This page does not contain any fancy pictures but I hope to provide some substantial information for collectors. If you want to see some pictures of interesting swatches then go to my virtual swatch museum. Although I am probably a bit biased, it is highly recommended , especially the section about special packagings.

Older Swatch info (Last updated:  21-MAY-2008)

• Fake Fun Scuba.  A unknown Fun Scuba model (front / back) has just surfaced on ebay.  Bert Alblas from the Netherlands tells me that this is a fake being sold eg. in Spain.  It looks really similar to the original Fun Scuba...  Thanks to Dino Wierz for the hint.
• Hayek watch?  A Swiss newspaper reports about a watch with a dial featuring the face of Swatch founder Nicolas G. Hayek.  Will it be a Swatch?  Apparently, Mr. Hayek has registered his name as a trademark, probably in conjunction with watches.  So he has to release a watch related product in order not to loose his rights for his trademark.   Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information and picture.
• Czech Rock Festival special.  For a rock festival in Prague (called Rock Poovratak(?)), Swatch has released a limited edition of three swatches (gent Color The Sky (GS124), lady Check Pea (LK267), Jelly In Jelly Swatch Blue (SUJK104C)) with a special sleeve.  Thanks to Jacky Beauverd for the information and picture.
• Swatch The Club Xmas event / special.  The 2006 Swatch The Club Xmas event took place from 6 to 10-DEC in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.  At the same time, the second Swatch Snow-Mobile event was supposed to take place there but it was cancelled due to the warm weather (no snow!).  For the Club Xmas event, 130 swatch collectors from all around the world came to Saalbach.  Besides a lot of nice goodies, a special version of the Xmas special Arctic Touch (SUJZ100SC-1) was given to the participants:  The Xmas event version has a special imprint on the outer paper box, a special logo imprint on the back of the strap and a nice engravure on the bottom of the igloo packaging.  So this version is really special!  It is limited to 200 pcs, each with a very low number out of the 15000 Xmas specials.  The collectors also received the special Fun Boarder swatch Snow Mobile 2006 (SULM102) with a nice paper sleeve around the box.  The paper sleeve version is very limited (maybe around 200-300 pcs), it was only available in Saalbach and for the collectors at the event.  It is available without the paper sleeve in shops everywhere else (at least in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, ...)  Here is a quick overview picture of all the stuff that the collectors received (including a very nice jacket).  Here is a detailed report with many pictures from the event.  Update:  Michael has published a nice video from the xmas event, including some "behind the scenes" snippets.
  
• Chinese New Year special.  The Chinese New Year special 2007 is a Jelly In Jelly called Be Lucky (SUJK119).  As 2007 is the year of the pig, the watch comes packaged with a very nice golden piggy bank. and a gold coin in a nice red box.  Very cute, this will probably be a winner...  Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the hint.
  
• Swatch@YouTube.  This is probably a bit late but in case that you have not yet noticed:  YouTube is a supercool online storage for videos.  Here are the best Swatch related videos:  1.  1985 - Fat Boys for Swatch (ad for the first limelight specials!)  2.  have a white christmas (ad for the first swatch xmas collection in 2005)  3.  Anuncios de los años 80 (ads from the 80s, incl. swatch 1989 spring summer)  4.  Punk Swatch Ad  (not an official Swatch ad).  Update:  Some very interesting videos have been added recently:  1. 1987 instore promo POP swatch video with skateboarder Rodney Mullen (super old school, baby!), 2. 1987 promo video with Rodney Mullen at Venice Beach.  Thanks to Nikolai Kuttler for the hint.
  
• Swatch The Club at TV total parallel slalom.  Michael has a nice report about a visit of Swatch The Club Germany at the TV total parallel slalom event.
  
• Rotterdam Store reopening Xmas event.  On 14-DEC, the a Xmas event for the Dutch Swatch collectors was held at Rotterdam Swatch store.  This store has just been reopened in Jelly Fish Design.  Michael has a nice report on his website about this event.  Some more pictures of the event by Hans & Toty and Marcel Hoogenraad (Squiggly).
  
• Mother's Day special 2007.  The Mother's Day special 2007 is a nice lady Swatch called My Beloved Mom (LK281).   The watch comes with a diary containing more than 50 pages.  It is accompanied by a sheet of adhesive corners for use as a photo album too.  Picture by Swatch AG.
• First Xmas special TV ad.  The Limelight Swatch from 1985 is officially considered as the first ever Xmas special (as we recently learned :-)  You can check out a very cool TV ad for the Limelight Swatch:  Fat Boys for Swatch (1985).  Thanks to Christine Tanner for the hint.
  
• Taiwanese Xmas promotion.  Swatch Taiwan is currently running a Xmas promotion for the Christmas Seasons Collection 2006.  When you buy any watch from the current collection, you receive a nice white feather pen as a gift.  If you spend more than NT5000 (~$154US), you will get a feather 2007 calendar as promotional gift.   When you buy any item and give an additional NT10 for charity, you can enter the lucky draw game (silver ball) with the chance to buy the new Xmas special Arctic Touch (SUJZ100) for retail price.   Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information and pictures.
  
• Vendôme / Spiga Xmas special.  The Vendôme / Spiga christmas special 2006 is called Night Glamour (YLS144PU), an Irony Medium Swatch with 12 Swarovski stones (six big / six small) packaged in a nice round black box (opened / closed).  The Xmas special will be limited to 600 pcs, not numbered.  Thanks to Thomas Sonneville for the information and to Squiggly for the pictures.
• Diaphane One Turning Gold / Geneva Store opening.  Swatch has created a new, special tourbillon watch in the spirit of the Diaphane One.  The new Diaphane, called Diaphane One Turning Gold, is gold - not gold-colored but real gold!  More pictures of this beautiful watch:  Dial / Back.  The price is twice the price of the original Diaphane One special:   7700 Swiss Francs (~$6175 US).  That may set a new high retail price for a Swatch product.  Limitation is 100 pcs, numbered.  It comes packaged in a beautiful black/golden box with an extra strap.  It will be sold starting mid december in the new swatch store in Geneva, Switzerland and in FEB-2007 in selected Swatch stores in Switzerland (and probably other countries).   The watch was launched on 23-NOV during the opening of a new swatch store in Geneva, Switzerland, Rue du Marché 40.  The store will also carry watches from the Spiga and Vendôme luxury collection.   Swatch founder Nicolas G. Hayek sr. was present during the opening ceremony, he signed stuff for the collectors.  And here is a picture of the outside of the store on the opening day.   Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the information, pictures by Swatch and Squiggly. 
• Milano Telethon special / event.  On 29-NOV, an event related to the Milano Young per Telethon 2006 will take place at 12 pm at the Swatch Store in Milano, Italy (C.so Vittorio Emanuele 15).  The event is free of charge (application form) and it is possible to buy a new special swatch called Swatch e Milano Young per Telethon (GE162F, gent swatch Brandname from 2005 refitted with a special strap).  This swatch will be released in a limited edition of 3000 pcs, not numbered, packaged in a paper sleeve.  It will be sold in Italy only, price is 50 EUR with 10 EUR going to the Telethon Charity.  Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information and picture.
• UK Xmas event.  On 26-NOV, Swatch The Club UK held the annual Xmas event at Warren House, Kingston Upon Thames.  No special was issued but it was possible to buy the new Xmas special Arctic Touch (SUJZ100).  Michael has a report with many pictures on his website.
  
