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@staytunedtoswatchRecent Swatch info (Last updated: 28-MAY-2023)
- WANTED! Mimmo Paladino (#021/100). I am asking for your help: The Mimmo Paladino Swatch (#021/100) has been stolen on its way from the UK to Germany. Apparently, the package was opened during transport (with TNT Express) and the watch (incl. the metal box) was taken out of the parcel. If this watch shows up somewhere or is being offered for sale: Please inform me so that I can forward the info.....
- WANTED! Perfect Timing Swatch (#332/700). I am asking for your help. The following bad incident has happened to a friend of mine without internet access: The Perfect Timing Swatch (#332/700) has been stolen on its way from the USA to Germany. Apparently, the package was opened during transport and the watch (including the plexi glass tube) was taken out of the parcel. The outer white cardboard tube was still in the parcel and can be seen here. If this watch shows up somewhere or is being offered for sale (remember that it will come without the white paper tube), I would be VERY happy if you could inform me about the seller. This watch has been STOLEN! Back to the regular news service:
- Swatch commissions land artist Saype. Swatch has commissioned renowned contemporary French land artist Saype to create two artworks inspired by the Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection. The two artworks are located in Kenya and they feature two children facing each other: The boy featured in the artwork His Bright Dream (50 x 120 meters) is innocent in his demeanor, a dreamer at heart. The girl portrayed in Her Bold Dream (120 x 60 meters) however, is more conscious of the universe around her. The frescoes disappear into the landscape as they are exposed to the elements.
- Yue Minjun "under fire online" in China. Swatch artist Yue Minjun (one of the most successful artists in Chinese contemporary art) has come under fire online in China, where nationalist influencers have denounced him as a “cultural traitor” and demanded his investigation and punishment. In 1996, Yue Minjun designed the artist special Gent Wild Laugh (GJ117). Thanks to Carlos Zanotelli for the information.
- Glutz Eypos Access special. An older Access special Glutz Eypos (SKK124N) has surfaced, circa 2006-2008. Glutz AG (Switzerland) manufactures secure access systems to buildings, properties, ... Glutz Eypos allows access with RFID cards, Swatch Access, ...
- Nick Hayek speaks out against intolerance. Malaysian Home Ministry Raids 11 Swatch Stores is the disturbing headline in several online news magazines around the world. The Malaysian government has confiscated Swatch watches designed with a rainbow (possibly from Swatch's Pride Collection). Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek speaks out against this act of intolerance: Swatch's Pride Collection watches are not a political statement. "This is nothing political. We wonder how the Enforcement and Control Division at the Ministry of Home Affairs will confiscate the many beautiful natural rainbows that show up thousand of times a year in the sky of Malaysia."
- Shareholder special 2023. On 10-MAY, the annual Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of Swatch Group was held in a virtual setup. Nick Hayek was wearing a Mission To Neptune MoonSwatch (provocation I guess :-) Nevertheless, each shareholder who registered in time will receive a special Swatch Shareholder Special 2023 (SO29B111) as a gift (as every year).
- Hamburg SwatchXYou special. Swatch Club Germany invites for the launch of two special Hamburg SwatchXYou canvases designed by Larissa Bertonasco and Jan Kruse on 27-APR. Meanwhile, the two SwatchXYou canvases are available online in Germany: 1. Hamburg by Jan Kruse (canvas); 2. Hamburg Postcards by Larissa Bertonasco (canvas).
- Matthias Dandois special. A special edition Big Bold Bioceramic Swatch Yellow Ink (SB03B109C, 123 GBP) has been created with BMX Flatland World Champion Matthias Dandois. It features a black cut-out dial with glow-in-the-dark yellow print, packaged in a nice special packaging. A signing event with Matthias Dandois was held in Paris on 26-APR, here is a photo of the signed watch and goodies. Matthias Dandois is also biking on a "larger than life" Swatch in the Time Machine video.
- Swatch Art Journey collection. Swatch invites to an
Immersive Art Journey
in Lisbon (Convento do
Beato) on 09-MAR. I assume that this is a press event
not open to the general public. Speakers are: Alain
Villard (CEO Swatch) and Carlo
Giordanetti (CEO Swatch Art Peace Hotel). Launch
of a Swatch art collection? Update: Portuguese
Swatch Club members are invited one day later on 10-MAR. Update
2: French Swatch Club members are invited to an
"avant-première" of a new "Swatch collection arty" on 14-MAR.
