Recent Swatch info (Last updated: 28-OCT-2020)

• 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 Group Germany Xmas gift.  In 2013, Swatch Group Germany has distributed a special Xmas gift to the employees of the company:  It is the 2012 Club watch Open It (SUOZ157) with a special sleeve explaining the advantages of Swatch Club on the back of the sleeve.
• BER Delayed special.  In order to add "yet another joke" about the non-opening of the Berlin airport in the last nine(!) years(!!), Swatch Germany issues a special New Gent Delayed (SUOW141C) on 31-OCT, the opening day of the new BER airport.  The special is available at the new Swatch store at the airport (in 2011 Swatch store design!).  It costs 79,83 EUR during the first nine days after the opening (from 31-OCT to 09-NOV) and 87,73 EURO afterwards (one percent reduction for each year of the delay).  The watch is a New Gent Go To Gate (SUOW141) from 2017 with a special strap.  It is rumoured that the limitation is 300 pcs (not numbered).
  
• Halloween specials in Zürich.  The Swatch store in Zürich celebrates Halloween from 27 to 31-OCT with a special "haunted house" shop decoration.  On 31-OCT (starting at 11am), the store will sell five older Swatch Halloween specials which have been unavailable since several years.
• Swatch in the movies.  One of the main characters in the new Apple+ movie On The Rocks (recommended!) wears a Lady Swatch watch (probably Attraverso (LW166) from 2018).  Later in the movie, she swaps her Swatch against a more expensive watch....
• Halloween SwatchXYou specials.  Until 02-NOV, three different SwatchXYou Halloween specials are available:  1. Diadelosmuertos (canvas);  2. Halloween2 (canvas); 3. Halloween Tage ("halloween days", canvas).  The design for this SwatchXYou is inspired by six vintage Halloween related Swatch Gent watches:  1. Witch Party (GP900, 2002);  2. Halloween (GZS30, 1998); 3. Chauve-Souris (GB190, 1999);  4. Geisterstund (GB192, 1999);  5. Skulling Time (GB220, 2004);  6. Batsknight (GK331, 2000).
• Thinnest Swatch ever?  Swatch Finder is "always surprising".
• Contempo-Russia SwatchXYou specials.  Ellen Sheidlin is a Russian model and artist.  A special SwatchXYou Sheidlin1 (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store Russia.  She has produced a very nice teaser video on Instagram.  Four other SwatchXYou specials are available in the Contempo-Russia SwatchXYou section of the Swatch Online Store Russia.  Update:  Since 19-OCT, the Contempo-Russia SwatchXYou watches are also available in the international Swatch Online Stores.
• Swatch on Google Street View.  Who can spot some Swatch displays on Google Street View?  (Swatch stores are too easy :-)  Here is a photo from Venice (Swatch banner at Rialto Bridge), taken in AUG-2013.  You should also check out my report from the Swatch Faces Event Venice (SEP-2013).
• POP pre-production prototype.  Here is a very early POP pre-production prototype.  The difference to the regular 1986 POP Jet-Black (PWBB101) is an additional seconds hand which cannot be found on any regular black POP with the bigger POP logo and no „(c) Swatch AG“ on the dial.  The back of the POP prototype is much more interesting:  The back of the watch is not embossed and only has a handwritten "29" on the back and engraved in the battery cover. "Piezo: 16 x 0,14 Membr: 0,15" written on the white sticker.  The battery case is in a totally different position on the back and the size of the battery is also different!  Here is a comparison photo to an early regular POP dummy of the front and of the back.  Update:  After removing the battery cover:  The inside looks even more interesting, "Marinium" written inside.  The usual POP Renata batteries (329) are too small, Gent (390) batteries are too large.  According to Hans van Buuren:  "movement looks like an ESA 947.111 (ESA Marinium quartz movement) as used eg. inside the CWC G10, launched in 1980 for the British Military."  It is very similar but not exactly the same:  compare the positions of the "10" and the "Marinium"
• SwatchPAY! in Italy.  SwatchPAY! is now available in Italy.  The collection of SwatchPAY! watches also now includes a new Big Bold PAY! Easytippay! (SO27M104-5300)
• Swatchissimo differences.  Swatchissimo is simply the best coffee table book about Swatch watches.  Go and get one for your collection, you won't regret it.  It has many valuable details about the (early) history of Swatch watches and almost 400 pages with great photos of Swatch watches.  Recently, I discovered some subtle differences between the first (December 1991) and the second printing (marked "March 1992" on the last page).
• Big Bold Chrono.  A new product line Big Bold Chrono (47mm) is now available in the Swatch Online Store.  The initial collection consists of four watches:  1. Checkpoint Black (SB02B400);  2. Checkpoint Blue (SB02B401);  3. Checkpoint Red (SB02B402);  4. Checkpoint Yellow (SB02B403).  The Big Bold Chrono costs $1,160.00 HKD (~126 EURO).
  