• Xmas special 2006.  The christmas special 2006 will be a Jelly in Jelly called Arctic Touch (SUJZ100).  The watch will be packaged in a little igloo, very nice.  It will be limited to 15000 pcs, numbered.  The Xmas 2007 special is rumoured to be a Fun Boarder.   Thanks to Alain Choisy, to Squiggly, and to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information and picture.
• Taiwan Blue Man Group Art special launch event.  The limited Blue Man Group art special Paint In Blue (SUJZ101S) was launched in Taiwan on 25-NOV.  In Taiwan, Paint In Blue is available with a white Qee doll (only 20 pcs!) which could be painted during a launch event.  Here is a nice report by Sophia Chang about the launch event!
• Swatch Instant Stores.  A nice new official Swatch website is now online, it features a lot of information and pictures about many different Swatch Instant Stores from all around the world.  I know about the following Swatch Instant Stores so far (not all of them are featured on the Swatch website):  Amsterdam (Stationsplein 15A, DEC-2005), Barcelona (NOV-2005), Madrid (SEP-2005 in Preciados), Berlin (JUL-2005), Montreux (during the Montreux Jazz Festival), Zürich (at the Cabaret Voltaire in AUG-2005), Shanghai, Paris, and London (on 11-SEP-2005 during the Urban Expression event).
• Snow Mobile 2006 special.  For the Snow Mobile 2006 event taking place in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, from 7 to 9-DEC, Swatch will release a special Fun Boarder swatch Snow Mobile 2006 (SULM102) for the VIPs (and probably for the participants of the Swatch The Club Xmas Event 2006).  The watch looks similar to the Fun Boarder Mountain Mania (SULM101) but the colors in the dial are different.  If you are interested in purchasing this swatch, you can contact Alain Choisy.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and picture.
  
• Swiss Ski special.  The Swiss Ski foundation and Swatch have collaborated and they will release a special Jelly In Jelly Swatch called Swiss Ski (SUMK103).  If you are interested in purchasing this swatch, you can contact Alain Choisy.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and picture.
• Zermatt reedition special.  The Zermatt Access swatch Highness Of Zermatt (SKN103) will be reissued as a Jelly In Jelly:  Highness Of Zermatt (SUMK102).  If you are interested in purchasing this swatch, you can contact Alain Choisy.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and picture.
  
• Japanese Irony special packagings.  Two Irony Swatch watches from the Fall/Winter Collection 2006 (Dark Blood (Irony Petite Seconde, YPS413G) and Earth Surface (Irony Chrono, YCS479)) have been issued in Japan in a special packaging (a black bag) with an extra strap.  Here is a picture of the opened Earth Surface packaging and here is a picture of the opened Dark Blood packaging.  Each packaging is limited 1000 pcs, not numbered.  The special packagings are available with an additional gift with purchase:  A blue fleece blanket (w/ Dark Blood) and a pink fleece blanket (w/ Earth Surface).  Thanks to Yuji Tada for the information and pictures.
  
• NYC Times Square store halloween event.  On 31-OCT, Swatch Times Square played host to Def Jam Recording Artist Lady Sov to celebrate the release of the debut of her album Public Warning.  The event caused quite a stir as Lady Sov was hoisted in the air via cherry picker to graffiti tag the Times Square billboard.  Check out the "bling" on her wrist: Swatch Diaphane Irony Chrono Full-Blooded (SVCK4032G).  Here is a video from the Times Square event.  Thanks to Jeroen Kieven for the update.
  
• Austria Summersplash special.  A special version of the Scuba Aquazone (SDN122) is now available in Austria when you book at Summersplash'07:  The first 2000 people who book will receive this watch which features a special strap.  More details here.
  
• Swatch Access and Snowpass Information.  The official Swatch website contains now some interesting information about Access and Snowpass watches:  It explains the difference of Access (ticketing, payment in closed applications, public transport, ...) and Snowpass (skiing ticket), and it also has a nice factsheets with technical info about the Access and the Snowpass watches.  The Access section lists two watches that were unknown to me so far:  David Lloyd and Seoul.  Already known are the other three watches:  Kindercity (actually two different models:  Kindercity Blau (SKK124H) and Kindercity Rot (SKK124I; Clearance Two with a special strap), Stade de Suisse (actually two different models:  SKK2000 and  SKK2001), and Taiwan Payeasy (actually two different models:  Embosom (SKK1003) or Treasurable (SKB1001)).
• Squiggly and Phenomenon special.  The internet swatch stores Squiggly (Netherlands) and Phenomenon (Portugal) celebrate ten years of friendship. To honour this event, the two swatch stores have issued a special display with two Skins containing Bludablu (SFK170) and PinkyPink (SFK200). Each store will sell 50 pcs, so together they have 100 pcs for sale, all individually numbered.
  
• Taiwanese Swatch promotion.  When you order the Taiwan Payeasy access swatches Embosom (SKK1003) or Treasurable (SKB1001) in the taiwanese department store 7-11, you get a free bag special Lohas (the picture of the bag is b/w, the bag is green in reality).  Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information and picture and to Michael for the update.
  