Update 3: Interesting spelling
error in the Art
Journey Swatch Instagram teaser. Update 4:
The Swatch Art Journey collection has now been unveiled in Portugal. It will be released in three batches (March, April and May):
16-MAR:- Two Swatch x MoMA watches: 1. Bio-sourced Gent Reverie By Roy Lichtenstein, The Watch (SO28Z117) in special packaging; 2. New Gent Girl By Roy Lichtenstein, The Watch (SUOZ352) in special packaging with printing on the back side of the watch.
- Two Swatch x Magritte watches: 1. Bio-sourced New Gent La Trahison Des Images By René Magritte (SO29Z124) in special packaging with printing on the back side of the watch; 2. New Gent Le Fils De L'homme By René Magritte (SUOZ350) in special packaging with printing on the back side of the watch. This watch is available as a SwatchPAY! The Surreal Pay! (SVIZ103-5300) for contactless payment.
- Two Swatch x Le Gallerie degli Uffizi watches: 1. Gent Nascita Di Venere By Sandro Botticelli (GZ360) in special packaging; 2. New Gent Allegoria Della Primavera By Botticelli in special packaging (SUOZ357).
- One Swatch x Louvre Abu Dhabi watch: New Gent The Great Wave By Hokusai & Astrolabe (SUOZ351) in special packaging with printing on the back side of the watch. Features artwork by Japanese artist Hokusai on the front and imagery from the astrolabe by Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Battûtî on the back.
- Three Swatch x Jean-Michel
Basquiat watches: 1. New Gent Hollywood
Africans By Jean-Michel Basquiat (SUOZ354) in special
packaging; 2. New Gent Untitled
By Jean-Michel Basquiat (SUOZ355) in special
packaging; 3. New Gent Ishtar
By Jean-Michel Basquiat (SUOZ356) in special
packaging. Untitled By Jean-Michel Basquiat
is also available as a SwatchPAY!
Basquiat's Pay! (SVIZ104-5300)
for contactless payment.
A special limited box set Swatch X Jean-Michel Basquiat Triptych (SZS39, 370 EURO) containing the three watches is also available. The box set (inspired by the Ishtar painting) is not numbered. It is rumored that 1800 box sets are available worldwide. The watches in the box set are slightly different compared to the individual watches: Each watch in the set is adorned with one additional loop. The first loop showcases the artist's name, almost acting as the artists signature on the watches that celebrate his artwork. The second features the crown, a symbol Basquiat used often in his work, the meaning of which is open to interpretation. Additionally, the Untitled Swatch watch in the set has a seconds hand while the individual watch does not have a seconds hand (for the other two watches, the color of the seconds hand in the set is different compared to the individual watch).
- Swatch collection book / download. Pioneer Club member Hans van Buuren is planning to offer his huge Swatch collection for sale. You can now download a big catalogue of his collection with tons of photos for free from his website (1GB download! 712 pages!). Lots of great, unseen stuff. The next best thing to a new Swatch Clopedia I guess. Update: At the end of DEC-2021, the printed Thirty Years Of Swatch Collecting book became available in a numbered and limited first edition of 40 pcs. It is thick and heavy (more than 3 kilograms!). Update 2: The Swatch collection of Hans van Buuren will be auctioned on 09-MAY. Update 3: The Swatch collection was successfully auctioned. About 90% of the 1043 lots were sold with a "six digit Euro sum" total hammer price (25-28% fees have to be added to the hammer price). Some surprisingly high results such as Davos special or H.R.Giger watch catalogue. About 90-100 online bidders had registered for the auction and there was also a lot of room bidders activity during the 8 hours non-stop Swatch auction on 09-MAY. Hans has also published a 24 minutes "walk through" video of the all the items in the auction.
- Tom Hanks wears a MoonSwatch. Recently, actor Tom Hanks has posted an Instagram video wearing a Mission To Mercury MoonSwatch.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold May PINK Full Moon. The MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold (SO33M102) will be sold on 05 and 06-MAY in 19(!) cities worldwide as announced by Swatch on Instagram: 05-MAY: Melbourne, Vienna, Antwerp, Montréal, Valencia, Frankfurt, Monterrey, Porto, Singapore, Las Vegas, Lugano, Taipei, Glasgow; 06-MAY: Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Tokyo. Click here for more details. Update: There are strong rules in place when queueing for a MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold... Yet another hands variant for Mission To Moonshine Gold: The May edition has a violet/red pink lume on the tip of the chronograph seconds hand (closeup). The pink lume refers to "Pink Full Moon" (06-APR), the date of production of the seconds hand for this May release as shown on the accompanying certificate. The ref.code of the May edition is SO33M102-105.
