Chances are, you can name the big three brands in the watch world. But let us not be forgetting the fourth and funkiest: Swatch. Arguably the holiest of holy grails, Swatch watches have been decorating wrists since 1983. From the weird and the wonderful, Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller set the watch world on fire by putting all things playful into plastic watches. Swatch watches hit different. Or rather, tick different.
But let’s not get bunged down by their aimable affordability for a second, of which they are, of course, masters of. Given the realm of unique Swatch watches out there – and two mammoth collaborations with Omega and Blancpain that had people queueing for quite literally a year – it's high time we starting giving these trusted companions they’re dues: consider the Swatch the perfect addition to your watch collection, and not just the instigator. After all, if it’s good enough for Audemars Piguet’s CEO, François-Henry Bennahmias (once the largest Swatch collector on the planet), then it’s good enough for us. From golden oldies, to modern marvels, discover why you shouldn’t just kickstart your watch collection with Swatch, but collect it, too.
“The bold colours and sometimes unreadable dials breathed quirky new life into the classic watch complication,” says watch collector, Andrew Cunningham, on Swatch’s ubiquitous fame. “Swatch [allows for] a way to identify and be your own self. A Swatch allows that for very little money. You can be part of a movement or event and be reminded of that everyday.” And here the movement is ‘Hot Stuff,’ so aptly named by Swatch in 1995. Have you ever seen a watch strap curl into a devil’s tale? Of course you haven’t, until now. This 40mm beast from the past affirms the point that telling the time needn’t always be taken so seriously. Better the devil you know, and all that.
For anyone still harping on about fashion watches and their ‘inferior’ (critics words not mine) placement in the watch world, allow Swatch to silence you, and the Goddess of anarchy, Vivienne Westwood too. Consider this a major compliment to any collection, and not simply a means to kickstart; the Putti watch paid tribute to the winged bébés of renaissance art, printed on the dial and fabric strap. Sublimating the work of rococo artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard, which Westwood referenced on the catwalk that year, Swatch welcomed her unconventional approach with the Pop Swatch, designed to be removed and placed anywhere on your body from brooch to foot. Rejoice in this '90s ad for the full effect, and pop, will go your heart.
While Skepta said ‘Too Many Men,’ Swatch said not enough. Celebrating the sale of 100 million Swatch watches, the clock connoisseurs decided to try and fit as many of those bodies as possible on the watch. “It’s Swatch being revolutionary,” says Alon Ben Joseph, owner of Ace Jewelers and podcast co-host of The Real Time Show. “It’s the first time a Swiss watchmaker was not serious a did something fun and crazy,” and 100 million people would agree. “You can’t buy a better watch for that money. Because they are fun. Because you can underline your own style and identity with tons of cool and crazy designs.” Again, 100 million people plus, still agree.
You’ve sure enough heard the phrase that stepping into the watch world is like walking into a candy store. Swatch made that a whole lot more meta. Remember the candy watch bracelets from your youth, gnawing at E numbers in the shape of a dial on your wrist? Swatch gave us a better alternative with the Caramellissima, decorating the wrist in the pastel pearls of yesteryear. “It’s one of the favourite models I own,” says Karissa of Watch and Woman. “It adds such a playful twist to my style. Although luxury brands like Rolex and Cartier gave me something to dream about, Swatch allows us to watch lovers join the fun of the hobby with something tangible that won't break the bank.” And rightly so, these satirical Swatches are deserving of a spot amongst the big wigs. Sure there’s tourbillons and minute repeaters out there, but Swatch allows you to actually show your sweet tooth, and save your wallet (and cavities).
If there’s anything Swatch is good for, it’s bringing the gallery to the wrist. There’s been Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Frida Kahlo, but the true icon decorating dials throughout history is the humble Mickey Mouse, courtesy of the OG horological genius, Gerald Genta. In their own tribute to the cartoon creature, Swatch partnered with Damien Hirst in 2018 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Mickey’s magnificence, limited to 19,999 pieces and the result was a provocative display on the dial of a Hirst x Disney mash-up we never knew we needed. As the fabled mouse once said, “Good times are here to stay!”
1996: A major year in cultural history. The year Charles and Diana divorced, The English Patient hit the big screen and everyone was buying Beanie Babies. But what truly became the unsung hero of these halcyon days is Swatch’s most unexplained design to date: the Swatch Sweet Baby, decorated both on the dial and on the strap with crying and laughing babies. The internet simply cannot explain why, but who needs the why, especially when there’s no accompanying audio of said howling infants. Instead you get 34mm and 3 bars water resistance to test out parenting from your wrist with no dire results should you forget to take your lil babies out for the day.
In the age of collaborations, they can quickly feel like a tired method of delivering newness. But no, not at Swatch. The sovereigns of doing a collaboration well, in 1991, the Swiss watchmakers took the vision of Alfred Hofkunst, using an illusory approach to objects of the mundane, creating a set of vegetable-themed specials that were actually sold in vegetable markets across Europe. Genius. From cucumbers, to bacon, to peppers, it was a testament to Swatch’s off-the-wall attitude for showcasing that watchmaking truly is art for the everyday. And I’m in a current eBay bidding war to secure the Bacon version. May the meaty odds be in my favour.
And just like that, we’re back in the candy store. Should you be looking to gorge and guzzle on more Swatch’s finest treats, it delivered the goods this year with the Swatch Seconds of Sweetness. Paying homage to the humble Homer Simpson and his love of DOH'nuts, Swatch partner with the family from everyone’s living room with a donut-printed dial in a matte yellow biosourced case with biosourced glass and matching frosting-printed strap. “No other manufacturer creates watches like these that represent notions, events, occasions, feelings and envisage all of those into such a different and personal outlooks,” continues Cunningham. “Swatch watches compared to the stalwarts of the industry are a watch for the people you could say. Watch [nerds] or not, they’re for people who want to be a part of something.” £91. At swatch.com
“The anything-goes approach to design is what makes Swatch still so relevant today,” says Chris James Hall, publisher of The Fourth Wheel newsletter. "We all need watches that are low maintenance in our lives from time to time.” Taking cues from the hit '90s Swatch Chrono, (which surged in prices this past year and you’d be pressed to get it for less than £700 now), the mult-coloured dial and neon hues bring the luminescence of the past to a modern day wearer. From the hot-pink pushers, to the bright yellow biosourced case, it beckons the new era for the collectible, allowing its wearer to make secure contactless payments by flashing their wrists. It’s an eff you to the Apple Watch, and a jokes on you to the rest of your watch collection for their lacking abilities. £133. At swatch.com
Pick a genre and chances are, there’s a Swatch watch to cover it. Food, art, film, music. Perhaps one of Swatch’s most satirical stabs at what the big wigs were all doing is the launch of the Swatch x Musical collection, and the 1994 variation in particular that manipulates the dial to create a canvas of onomatopoeic noises as to what the passing of time actually sounds like. ‘Tik Tak Tik Tak’ and ‘Din Don Dan Din,’ that no doubt inspired Big Ben Girl. Sure, Swatch watches are “a group of whimsical plastic watches,” shares Karissa, but more than that, “Swatch is the brand that brings the little watch collector in me to life.” Collectors that search for fun and intimate reflections of our soul.