• Blue Man Group Art special.  The limited Blue Man Group art special will be called Paint In Blue (SUJZ101S).  It was created live on stage by the Blue Man Group at SPLASHTIVAL last June.  At first sight, the final product looks quite a bit different from the artwork at SPLASHTIVAL...  But have a look at the back side of the watch!  The Swatch Art Special Paint in Blue comes with its own special packaging-a grey plastic jointed tube, looking something like a periscope with a big plastic lens that is at once a magnifying glass and a window on the watch inside! The tube evokes the Blue Man Group and the giant drums and pipe-work instruments they use to make music during their shows. Paint in Blue and its Special Packaging will be available in a limited and numbered edition of 3,333, worldwide.  Each watch is individually numbered on the back of the watch.  The watch looks really cool on a wrist :-) Retail price will be around $275 US!  Paint in Blue was launched in Shanghai, China on 1-OCT, during a concert by the Blue Man Group hosted by Swatch China.  Here is a small report with pictures and text by Swatch about the Shanghai launch event.  Update:  A presale of 99 limited and numbered watches Paint In Blue took place in Basel three weeks prior to the official launch in Switzerland on 4-NOV at the Theaterplatz in Basel.  No special version of Paint In Blue was issued in Basel but collectors received a set of free "art splash" fridge magnets and a Swatch keychain with their purchase.  Here is a small report about the Basel presale event.  Michael also has a nice report about the Basel presale event and about the Sonic 8 event which took place at the same weekend as well.  Thanks to Swatch, Henk Seligmann, Markus M. Muth, Nikolai Kuttler, and to Alain Choisy for the information and pictures.
• Robert De Niro shopping for swatch watches.  According to the New York Daily News, actor Robert De Niro was spotted shopping for swatch watches recently.
• Swatch history article.  UK watch magazine QP has a nice article about the history of Swatch watches up to the recent Blue Man Group art specials.  It is well worth reading (especially the bit about a non swatch special:  "Giant Size Super Value Pack is restricted to just 6,446,150,881 pieces"...).
  
• Potenza Swatch event / special.  On 22-OCT, a Swatch event took place in Potenza, Italy.  A Swatch exhibition is displayed at the Sala degli Specchi of the Teatro Stabile. This event is part of the celebrations for Potenza's bicentennial. It will be possible to preview the new Xmas 2007 collection. A special packaging containing the Jelly in Jelly Funcky Red Tie (SUJK110) was released.  It is numbered xxx/199.  Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information.
  
• 10 Years 'Stay Tuned To Swatch'!  My little website is celebrating its 10th anniversary in October!  It all started during the first weekend of OCT-1996, when I took part at the Access To Space event in Luzern.  I got infected by the Swatch virus and I wrote a little report about the event.  Back then, the internet was relatively small and there was not much info to be found about Swatch on the internet.  I started to collect news and infos from all around the world and I put it online since then.  Here you can find all the old news, back to 1996!  And if you want to see how much my page has changed during the years (not much), you can consult the Internet Archive Wayback Machine...
  
• Edinburgh Event special.  A Swatch The Club event took place in Edinburgh, UK, from 6-OCT to 8-OCT.  The opening of the new Swatch store on Princess Street was celebrated.  A special packaging of the automatic McKillop (SAP103) was distributed to participating club members. The special sleeve is numbered to 35 pcs (35XX).  Peter Rollings has some more pictures on his website. Thanks to Peter Rollings and Stephen Carroll for the information and pictures.
• Two new Thailand specials.  1. For the 60th anniversary of the Thai King in governing the country, a special swatch watch (GZ166C) will be released in a numbered edition, 4500 pcs.  2. Swatch Thailand has launched a swatch collectors special to commemorate the first club gatering. It is the regular current club watch be there at (GZ190), numbered (xxx/200) on the box. Thanks to Rob Versteeg (Squiggly) for the information and to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the picture.
• Singapore Duo Special.  A special packaging called Mid-Autumn The Duo Special has been released in Singapore.  The box (limited to 200 pcs, not numbered) contains the nice lady Freckle (LK277) and the Jelly in Jelly Funcky Red Tie (SUJK110).
  
• Swatch Lottery in Lugano.  The department store Manor in Lugano, Switzerland, has organized a Swatch lottery:  If you find three swatch logos underneath the silver print on the lottery card, you will win a free Swatch Jelly in Jelly.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and picture.
  
• Stay Tuned To Swatch and ... Penthouse magazine.  My little webpage Stay Tuned To Swatch is somewhat featured in the October edition of the, ahem, German Penthouse magazine, an "international men's magazine".  See the page from the magazine here.
  
• Linde / The BOC Group merger specials.  On 6-SEP, the German company Linde AG and the UK company The BOC Group plc. merged together into a new company called The Linde Group.  To celebrate this merger, each one of the 53000 employees received a special Linde swatch in a nice packaging (GS132).  The Linde Swatch is a completely new model, see the word "LeadIng." on the face.  Also interesting:  no "(c) Swatch AG" on the face!   In parallel with the merger with BOC, Linde AG has made the Material Handling business segment legally independent, by grouping the three brands Linde, STILL and OM in a new holding company called KION Group.  Each of the 19000 employees received (a different) special KION swatch in a nice packaging (GM168).  This watch is also a new model, note the "(c) Swatch AG 2006" on the face.
  
• Italian Swatch Fair / Art special.  A Swatch fair (the 8th) took place on 17-SEP at the Worldmuseum in Cesano Maderno, near Milano, Italy.  A nice art special packaging with a little sculpture designed by Italian artist Dario Brevi was released in a numbered limited edition.  Actually, there are two versions of the special, the regular one in a silver box numbered xx/77, and a VIP version in a blue box numbered xx/XXI (21 pcs).  Here is a picture of the outside of the boxes.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the pictures.
• Swatch Clopedia 2006.  The Swatch Clopedia 2006, a collectors handbook listing all swatches ever made until late 2006, is now available.  It has 928(!) pages, the thickest Swatch book so far I guess, even thicker than Swatchissimo!  Here is a picture of the title of the book, compare the thickness also with the old Swatch-Clopedia from 2002!.  The pictures in the book are much improved, a lot brighter and more sharp.  The price quotations are more realistic, many values are lowered slightly.  The specials and limited edition packagings list a lot of stuff that is not very common.  So it is an essential reference book for every swatch collector!  As a hardcore collector, I am only missing the information about prototypes and variants but you can find the info at the Squiggly website.   To celebrate the release, Squiggly has released a Squiggly Survival Kit, limited and numbered to 100 pcs.  The kit contains the Swatch-Clopedia 2006 in a special hardcover edition, a Squiggly Collectors T-shirt, a small bag containing lots of usable stuff such as batteries, polywatch, screwdriver etc.
  