- Buenos Aires Destination special. A new Swatch Destination special is available since April: New Gent Bioceramic Mi Buenos Aires Querido (SO29Z121) is Destination special #80 and it can be bought in Buenos Aires (Argentinia) only.
- The Nines 2023 Club event. Swatch The Nines is a 'playground for human talents'. The Winter 2023 edition takes place near Schilthorn (Jungfrau / Interlaken area) from 17 to 22-APR-2023. Swatch Club has invited about 10 Club members to join the event from 21 to 22-APR. Each club member received a special SwatchPAY! The Nines 2023 (not available for sale) plus a few other goodies. Additionally, two SwatchXYou The Nines 2023 are available (possibly online next week). During the Swatch The Nines event, the highest Swatch store in the world was also open...
- RIP Marianne Hayek. Rest In Peace Marianne Hayek, wife of Swatch Group's founder Nicolas G. Hayek.
- Mother's day / Father's day SwatchXYou specials. Two Mother's day SwatchXYou specials are now available on the Swatch homepage: 1. Supermom (canvas); 2. Flower For Mom 2 (canvas). In the Swatch Germany Online store, two Father's day SwatchXYou specials are available: 1. Superdad (canvas); 2. Neondad (canvas).
- Florence Art Journey Club event. Andrea Marco Faggioli sent me a report from the Swatch Art Journey Club Event in Florence, Italy on 13-APR.
- Paris Destination SwatchXYou. Another prefabricated Destination SwatchXYou special is now available in Paris since January: Greetings From Paris SXY (SUOK137-035, 105 EURO). The watch is prefabricated Destination SwatchXYou special #4, packaged in the brown Destination paper sleeve. Update: The Greetings From Paris SXY also has "Greeting From Paris" printed on the strap, not only on the loop! This is a bit awkward... Thanks to Thomas Sonneville for the photos and to Alain Choisy for the information.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold April full moon. The locations for the April full moon sale of the MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold have been announced by Swatch on Instagram: A whopping fourteen (14!) cities all over the world will sell the watch on 06-APR: Shanghai, Berlin, Madrid, New York City, Hong Kong, Macau, Toronto, Naucalpan de Juárez, Seoul, Geneva, Rome, Manchester, Yokohama, and Sydney. Click here for the exact location and local time of sale. The April full moon Mission To Moonshine Gold MoonSwatches has a slightly different golden seconds hand compared to the original March edition (with an additional tiny "3" [production in March] on the bottom of the seconds hand). The ref.code of the April edition is also different: SO33M102-104. See all details of the differences on the Instagram of Thomas Chan. Apparently, there were only circa 100 watches available in Toronto....
- MoonSwatch variant. Tak Lun Lee just made an important discovery: There is a MoonSwatch variant! The seconds hand (the wide part) of the original 2022 MoonSwatches covers the Swatch logo, the seconds hand of the recent MoonSwatch from 2023 covers the Omega logo. This is not a late April fools joke :-) Who knows when this change was introduced? The March full moon Mission To Moonshine Gold MoonSwatch already had the "new" seconds hand covering the "Omega" logo. Apparently, this change of the seconds hand was done on all eleven original MoonSwatch models. Update: The new seconds hand (covering the Omega logo instead of the Swatch logo) was already introduced in late 2022 (November).
- Geneva Destination SwatchXYou. Another prefabricated Destination SwatchXYou special is now available in Geneva: Greetings From Geneva SXY (SUOK145-048, 100 CHF). The watch is prefabricated Destination SwatchXYou special #6, packaged in the brown Destination paper sleeve.
