Stay tuned to Swatch - Archive 2014

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.

news from 2014 are below:

First Swatch Store in Belgium. The first Swatch Store in Belgium has opened its doors at the beginning of November in Brussels (Rue au Beurre 42). Update: A few years ago, there was already a Swatch Store at Rue du Marcher aux Herbes 42. It closed due to poor sales. Hopefully, the "42" brings more luck this time... Thanks to Alain Choisy for the update.
SISTEM51 variants. The mechanics of SISTEM51 were changed slightly very early after the initial sale in Geneva in DEC-2013. Here is a comparison picture. Spot the (quite obvious) difference! You can also see that the (unworn!) Geneva (DEC-2013) SISTEM51 has a crack in the transparent part of the rotating rotor. I have seen at least two SISTEM51 watches with this problem (the single screw is tightened too much?).
Hamburg Flagship Store opening special. On 27-NOV, Swatch has opened a new flagship store at the Jungfernstieg 7 in Hamburg, Germany. A special and limited "Hamburg" Swatch was available for sale (a New Gent Moin Moin Hamburg (SUOR705C) with a special loop around the strap featuring an imprint "Moin Moin"). The watch comes packaged in a nice special paper sleeve, numbered xxx/500. Update: Here are a few pictures from the opening event. Update 2: www.secondwatch.it has a few nice pictures of the actual special. Thanks to Sascha Stawinski for the pictures.
SISTEM51 production line. www.watch-insider.com has a very nice report with many pictures from the ETA high-tech Swatch SISTEM51 production in Boncourt in the Swiss Jura.
First Australian Swatch auction. The first Australian auction devoted to Swatches will take place on 18-DEC at Leonard Joel in Melbourne, Australia. Nothing too rare in the auction, though.
Chinese New Year special. The Chinese New Year special is called The Goat’s Keeper (SUOZ189) and it comes in a nice small box (2015 is the year of the goat). Price is 60 EURO.
Nick Hayek and smartwatches. According to this interview with the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger (March 2014), Swatch boss Nick Hayek does not believe in smartwatches. The interview also states that Swatch presented a Swatch Touch Liquid Metal, with a Bluetooth function allowing to shoot the camera of the smartphone (for selfies :-) Update: Dino Dillewitz found lots of additional information about the Swatch Touch Liquid Metal at www.watch-insider.com. Here is an interview with Nick Hayek and here are many detailed pictures of the Swatch Touch Liquid Metal. The watch will be available in November. A special section on the Swatch website is already reserved: "Coming Soon". Update 2: http://www.swatch.com/liquidtouch now (OCT-2014) shows some content, so it seems as if the November release date is realistic. The Swatch Touch Liquid Metal has two main features: 1. Remote Camera: Shoot a photo with your iPhone/iPad by touching your Swatch Touch watch; 2. Time Zone Sync: Sync the time on your Swatch Touch watch with your iPhone/iPad. The download of the iOS app seems to be in beta stage. Bluetooth has to be activated / deactivated manually to preserve battery life. I am sure that this will be collectable watch but I can't see this taking the market by storm, the gap to the Apple Watch and other smartwatches is quite big. Update 3: Meanwhile (end of NOV-2014), http://www.swatch.com/liquidtouch is no longer active. Maybe the Swatch Touch Liquid Metal is cancelled?!?
Milano Flagship Store opening event. On 25-NOV, Swatch has opened a new flagship store in via Montenapoleone 25, Milano, Italy. secondwatch.it has a nice report about the opening. As a special surprise, Mika played a private concert for invited guests and VIPs. swatch.tv has a nice video from the opening celebrations. Vogue.it has a few pictures and a small report.
Xmas 2014 Club event / special. The traditional Swatch The Club Xmas event 2014 took place from 19 to 22-NOV in Las Vegas, USA. A special Gent Swatchstrip (GZ293S) was released, it comes in a nice special "gambling" packaging. You can find a small report with a few pictures on the Swatch website. Thanks to German and Dino for the pictures.