• German Swatch Outlet stores.  A first swatch outlet store has been opened in Germany in the famous outlet shop area in Metzingen.  You can find swatches from older collections at 25% to 50% below retail price.  The second swatch outlet store has been opened in Zweibrücken on 25-AUG.  Michael has pictures from the opening day.
• No more .beat and maxi swatches.  The production of .beat swatches and maxi swatches has been terminated, maxi swatch watches have been withdrawn from sale in Switzerland.  Reason:  The European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) and the Swiss ChemRRV (Chemikalien-Risikoreduktions-Verordnung).  They forbid a higher level of  lead in commercial products. These products can no longer be imported to the European Union, so it makes no sense for Swatch to produce these watches anymore.  It is also possible that the production of swatch watches with Swarovsky stones will be terminated as well due to the same reason.   This would be a pity as those watches are selling well (especially Vendôme and Via Della Spiga).  Thanks to Alain Choisy and to Wolfgang Breyscha for the information.
• US Blue Man Group events / NYC special.  On 27-JUL, the Blue Man Group appeared in-store at the Swatch Store Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas.  On 17-AUG, the Blue Man Group appeared in-store at the Swatch Store Times Square in New York City.  A special edition of the Jelly in Jelly Blue was offered for sale with a thumbprint in blue on the outside cardboard box of the Swatch, plus a tote bag and t shirt. Original email said edition of 50 to first callers, but in the store they said there were 75 of this special produced.   Thanks to June Berliner for the information and to Melissa Starr for the information and pictures.
  
• Swatch exhibitions in "Cité du Temps".  There are two new Swatch exhibitions in the Cité du Temps, Geneva (Switzerland). One exhibition is about the Human Rights, which reveals new perspectives on human freedom. The other exhibition is about Swatch Kaleidoscope, a vibrant display of unique artwork created by sports, fashion, business and other personalities in the frame of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games held in Athens.  You can see some of the Swatch Kaleidoscope artworks in my previous report Travelling Kaleidoscope Event Munich (11-APR-2003).
  
• Gigathlon 2006 Finisher special.  From 7 to 8-JUL, the Gigathlon 2006 took place in Switzerland.  Teams and single starters competed in five different disciplines:  Swimming, Biking, Running, Inline-Skating, and Mountain-Biking.  Every finisher received a special access swatch:  Gigathlon Finisher 2006.  The loop around the strap indicates the competition of the participant (Single woman /man, Couple, Team of Five), so there are three different variants.  Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information.
• Montreux Jazz Festival special 2006.  As usual, a special swatch Bonjour Montreux (GE184) has been released for the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival 2006, taking place from 30-JUN to 15-JUL.  The watch has been designed by british artist Julian Opie.  The watch comes in a nice paper sleeve.  A rare For Artists Only version (ref.no. GE184C) was also distributed, to participating artists of the festival.  If you are interested in purchasing this swatch at retail (60 CHF), you can contact Alain Choisy.   Update:  On 8-JUL, Swatch The Club held an event at the Montreux Jazz Festival.  You can find a report with many pictures at Michael's nice website!  Update 2:  In Switzerland, little coffee cream cans are available featuring the designs from previous Montreux posters / swatch watches. Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and pictures, to to Jacky Beauverd  for the picture, and to Christine Tanner for the information.
• Carl Lewis Beverly Hills autograph session.  On 1-AUG, Carl Lewis, one of the most famous Track and Fields Athletes in Olympic History, winning 9 Gold Olympic Medals, signed photos and the new Human Rights Swatch Shake The World (SUJZ102) at the Beverly Center, in Beverly Hills, California.  There were many different swatch giveaways, including red Swatch pedometers (opened) in honor of celebrating "fitness".  Here is a picture of Carl Lewis with Swatch G&P member June Berliner.  Thanks to June and David Berliner for the information and pictures.
  
• Klagenfurt Beachvolleyball special / club event.  The next stop of the Swatch FIVB Beachvolley World Tour 2006 just took place in Klagenfurt, Austria, from 2 to 8-AUG.  A Swatch The Club event took place on the weekend.  A special packaging (similar to the special from Gstaad) of the Beachvolley Skin Chrono Speed Game (SUYN103) was distributed to the participating club members, it is limited and handnumbered to 100 pcs.  Club members also could buy a second swatch, the Klagenfurt VIP special, a Scuba Access Tune (SHB107) with a new strap.   Here is a picture of all the goodies that the club members received. Michael has many nice pictures from the event on his website.  Thanks to Michael for the pictures.
  
• Paris Beachvolleyball special / club event.  The next stop of the Swatch FIVB Beachvolley World Tour 2006 just took place in Paris, France, from 26 to 30-JUL.  A Swatch The Club event took place on the weekend.  A special packaging (similar to the special from Gstaad) of the Beachvolley Skin Chrono Speed Game (SUYN103) was distributed to the approx. 45 participating club members, it is limited and handnumbered to 100 pcs.  Here is a picture of all the goodies that the club members received. Michael has many nice pictures from the event on his website.  Thanks to Michael for the pictures.
• Bijoux Gifts.  When buying the Swatch Bijoux Tiki Beach in Paris (France? Other countries?), you receive a nice gift with purchase:  a matching bag.  And when buying a swatch watch and a bijoux, both are packaged in a nice gift box.  Thanks to Michael for the information and pictures.
• 2nd Taiwanese Chinese Valentine special.  The second chinese valentines special has been released on 1-AUG in Taiwan.  It contains the two nice swatches Funky Red Tie (SUJK110) and Freckle (LK277) in a special packaging limited to 520 pcs, not numbered.  The packaging also contains two "iCash" cards.  Sophia Chang has more information on her website.
  
• No Swatch Festival du Film Locarno.  Swatch is no longer a sponsor of the Locarno Film Festival.  Therefore, no special swatch or special packaging will be released.  Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information.
  