- Beijing 2022 Olympics IOC special. Another special Beijing 2022 Olympics IOC Swatch has surfaced (with the additional Olympic Rings on the dial): A SISTEM51 AM51 IOC (SO30Z400) in a special packaging. The back of the watch has a special imprint "Limited Edition 2022". It is based on SISTEM51 AM51 (SO30B400), part of the 1983 Bioreloaded collection.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold. Swatch has released a teaser for a new MoonSwatch watch: Mission To MoonshineTM Gold. The watch will be launched on 07-MAR in Tokyo, Zurich, Milano, London, more precisely on the 007th at 007pm. Coincidence? OMEGA created the exclusive MoonshineTM Gold, an 18K yellow gold alloy, in 2019. Lots of speculation in the press, online and offline: Fratello Watches, Hodinkee, Blick (in German), 20min.ch (in German - according to this report / Nick Hayek: Swatch produces 4200 MoonSwatch watches per day now). Update: The new MoonSwatch Mission To MoonshineTM Gold (SO33M102, 275 CHF / 250 GBP) was sold yesterday in the four cities above. Long queues (Zurich about 500 people [liveticker, video by Swatch], London about 2000, Tokyo, Milano). It is estimated that about 250-300 watches were available for sale in each city (about 1 watch per minute was sold in Zurich, so the sale took some time...). The new MoonSwatch has a seconds hand made of OMEGA’s Moonshine™ Gold. This special golden seconds hand has been produced exclusively during the full moon of February (05-FEB), as stated in the certificate that comes with the watch which is packaged in a special golden box. The watch will be available for sale in other locations during the next full moon (06-APR) [with the February certificate? Or with a March certificate? Nick Hayek recently stated that 4200 MoonSwatches are produced per day now]. Mission To Moonshine Gold is not limited, not available online and it will not replace Mission To The Moon (SO33M100). Read the An Evening In Zürich: Observing the MoonSwatch Crowd story on Fratello Watches. Hodinkee has posted a Mission To Moonshine Gold with Mission To Neptune strap on Instagram. Interesting (probably an official press photo by Swatch)... Here are a few photos and videos from the Mission To Moonshine Gold launch event in Zurich. Update: According to Nick Hayek (during Swatch Group media conference on results 2022 on 16-MAR), there will be a lower production of Mission To Moonshine Gold watches during the next production day (and night) on 06-APR as it is the day before Good Friday (which is a holiday in Switzerland). Thanks to Agostino Pagani for the information.
- Blue MoonSwatch suitcases. A blue suitcase 'inspired' by the Omega X Swatch suitcase in the Omega and Swatch stores has surfaced on Instagram. You can easily see that it is not an original Omega X Swatch suitcase as the handle is totally different (the outer blue material is different too). Update (MAR-2023) to this story from 2022: Meanwhile, several different 'inspired' blue suitcases have appeared on different sales platforms. Swatch still does not rule out the possibility of selling the legendary MoonSwatch suitcase.
- MoonSwatch - Directors Cut. You may have read the story about the development of the MoonSwatch a few times already but: The Swatch Group Annual Financial Report for 2022 contains a whopping 14 pages about the development and the marketing of the MoonSwatch with lots of details that have not been shared before: Did you know that 10 different companies of the Swatch Group are involved in the production of the MoonSwatch?
- Unknown Big Bold. Can you identify the Big Bold that Nick Hayek was wearing during the annual media conference of Swatch Group (results 2022) on 16-MAR? Answer: It is one of the "soon to be released" Big Bold watches...
- "Ceci est un" Drive Thru Store. The Swatch Drive Thru Store in Biel, Switzerland has been remodeled to promote the newly released Swatch Art Journey collection, with a big green apple on top (Le Fils De L'homme By René Magritte).
- Greece Destination SwatchXYou. Another prefabricated
Destination SwatchXYou special is now available in Greece since
February: Greetings
From Greece II (SUOK147-025,
105 EURO). The watch ("A___Ω" on the back)
is packaged in the special Destination
paper sleeve and it is prefabricated Destination SwatchXYou
special #5.
Thanks to Ricardo Rocha for the photos.
- Interview / 27 years of "Stay Tuned To Swatch". Stay Tuned To Swatch has covered more than two thirds of the "40 Years Of Swatch". You can find an interview with the author of this website at the nice independent watch website Made in Bienne. Thanks Alex for giving me the opportunity to talk about our (S)watch passion...
- Swatch 40th Anniversary. The 40th anniversary of Swatch was celebrated independently of Swatch on 01-MAR-2023. As you can see in the brief History of Swatch 1979-1984, some other dates could have been chosen but most people agree that the official Swatch launch took place on 01-MAR-1983 with a press conference in Zurich (Switzerland). Fratello Watches has just started the celebrations with a nice report 40 Years Of Swatch and a Swatch podcast. Be sure to check out my Instagram #swatch40anniversary countdown too featuring some rare, some popular and some awkward Swatch watches.
- Kölner Karneval SwatchXYou specials available again. The two special SwatchXYou watches from 2022 dedicated to Kölner Karneval (Cologne Carnival) are available again in the German Swatch Online Store: 1. Veedelliebe (canvas); 2. Fastelovend (canvas). Kölle Alaaf! Can you spot any other local SwatchXYou special (carnival) in the Swatch Online store?
- Big Bold Biosourced. The first two Big Bold Biosourced watches have been released (quietly): 1. Misty Cliffs (SB05P100, 109 UKP); 2. Bouncing Blue (SB05N105, 109 UKP). Now where are the references SB05N100 to SB05N104? Swatch is no longer using "Bioceramic" (SB03xxxx)? Is it the same material? Thanks to Cristiano Ianna for the information.