• 2nd version of James Bond Q special.  Swatch plans to release a second version of the James Bond Q special very soon on 01-OCT (why is the first version not in the Swatch Finder?!?):  The Skin Irony ²Q (SS07Z102) has blue hands and coil (instead of red). Otherwise, watch and packaging are almost identical to the first version from early 2020.  Note the interesting photoshop issues of the printed watch inside the updated packaging...  It is rumoured that 20,000 pcs of the new blue version have been manufactured (first red version was 7,007 pcs according to rumours).  In Europe, the price of the watch has been increased by 7,5%:  215 EURO instead of 200 EURO.  Update:  Nice special Swatch website.  What can we expect here?   Thanks to Thomas Chan for the photos.
  
• Swatch Group cyber attack.  It seems that Swatch Group was (is?) the victim of a cyber attack last weekend.  This may be the reason why some new models are not yet available in the Swatch Online store (we are waiting for the Colette Mon Amour special, you can also get it online at highsnobiety.com).
• Carlo Giordanetti interview.  Carlo Giordanetti was Creative Director of Swatch from October 2012 until recently when he took over the CEO role of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China.  Here is an interview with him (in Italian), first published in July and now made available again by Swatch Italy on Twitter (part 1 / part 2).
  
• Myeongdong Destination special.  A Destination New Gent special Myeongdong Nights (SUOB720F, Destination Special #69) is available since Summer 2019. Myeongdong is Seoul's shopping mecca (South Korea) with a mixture of street stalls and retail outlets selling everything from high fashion to Korean cosmetics.  The Myeongdong Swatch store has an Instagram account since APR-2020.  The watch is a a New Gent Mono Black (SUOB720) with three special loops around the strap.  This watch is somewhat of a mystery:  It does not have the usual paper sleeve.  However, Swatch seems to consider this as a Destination watch because a) it can be found among the watches (scroll down) for World Tourism Day and b) it is available for sale at Zurich airport among many other Destination watches (at least in JAN-2020).
• Colette Mon Amour special.  As detailed in this news report from Japan, Swatch has collaborated with the lifestyle website Highsnobiety to launch a special New Gent CMA 2:13 (SUOZ327) on 26-SEP at the 2G_TOKYO store (pic1 / pic2).  "CMA" stands for "Colette Mon Amour".  The legendary boutique Colette in Paris (founded by Colette Roussaux) was a pioneer in the concept store era.  It was open to the public from 1997 to 2017 at 213 Rue Saint-Honoré.  Colette’s special watch is reminiscent of the positive spirit of Colette Roussaux, the Eiffel Tower and the city of love.  The documentary “Colette Mon Amour” will be released exclusively at White Cine Quint on 26-SEP.  The watch (packaged in a nice blue paper sleeve) will be available online and in stores in Japan and France starting 28-SEP, it is limited to 1000 pcs.  It costs 12,100 JPY (incl. tax, approx. 97 EURO).  Colette had released a special Gent The Away Project (GN230F) in 2011, limited to 200 pcs.  Update:  The watch was also available at highsnobiety.com for 85 EURO plus 5 EURO for postage (250 pcs, in addition to the 1000 pcs for Swatch) and for 75 EURO in the Swatch Online shop (also sold out).
• World Tourism Day Destination specials.  Swatch celebrates the World Tourism Day (27-SEP) with special access to exclusive Destination watches. Until 29-SEP, many (so far only locally available) Destination specials are available in the Swatch Online Store. In Germany, 15 out of 69 destination specials are available online now.  This varies slightly in other markets.
• Expensive Swatch concert poster.  A (simple) vintage Swatch Watch NYC Fresh Festival concert poster from 1984 was recently sold for $2,016 US.  Now what is the value of my vintage Swatch Watch NYC Fresh Festival Staff Limited Access sticker?
  
• Paola Navone exhibition.  Italian Swatch artist Paola Navone has opened a nice Thammada exhibition at Superstudio Piu in Milano, Italy.  The New Gent special Thammada (SUOZ264S, only 888 pcs) was released in 2017.  It also exists as a Maxi Swatch (several Maxis are shown in the exhibition).
• New "bioreloaded" Vintage styles.  Swatch plans to relaunch ("bio-revolutionize") some 1983 related vintage inspired Swatch watches next week, probably on 10-SEP as new products are always launched on a Thursday!  Update:  A teaser email Born In 1983, Made In 2020 has been mailed out.  The new collection will be "Bioreloaded" (is that a new English word?) by using two newly introduced bio-sourced materials extracted from the seeds of the castor plant.  A first "bioreloaded" Swatch was issued in early 2020: The Don't Be Too Late reissue DB2L (SO28B102).  Back then, there was almost no communication about the usage of recycled plastic.  Update 2: The first two "bioreloaded" Gent watches have been unveiled in a second teaser email. Update 3:  Here is an overview photo of the first Bioreloaded collection.  It consists of six Gent size (34mm) watches (ref.no. SO28xxxx) and five New Gent size (41mm) watches (ref.no. SO29xxxx).  My favourites are the reissues of the famous "mirror" 1983 Gent watches:  1. GN101 reissue Silver Wakiki (SO28N100);  2. GR102 reissue Goldenshijian (SO28R102).  The four new "1983 inspired" Gent watches feature a new font for the numbers on the dial which has been created for the signage of the new Swatch Headquarters in Biel.  Additionally, a new version of the biodegradable packaging has been created: Made of paperfoam, the material consists of an innovative mix based on potato and tapioca starch. As a result, the packaging produced with the injection molding process is fully biodegradable and can be recycled with paper waste or even composted right at home. The New Gent Timefortime (SO29B100) (yet another Don't Be Too Late inspired watch [“call to action”]) has an interesting hint about a third, "tell me more" SISTEM51 Don't Be Too Late variation which will be released in October. Thanks to Hans for the hint.
  