• Amsterdam Schiphol Instant Store / Get-Together.  An Swatch Instant store has been opened at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Swatch Netherlands invited the club members for a Get-Together on 12-JUL.  You could buy max. 5 older swatches and receive a mystery special packaging as a gift.  In the mystery packaging were mainly older swatches [5th Element, Glorious Blue, Glorious Runner, Rapp-er, ...] and as a highlight five specials:  Torino Volunteer, Stade de Suisse, Verbier special, H&M, and Shake the World No.19.  There also was a lottery of Swatch merchandising and every participant received a goody bag.  More details (in dutch) can be found here.  You can find a report with many pictures at Michael's nice website!  Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the information and pictures and to Michael for the picture.
• Swatch Museum in Geneva.  The Swatchgroup has opened four exposition rooms next to each other, called City of Time (Cité du temps) in Geneva, Switzerland on 8-APR.  One of the show rooms contains an exhibition with almost swatch watches ever produced (about 700 pcs, pic1 and pic2 from the exhibition)!   Here and here is a newspaper report about the opening with lots of pictures from the museum.  A Swatch The Club event would have been great!  Update:  Henk Seligmann has some additional information of the Cité du temps:  A very thick book (about 9cm, about 700 pages) can be browsed at the Swatch Museum, it shows all Swatches in 1:1 scale!  Apparently, Swatch is thinking about making this book commercially available, with an estimated price of 300 Swiss Francs (~ $250 US)!  It is also planned to install some computers where visitors can design their own swatch.  The best design might be produced by swatch, possibly on a yearly basis.  Sounds really interesting!  A few more boutiques (Breguet, Blancpain, Hatot) are located nearby the City of Time, at the Rue du Rhone/Place de la Fusterie.  Update 2:  Michael has many pictures from the Cité du temps on his nice webpage.  Thanks to Philippe Danjean for the information and to Jean-Bernard Mani and Henk Seligmann for the update and pictures.
• Lugano Splashtival Event / "Jelly in Jelly" product launch.   SPLASHTIVAL is the name of the spectacle in Lugano to which Swatch invited everyone on 1-JUN to celebrate its 333 millionth watch and its new product line called Swatch Jelly in Jelly.  This collection is (re)uniting Swatch with art, the world-famous Blue Man Group created a strictly limited-edition model for the Swatch Jelly in Jelly collection during their performance on stage.  The Jelly in Jelly series includes a classic collection with five models that could be described as fairly casual, and five simple classic watches in cheerful brash colors.  Two models are done in cooperation with Blue Man Group:  The eleventh model Swatch Blue (SUJK104C, unlimited) was presented at the launch event in Lugano, and the twelfth, an individually numbered, limited-edition (3333 pcs) model was created live during this event by the Blue Man Group.  It will be available in the fall.  The International Club Event took place in Lugano and club members also participated at the SPLASHTIVAL, front row, center (pictures taken by myself, video by Russ :-)  The club members received a special version of the Swatch Blue (SUJK104C-1) in a different papersleeve to the normal version.  This special is not numbered, limitation is probably around 300-400 pcs:  160 for club members and the rest for journalists at the launch event.  Here is a detailed report with many pictures from the event!   Thanks to Christine Tanner for the hint.
• Gold & Pioneer special / event.  The traditional Gold & Pioneer Swatch The Club event took place in Lugano, Switzerland from 2 to 4-JUN, directly after the international SPLASHTIVAL event.  The 160 participating club member received a unique supernice Swatch Skin G & P 2006 (SFK178), very nicely packaged, with a special loop "G & P 2006" around the strap.  The watch is limited to only 170 pcs, unnumbered.  This watch will never be sold in the shops!  During the event, we were told by Swatch management:  About 250 watches are designed for each collection, only 70 of these 250 will make it into the shops in the end.  The rest of the designs is rejected.   Interesting fact:  The watch has a copyright date (c) 2002 and a production code "307" (7th week of 2003 = FEB-2003).  This means that this watch was even produced in 2003 (Swatch told us: for Spiga/Vendôme) and the sale was stopped very very late!  Normally, these watches are destroyed but this time, they survived somehow and the watches were now pulled out for the G&P event.  Here is a detailed report with many pictures from the event!   Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information.
  
• 2nd Taiwanese Payeasy special.  After the first Taiwanese payeasy access swatch (SKK1002) released in last autumn, the company will release a new payeasy access special in summer (maybe in July). There are two access swatches in black and white and besides the normal edition, they will also be available in a special packaging limited to 520 pcs.  (520 = "I love you" in Chinese pronunciation). The price will be around $160 to $180 US per set (including two swatch and packaging).  Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information and picture.
• Gstaad Beachvolley special.  The next stop of the Swatch FIVB Beachvolley World Tour 2006 just took place in Gstaad, Switzerland, from 20 to 25-JUN.   A special packaging of the Beachvolley Skin Chrono Speed Game (SUYN103) was distributed to the 35 participating club members, it is limited and numbered to 80 pcs.   The sleeve is made of rubber, it has a "3D effect", very nice.  Here is a picture showing some stuff (T-shirts, cap, ...) that the club members received.   The special is the first in a series of three, next one is for the Paris FIVB event (28 to 30-JUL), and the third one is for the Klagenfurt FIVB event (3 to 6-AUG).  Michael has a very nice report about the event with many pictures!   Thanks to Michael, Angelo Rovaris, and Jacky Beauverd for the information and pictures.
  
• Austria "Come Together" event / special.  Each year, Swatch The Club Austria hosts a Come Together event for its club members.  This year, the Come Together event took place on 22-JUN (not listed on the club website :-(  For the first time, a Come Together special was released, it is a Jelly in Jelly, limited to 99 pcs.  Three different versions are available:  33 pcs Black Vibration (SUJK105), 33 pcs orange Instantaeous Fresh (SUJK102), and 33 pcs blue Fluid World (SUJK104). The special has two extra loops around the strap and a number xx/99 on the back of a loop. The watch comes in a special paper sleeve.  The paper sleeve and the writing "Come Together" on the loop is in the color of the watch:  black, blue, or orange.  So the pictures show the black version.  The numbers are randomly distributed among the colors.  Club members also received a special cap.   Thanks to Peter Altmann for the information and to Henk Seligmann / Squiggly for the update and pictures.
  
• UN Human Rights special.  A special Jelly in Jelly swatch called Shake The World No.19 (SUJZ102) has been released on 19-JUN for the first session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (UN).  The white '19' on the dial refers not only to the historic birthday of the Council, but also to article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which addresses the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The watch is packaged in a paper sleeve.  It will be the first of a series of watches, designed to stimulate continuing awareness of human rights.  Nicolas G. Hayek sr. presented the watch to Kofi Annan in Geneva.   Thanks to Jacky Beauverd and to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information.
  
• Idda in the magazines.  Swatch Pioneer member Idda Luetolf-Steverlynck from Belgium and her Swatch collection was recently featured in the belgian "luxemagazine"  called Bestedingen ("spenditures"), part of the belgian newspaper De Tijd.  The article is called Getikt van Swatch:  title / page 1+2 / page 3.  Wow! :-)  Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the update.
• Roseto Beachvolley special.  The next stop of the Swatch FIVB Beachvolley World Tour 2006 just took place in Roseto, Italy from 7 to 11-JUN.   A special packaging of the Beachvolley Access Be Part Of It (SKN109) was distributed to participating club members, it is limited and numbered to 50 pcs.  The Roseto special is very similar to the recent Modena FIVB special packaging.  The only difference is that the watch is limited to 50 pieces, numbered on the outside of the box. Moreover, inside the box there is a plexiglass cover with a beach-volley player in the action of catching the ball. Plus the writing on the paperbox "Roseto degli Abruzzi - 10 Giugno 2006" inside it.  Thanks to Angelo Rovaris for the information and picture.
  