- Swatch Omega prototype from 1969?!? Dayton Taylor from Switzerland recently found an interesting Omega prototype(?). The shape of the watch case almost looks like the shape of a Swatch watch, especially the typical strap hinges on the back. For the Swatch watch nerds: Dayton has produced a detailed document where he collects quite a few indications that this prototype was already produced in 1969! This would mean that the iconic Swatch watch case design from 1982 can be traced back to a much earlier, unreleased Omega prototype. What do you think?
- More than 1 Mio. MoonSwatches. In this recent interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek states that Swatch has sold more than one million MoonSwatch watches between 26-MAR-2022 (launch day) and end of NOV-2022. Meanwhile, there are more than 180 stores around the world selling the MoonSwatch (instead of 110 at the beginning. Lots of other interesting info in the report (eg. about changes in the MoonSwatch production facilities in Switzerland). Update: This success implies that Swatch Is On Track To Sell 1.5 Million Units Of MoonSwatch In One Year (until the end of MAR-2023). Never forget the MoonSwatch launch queues around the world on 26-MAR-2022.
- Valentine’s Day specials 2023. According to this report, Swatch will release three special watches for Valentine’s Day 2023: 1. New Gent Receipe For Love (SUOZ353) in a nice special packaging with lots of special loops for the strap; 2. New Gent Biosourced Love To Go Around (SO29N107); 3. Gent Biosourced Purest Love (SO28W109). The Valentine’s Day watches are now available online at Swatch. Update: Additionally, four different Valentine’s Day 2023 SwatchXYou are available in the Swatch Online Store: 1. Only One (canvas); 2. Cielo (canvas); 3. Love Explosion (canvas); 4. Love In World (canvas).
- New Hong Kong Bioceramic Pop-up store. K11
Musea is Hong Kong’s pioneering cultural-retail
landmark, located on the Victoria Dockside harbourfront of Tsim Sha
Tsui (built on a historic site formerly known as Holt’s
Wharf). Swatch has opened a new Bioceramic
Pop-up store inside of K11 Musea. This futuristic
store also sells the MoonSwatch
watches and it features a red Fiat
500 MoonSwatch car (for the time being, not permanent), similar
to the new Swatch store
inside of the KaDeWe in
Berlin. Source:
@mingwatch_hk
- Daniel Craig wears a MoonSwatch. James Bond 007
actor (retired) Daniel
Craig was spotted wearing a Mission
To Neptune MoonSwatch at the 2023
National
Board of Review Awards Gala in New York City on
08-JAN. Daniel Craig has some good connections
to Nick Hayek :-) but even James
Bond had to wait until 2023 to get his Mission to
Neptune... Source: @whatsdanielwearing
- Full Moon Celebration. The January 2023 Full Moon, also called the Full Wolf Moon, will be on Friday January 6, 2023 at 6:08 PM EST. Swatch joins the festivities with a Full Moon Celebration event at the Swatch stores in Paris, Zermatt, Edinburgh, Düsseldorf, Milano, New York, Las Vegas, Miami Beach. At a similar sales event in Zurich in December, 50-60 Mission To The Moon MoonSwatches were available for sale.
- Older swatch news. Click here to read older swatch news with more pictures and info. Check it out if you haven't!
- I am currently looking for:
- Kiki Picasso (poster piece)
- Kiki Picasso poster (original only)
- Mimmo Paladino Oigol Oro
- Helmut Newton Fingernails
- Prototypes, variants, hybrids, test models
- PunkXJob MAXI (MSUOZ280S) by Studio Job
- 1983 swatches mint only: GG400, GT402, GB100 FHL, GG400 FHL, GN100 FHL, GN400 FHL
- "blister" plastic boxes for 1982/1983 swatches, especially US and "Personaldienst" blister
- Folders, brochures, documentation, advertisement material 1982-86.
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Disclaimer: I am an avid Swatch collector but I am not a member of Swatch Group or Swatch, nor am I related to them in anyway, nor am I an official Swatch Dealer! I'm just a happy Pioneer member of Swatch Club. Swatch and Swatch Club are registered Trademarks of Swatch AG Switzerland. This site is in no way, shape or form affiliated with, endorsed by or in association with the Swatch Group.
All opinions are my personal view and do not reflect the opinion of Swatch or their associates. It is a collector site for collectors run by a collector.
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Andreas Wiethoff - contact me via email