement was so accurate that adjustment was only required when one changed time zones, or at the end of the month. Caliber Beta 2 In 1962 the Centre Electronique Horloger was founded by a group of 21 Swiss watchmakers, including Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Omega, Piaget and Patek Philippe, to develop an electronic movement for use in wristwatches. The result was the Beta 21, a 13 jewel, 8Khz quartz module first seen in prototype form in 1967. In 1968 an industrial consortium of Swiss watch manufacturers was created to mass-produce the Beta 21. This was truly a collaborative effort among what were otherwise competing watch companies. The CEH designed the module and produced the integrated circuit, Ebauches SA (now ETA) manufactured the mechanical parts of the movement as well as the quartz oscillator, and Omega produced the micro-motor driving the hands.