• Taiwanese Graduation promotion gift.  A nice special gift with purchase is currently available in Taiwan.  When you buy a watch of the current collection with a retail price over $80 US, you receive one pair of the puzzle photo frame (yellow+blue or red+green).  Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information.
  
• Soccer .beat swatches / special.  Right on time for the FIFA Soccer World Cup Germany 2006, Swatch has released 32(!) different colorful .beat swatches, one for each participating country.  Here are the first draft versions:  pic1 / pic2.  Wow.  That's tough to collect!  Swatch is not an official sponsor of the Soccer World Cup.  In Switzerland (and probably everywhere else), the watch is sold in a special packaging together with some Swiss flag stickers that you can apply to your cheek.  Very clever! :-)  Update:  Stephen Carroll has spotted a mistake in the draft versions!  There is a United Kingdom (Royaume Uni) watch, but the team is England, not the United Kingdom.  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (also part of the United Kingdom) have their own national teams.   Update 2:  Michael has the final versions on his nice webpage.  Differences to the draft versions:  1. No China! :-)  2. Iran, England (yeah!), Ukraine are different.  All watches are available in Germany and Italy but some may also be available in other countries.  In the US, the watches are not available.  It seems that the Switzerland, Italy, Brazil, and USA specials are similar to the ones that were available already last year.  At least they look very similar.  Furthermore, a very limited special packaging (a box:  opened / closed) containing all 32 .beat specials will be available in Germany, only 64 pcs will be made!  Price is 32 x 55 EUR = 1760 EUR!  The German watch magazine Chronos also has a report about the soccer .beat swatches, including a picture of the actual watches.   Swatch has also released a special soccer related packaging containing the Square Typical Square (SUBR100), including a tatoo and a one year club membership.   Thanks to Alain Choisy, Dino Wierz, and Michael for the information and pictures.
  
• Taipei Flagship store opening.  On 23-MAY, the new swatch flagship store has opened in Taipei, Taiwan in the Taipei 101 building, the heighest building of Taiwan.  Sophia Chang has a few pictures from the store on her website.  It seems that no opening special was issued but some Vendôme swatches are on sale at the new flagship store.
  
• Mothers Day gifts.  Several different Mothers Day gifts were distributed free with a purchase:  1. A nice Dutch Mothers Day gift is now available in the BeNeLux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg). The gift contains a little Swatch Wellness Bag with 3 items inside:  A wooden massage stick, a Sponge and a scrub roll.  It is given free of charge to customers who buy a swatch or a bijoux piece.  It fits nicely to the Flower Wishes (SFK265) mothers day special.  This gift is available in Germany and Italy as well.  2. In Switzerland, customers get a CD (14 tracks, "relax" music by eg. Red Buddha, Lenny Mac Dowell, Christopher Goze, ...) with the purchase of the Mothers Day special.   3. In the USA you get the following gift with purchase:  "Bath Salt" (the case says 'Swatch Bijoux' on the top; two different styles: citrus or mint) when you spend at least $60 US.  4. In China, yet another beauty set was available.  5. In Taiwan, customers received a whitening mask.  Thanks to Marcel Hoogenraad for the information and pictures and to Bert Alblas, Michael, Yoshimi, Sophia Chang, and  Andrea Marco Faggioli for the update.
  
• Shareholder Assembly special.  On 19-MAY, the annual shareholder assembly of the Swatchgroup took place in Biel.  The 1500 participants received a special Touch Game model Shareholder 2006 (STGB102).  Have a look at the special dial!  The sleeve gives a hint about the SPLASHTIVAL event in Lugano on 1-JUN.  Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information and picture.
  
• Fragments of Time are back.  Since a few years, Swatch pioneer member and artist Laurent Stefani runs a very nice website called Fragments of Time featuring his artworks made of Swatch watches and more.  Now, he has redesigned the site and given a nice new look.  Check it out!
• Modena Beachvolley specials.  The first tournament of the Swatch FIVB Beachvolley World Tour 2006 just took place in Modena, Italy from 10 to 14-MAY.   A special packaging of the Beachvolley Access Be Part Of It (SKN109) was distributed to participating club members, it is limited and numbered to 100 pcs.  The staff of the event received a special version of the Scuba Loomi Table Cloths (SDR900) with a new strap.  A lot of additional goodies was available to the club members.
  
• Basel Jewelry Fair specials.  For the Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show 2006 (it took place from 30-MAR to 6-APR), Swatch has released two different specials:  The two gents Define (GK227) and Consider (GK228) were distributed with a special loop around the strap.  Thanks to Jacky Beauverd for the information and picture.
  
• New Vendôme skins.  Two new skin watches are available at the Vendôme store in Paris:  Rosebalm (SFK262P) and Leada (SFK263BPU, also available at the Spiga store).  Thanks to Thomas Sonneville for the information.
  
• Roland Garros specials.  Swatch has released two special swatches for the Roland Garros 2006 tennis tournament in Paris, France:  The first is a skin called Tennis Chic (SFK270).  The second one is a gent called Roland Garros (GE179).  Both are packaged in a special fake Tennis ball with soft touch material.  Limitation is unknown, so far, these two watches are only available in France.  Two more Flik-Flak watches are also available.  Thanks to Philippe Danjean for the information.
  
• Vendôme / Spiga Mothers Day special.  The Vendôme / Spiga mothers day special 2006 is called Chic Mum (GE180PU).  A real silk foulard is included with the watch.  Limitation is 200 pcs for Vendôme and 300 pcs for Spiga.  Retail price is 88 EUR.
  
• Swatch Label Showcases in Berlin.  Each friday and saturday in April, starting at 5pm, one of the most successful independent labels for club music in Germany, Pulver Records, presents their music at the Swatch Instant Store in Berlin, Münzstrasse 18.  Here are all the details, including a list of live acts and international guest DJs.  Update:  Here is the list of DJs for may (Unique Records).
  
• New Olympic specials.  Recently, two olympic swatch specials have surfaced:  1. GZ704, a variation of the Piume de Gallina (GG709) gent from 2001 with the olympic rings on the dial (not in color, this is usually not liked by the IOC!).  2. unknown ref.no., a variation of  the Straw Man (YGS729) Irony from 2004 with the olympic rings on the dial (also not in color!).  Does anyone know any details about these two swatches?  When / where were they distributed?  How many pieces etc.?  If you know any details, please send me an email.  I received the following information about the Straw Man variation:  5000 pcs, possibly for the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.  Thanks to Bert Alblas for the information.
• Italian Swatch Fair.  A Swatch fair will take place on 21-MAY at the Worldmuseum in Cesano Maderno, near Milano, Italy.  A special packaging of the gent swatch Pink Candy (GE177) will be released in a numbered limited edition of 77 pcs.  Here is another picture of the special. Read all the details here (in Italian). 
  