• Taiwan Local SwatchXYou.  A special "local" SwatchXYou Vastar Graffiti (canvas) is now available in the Taiwan Swatch Online Store.  The design has been created by Taiwanese graffiti artist Fu Hsing-han (傅星翰) who is in his early 30s and tags under the name Vastar. Thanks to Sophia Chang for the hint.
• Nick Hayek interview on Swiss TV.  A great report about Swatch was recently broadcasted on Swiss TV (in German), including a long interview with Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek!
• Japanese artist SwatchXYou specials.  Japan Calling:  Swatch releases ten twelve SwatchXYou specials, created by six Japanese multidisciplinary artists:  1. Spring (canvas) by the creator team Towmei-Line (website);  2. Monster of JAPAN (canvas) by the creator team Towmei-Line (website);  3. Fantastic Nature (canvas) by Yoshi47 (website);  4. Mosaic Delight (canvas) by Yoshi47 (website);  5. Queen (canvas) by Kosuke Kawamura;  6. Mirage (canvas) by Kosuke Kawamura;  7. Music (canvas) by Jun Inoue (website);  8. Black&White (canvas) by Jun Inoue (website);  9. Inner World (canvas) by Ouma (website);  10. Katakana (canvas) by Ouma (website);  11. Chocomoo2 (canvas) by Chocomoo (website);  12. Nature Talk (canvas) by Chocomoo (website).
• New Taipei Swatch store.  Many Swatch stores have been closed this year due to various circumstances (Covid-19, Hong Kong trouble, ...).  A new Swatch store ("modern playground") will (re)open on 31-AUG in Taipei (Taiwan) at the Taipei 101 shopping mall.  Sophia Chang has posted a few photos of the remodeled Swatch store.  Update:  More photos and a nice "making of" video.
• Swatch On The Rocks.  The trailer of the upcoming Apple TV+ movie On The Rocks by Sophia Coppola (starring Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, and Marlon Wayans) shows a Lady Swatch Attraverso (LW166) from 2018.
• Swissness SwatchXYou special.  A special SwatchXYou Swiss Proud (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store.  Update:  A second SwatchXYou Cantons (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store.  Update 2: Apparently, the Swissness SwatchXYou design changes every week:  A third SwatchXYou Swiss Cows (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store.  Thanks to David Rippmann for the information.
• Cat SwatchXYou special.  On 08-AUG, we celebrate International Cat Day.  A special SwatchXYou Neko (canvas) iswas available in the Swatch Online Store. Update:  A second SwatchXYou Cats In The City (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store. Update 2: Apparently, the Cats SwatchXYou design changes every week:  A third SwatchXYou Art Cat (canvas) is now available in the Swatch Online Store.
• Destination specials available online.  Most (not all, 53 (if I counted correctly) out of 69) Destination specials are now available "for a short time" in the Swiss Swatch Online Store (not in Germany, I haven't checked other online stores). Update:  The watch available in the Online Store are shipped without the special Destination paper sleeve.  Instead, they are delivered in the standard red box currently used in the Online Store.  Thanks to Ines Brem for the hint and to Alain Choisy for the update.
  
• Chinese Valentine's special.  For the upcoming Chinese Valentine's Day on lunar calendar 07-JUL, this year 25-AUG (Qixi Festival), Swatch has released a special Gent Swatch, limited(?) to 412(?) pcs in China:  Bunny X Bunny (GE714C).  While the frontside of the watch is very cute, the backside of the strap is a bit naughty (remember Bunnysutra? Hopefully BunnyXBunny will be a similar success :-)  The watch is a Gent Ultrarose (GE714) from 2019 with a special strap.  Update:  Bunny X Bunny is now available in many countries (worldwide?) in the Swatch Online Store.  Thanks to Sophia Chang, Tak Lun Lee and to Ed Chung for the information and photos.
• Boston ‘Storybook’ launch.  Long time Swatch collector Ann Keeling recently published a few photos in the SWATCH ENTHUSIASTIC GROUP WORLDWIDE Facebook group.  As digital photos from early Swatch events are rare, I collected Ann's photos in a small mini-report about the Boston ‘Once Upon a Time Storybook’ launch event (02+03-OCT-1993).

• I am currently looking for:

• Kiki Picasso (poster piece)
• Mimmo Paladino
• Prototypes, variants, hybrids, test models
• BAPE boxset #1 (xx/83, w/ 6 watches, SO27ZS01)
• 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.
• original plastic boxes for Keith Haring (with correct price sticker) for:   Modele Avec Personnages (GZ100)
• Folders, brochures, documentation, advertisement material up to 1986.

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