• Swatch commercial wins award.  The recent Flash Mob Swatch commercial just won the 2nd place at the Golden Award of Montreux (18th International Advertising & Multimedia Competition).  It lost out by one vote to "Guiness" who won the first prize.  Nevertheless Swatch was the favourite at the "people choice", voted by students & experts participating at the competition.  The commercial can be found on the Swatch website.  Thanks to Laura Magon for the information.
  
• Portuguese Father's Day gift box.  To celebrate the father's Day, portuguese swatch stores have issued two different special gift boxes (box 1 / box 2).  These gift boxes were available with seven different Swatch Irony watches.  Thanks to Ricardo Rocha for the information and pictures.
  
• Portuguese Fun Scuba special.  A new Fun Scuba called Cardume (SUGK111) has been released in Portugal.  It is probably only available in Portugal.  Retail is 75 EUR.  In Portuguese "cardume" means a group of swimming fish.  Thanks to Marco Soares for the information and picture.
  
• Portuguese Mother's Day special.  Swatch has released a new special packaging for Portugal (this time it isn’t a tube…). This new special swatch (ref.no. GZ410) celebrates the mother’s day and comes in a nice pink paper box with 3 different lipsticks.  The special is limited and unnumbered but the limitation is unknown.  Retail price is 60 EUR.  Thanks to Pedro Coelho, Ricardo Rocha, and Marco Soares for the information and pictures.
• Hamburg Store reopening special.  The Swatch Store in Hamburg, Germany, has been reopened on 31-MAR.  To celebrate the opening, a nice special packaging of the Scandinavian special Memories From The North (GE137) was issued in a limited edition of 150 numbered pcs.  Thanks to Michael for the information.
  
• Verona Store opening special.  On 31-MAR, the swatch store in Verona was opened again after renovation.  A Swatch The Club event took place on that day and a special packaging of the Romeo & Juliet valentine swatch (GN162 with a special loop around the strap) was released, limited and numbered to 100 pcs.  The packaging includes a tracel chess board game in an alluminum case with Romeo & Juliet sleeve created for the event, a Polaroid postcard and one or more different gadgets (eg. small inflatable Fun Scuba air bed + bag, or orange bags, or caps...)  Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information and picture and to Argeniolupin and to Tommaso for the pictures and to Franco Brizi for the update.
  
• Verbier Xtreme 2006 special.  As in the last years, swatch sponsors the Xtreme Verbier 2006 contest.  It took place from 18 to 19-MAR-2006.  Swatch released an access special Xtreme Verbier 2006 (SUBL102, a new watch similar to the Cuttofles Fun Boarder [ref.no. SULB100], check the differences between the two watches!).  The watch is packaged in a paper sleeve.  A Swatch The Club Event also took place on that weekend.  Here is a picture of the stuff that participants at the event received.  If you are interested in purchasing this watch, you can contact Alain Choisy.  There is yet another Verbier related Fun Boarder special available, it is called Verbier Altimeter (SULB100C, this seems to be the Cuttofles Fun Boarder with a special sleeve).  Here is a report (in German) about the Xtreme Verbier 2006 contest.  Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information, to Squiggly for the picture, and to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the update.
• More US destination swatches.  Swatch is planning to release more US destination watches, in the style of the New York Times Square and Las Vegas swatches.  Texas, San Francisco, and Hawaii are planned.
  
• New Vendôme and Spiga Swatches.  At the Vendôme store in Paris and Via della Spiga store in Milano, five new swatches are available:  Irony Lady Lady Dance With Me (YSS192GPU),  Irony Chrono Redhide (YCB4006PU), Irony Chrono Medium Dosequious (YMS113PU), Irony The Chrono Blue Project (YOS406PU), Petite Seconde Bark Balance (YPS410GPU, with leather or metal strap).  Check out Thomas' great website about the Vendôme Store for more details and help in ordering these watches.  Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the update.
  
• Biel specials.  The city of Biel, Switzerland, home of Swatch and the Swatchgroup, have released five special swatches: First is City Of Biel (SUDB100C, X-Large Nuova Vita with a special strap) and a second one (SUAG101, Square Aigre-Doux with a special black strap).  The third one is a gent Black is Back with a special strap (GB748C).  The fourth one is a Loomi White Off with a special strap (GB904C).  The fifth one is a red Square Typical Square (SUBR100E).  These specials were given to employees of the city of Biel last year, probably when Nicolas G. Hayek sr. became honorary citizen of the city of Biel.  Thanks to Christine Tanner, Alain Choisy, and Jeroen Kieven for the information and pictures.
  
• Unknown specials.  Squiggly has found two special swatches and even Rob does not know where / why they were released.  First one is a .beat access special Cutback (SXW100C, with a special strap), the second one is an Irony Chrono Straight Edge (YCS1006E, with a special Sydney 2000 pin on the strap).  Do you have any info about these two watches?  If yes, please email.
  
• Swatch Instant Stores in Amsterdam and Barcelona.  A Swatch Instant store was opened on 1-DEC in Amsterdam (Stationsplein 15A).  Here are more pictures from the Amsterdam Instant Store.  Another Swatch Instant Store was opened on 12-NOV in Barcelona.  Other Instant stores have been in Madrid (September in Preciados), Berlin (July), Montreux (during the Montreux Jazz Festival in July), Zürich (at the Cabaret Voltaire in August), Shanghai, Paris, and London (on 11-SEP during the Urban Expression event).
• Club Swatch 2006/07.  The Swatch The Club special for 2006/07 will be called be there at (GZ190).  The watch should inspire you to do Flash Mobs, please note also the 90° turned dial!  The special packaging is also very nice, it oscillates like a pendulum when touched. The bowl is made out of soft touch. When the Club special Swatch is taken out from its holder, the packaging can be used as a picture holder.  It will be released in mid may.  Thanks to BonZai for the information.
• World Museum Anniversary special.  For the third anniversary of the World Museum near Milano, Italy, a special packaging containing the gent swatch Fiche d'Été (GE174), will be released in a limited edition of 77 pcs, numbered.  Here is the draft version of the special. 
  
• Torino 2006 Volunteer special.  Volunteers at the upcoming Torino 2006 Olympic Games received a special swatch, a .beat refitted with a special new strap.  Limitation is 20000 pcs.
  
• Taiwan White Valentine special.  On 17-FEB, Swatch Taiwan has released a nice special packaging of the Irony THE Chrono Top Relief (YOS404) in order to celebrate the White Valentine's day.  The packaging is numbered xxx/314. Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information.
  
• Vendôme Valentine Party.  A Valentine Party took place at the Vendôme Store in Paris.  Besides the Vendôme/Spiga valentine special Heartleaf (LK265GPU), three new Vendôme watches were presented:  A Skin Passion For Fashion (SFK229PU, with a handbag), a nice lady Fly With Me (LK255GPU, with butterflies), and a nice Skin Girobella (SFK228PU).  Maria & Toty Booms from the Netherlands went to the party, you can browse their pictures here.
  
• New Vendôme and Spiga collection.  The new Vendôme and Spiga collection consists of at least nine watches:  Mesmerizing (Irony Chrono, YCS462GP, 300 pcs for Vendôme), Lunami (Irony Chrono, YCS463GU, 200 pcs for Spiga), Silver Train (Skin, SFK227GPU, 500 pcs V. + 300 pcs S.), Behind (Irony Gent, YGS443PU, 150 pcs V. + 250 pcs S.), Chocochic (SVDK1009PU, Diaphane Automatic, 200 pcs V. + 200 pcs S.), Disco Queen (LR120U, Lady, 100 pcs for Spiga), Flower Taste (Skin, SFK238PU, 200 pcs V. + 300 pcs S.), True Passion (YLG116PU, Irony Medium, 200 pcs V. + 200 pcs S.), Flowerfall (YSS191PU, Irony Lady, 200 pcs V. + 250 pcs S.).
  
• Torino Club Event.  Swatch The Club held a club event in Torino for the Olympic Games on 11-FEB, the first day of the Olympics.  A special packaging numbered xxx/120 was issued and collectors visited the ice hockey game Canada vs. Italy.  A report with many pictures can be found on Michael's nice website.  The special packaging from the Club event contains the gent Reach The Rings (GE136).  It is similar to the Olympic collectors box, there are two differences:  The Club event special is numbered, the Olympic collectors box is not; and the sleeve of  the Club event special is silver, not transparent, so you cannot see the 'holes' for the missing four watches.
  
• Torino Olympic collectors box.  During the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Swatch is selling a special collectors box containing all five swatches (part 1 / part 2) of the Torino Olmpic collection.  This box is only available at the Olympic Superstore.  The box is not numbered and the sleeve is transparent so that you can see all five watches in the box.  Thanks to Michael for the information.
  
• Chinese New Year Party in Berlin.  On 4-FEB, at 8pm, a Chinese New Year Party took place at the Swatch Instant Store in Berlin, Münzstrasse 18.  A nice special packaging of the nice new Chinese New Year Special Gou Lai Fu was launched.  In addition to the normal special packaging, you received a soup bowl (with the Swatch Instant Logo), chop sticks and instant soup. This set is limited to125 pcs. Members of Swatch the Club who were present at the party also received a special T-Shirt.  You can find a report on Michael's great webpage!  Here are pictures by Dino Wierz.  Thanks to Michael and Dino Wierz for the pictures.
  
• Valentine's special 2006.  The Valentine special 2006 is called Shake Your Heart (LK261).  Here is a picture of the packaging and here is a picture of the shop display.   The Valentine Bijoux special is called Heartissim.  Update:   Shake Your Heart will be heavily promoted on Yahoo! Europe...  Thanks to Kati Kylä-Kause for the pictures.
  
• Vendôme and Spiga Valentine special.  The Vendôme and Spiga Valentine special 2006 is called Heartleaf (LK265GPU).  It is packaged in a nice golden heart (same as last year).  Limitation is 600 pcs, 300 for Paris and 300 for Milano.
  
• Nam June Paik has died.  The Korean-born, celebrated video artist Nam June Paik died on 29-JAN at the age of 74 in Miami, USA.  In 1996, he designed the nice artist special Zapping (SKZ104) for Swatch.  Here is more information about his life.  At the Swatch Wristory auction in New York City on 3-DEC-2001, a signed Zapping swatch in special packaging was sold as Lot no. 16 for $5000 US.  After Jean-Michel Folon and Mimmo Rotella, he is the third well-known swatch artist who has died in recent weeks :-(  Thanks to Dino Wierz for the information.
  
• Swatch The Club Germany at Snowboard FIS World Cup.   Swatch is the official timekeeper of the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup.  The most recent stop was in Winterberg, Germany, on 27 to 28-JAN. Members of Swatch the Club Germany could win some VIP Tickets for the Frosty Beats Party.  You can find a detailed report with many pictures on Michael's nice webpage.
  
• Taiwanese Valentine special promotion.  Swatch Taiwan is running a special promotion for the Valentine special 2006 Shake Your Heart (LK261), together with the 7-11 convenience store company:  When you order the special in the 7-11 convenience store and you pay a little more than in the normal swatch store, you will get the special together with a specially designed so-called icash card, limited to 2500 pcs.  You can use the icash card to load money on it and you can pay in the 7-11 store with this card without extra charge.  Here is the poster from the promotion.  Thanks to Sophia Chang for the information and pictures.
  
• Access specials.  Three access specials were released in early 2005 in Switzerland:  Verbier2 (SKK118D)  in a nice paper sleeve, Lauberhorn (SKK127, celebrating the 75th year of the Lauberhorn race, limited to 5000 pcs) in a nice paper sleeve, Climatic Descente Bormio Special (SHB110C, back of the strap with special writing FIS ALPINE WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005, 1900 pcs) in a nice paper sleeve (very limited).  Update 2006:  The Verbier2 (SKK118D) access is available as a maxi swatch, you will note that the dial is slightly different (big "swatch" imprint) from the normal watch.  Very few access swatches are available as a maxi, so this is something special.  The Verbier2 access was designed by Agnès Hertig, she won the first prize in a design contest.  Thanks to Jacky Beauverd of La Mine D'Or and Alain Choisy for the information and pictures.
  
• Portuguese Spring / Summer 2006 collection special.  A special packaging of the brand new gent Hang On Tight (GE170) has been released in Portugal.  The watch is packaged in a nice tube.  Limitation is unknown (not numbered).  Thanks to Marco Soares for the information and picture.
  
• Mimmo Rotella has died.  Mimmo Rotella, the Italian artist who found fame by prowling Rome at night to rip up posters for his works, has died at the age of 88 on 8-JAN.  In 1994, he also designed the nice Rotella Set (GZS04) with the watches Bengala (GZ132) and Marilyn (GZ133) for Swatch.  At the Swatch Wristory auction in New York City on 3-DEC-2001, a Rotalla Set together with an original artwork was sold as Lot no. 23 for $7000 US.