Commerzbank giant Maxi. You have probably heard of the giant Yellow Racer Maxi Swatch at the Commerzbank building in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1984 (162 meters, here is an original magazine report from 1985 with info about Swatch and the Maxi [it does not mention the name Hayek, unthinkable today!]). Markus Muth just found some nice photos: Maxi going up / Maxi almost up / view from the town (nice view of the 80s BTW) / another view from the town. Swatch got an entry in the Guiness Book of Records for the Maxi.
Xmas special 2014. The Xmas special 2014 is a New Gent called Holiday Twist (SUOZ709S). It comes packaged in a nice paper tube and it is limited to 14999 pcs. Here is a picture of the opened tube. More information and pictures can be found here on the official Swatch website and on this blog. Update: You can also play the Gingerbread Girl game, featuring the Xmas special.
Faces & Traces Exhibition. From 01-NOV through the end of the year, is the first-ever Faces & Traces exhibition is on display at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China. Every artist-in-residence who stayed at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel was asked to leave a "trace" (a piece of art etc.) at the Hotel. Update: A special New Gent Black & White The Swatch Art Peace Hotel (SUOZ197) will be released for the exhibition. The watch will be on sale exclusively at the Boutique Swatch Swatch Art Peace Hotel from 01-NOV until 07-JAN-2015 and will be available worldwide starting on 08-JAN-2015. Update: Here are some pictures from the opening of the Faces & Traces exhibition. Update 2: Here is a picture of the actual watch, it comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve. As you can see, there is a "Art Peace Hotel only" version ('I was there' imprinted on the sleeve). Thanks to Alain Choisy for the picture and to Holger Brinkmann and Sophia Chang for the update.
The 100.000.010th Swatch. You probably have seen a picture of the display of the 100 Mio.th Swatch watch (07-APR-1992, a Frische Fische Gent) in a catalogue or on the internet somewhere. It was displayed for example at Baselworld 2013. But did you know that quite a few (probably at least eleven) similar displays exist? Probably not. Here is a picture of the 100.000.010th Swatch watch! This display is especially interesting as Nick Hayek Sr. (almost) never signed watches / straps (only packagings, photos etc.) Some of these displays were given to top executives of Swatchgroup.
"Days Of My Youth" movie / Richard Permin special. Swatch advertises a new movie with Swatch Proteam member Richard Permin on the official webpage: Days Of My Youth. The movie showcases the lives and chronicles of an all-star cast of skiers. Swatch will present the premiere of the movie in several cities around the world in November. Watch the trailer here. Update: A special Irony THE CHRONO Permin (YOB402S) designed by Richard Permin has been released. It is limited to only 1111 pcs, numbered, and it comes packaged in a nice special box. The outer paper box features the logo of Richard Permin. Retail price is $265 US / 185 EURO / 270 CHF. The official Swatch website has a nice special section with information about the Permin watch. Update 2: On 08-NOV-2014, the German premiere of Days Of My Youth took place in Munich, including an autograph session. Here is a report with many pictures from the autograph session and the movie premiere. You can watch the Days Of My Youth movie for free on 27-NOV. Thanks to German Santiago for the pictures.
Boca Juniors specials. The famous soccer club Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires, Argentinia) has released two special Swatch watches: 1. Boca Juniors 1 (SUOZ177); 2. Boca Juniors 2 (SUOZ178). The watches are packaged in a nice special packaging. Update: It seems that the watches were officially released on 04-NOV. Both watches are also available in the Boca Juniors online shop (Argentinia shipping only!). The watches are not exactly cheap: 1490 ARS (~140 EURO / $175 US) for each watch (not for the pair!). Thanks to Alain Choisy for the information and pictures.
Specialized special. The US bicycle company Specialized has issued a special Swatch watch: Specialized (a Gent Red Sunday (GB750, 2000) with a special strap). The watch comes packaged in a red paper sleeve.
Women's Pro Trestles specials. For the first-ever Swatch Women's Pro Trestles ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) event which took place from 09 to 20-SEP-2014 in San Clemente, CA, USA, three special Swatch watches have been released: 1. Color Palette - SWP 2014 - USA (SUOJ101C); 2. Dip In Color - SWP 2014 - USA (SUOP103C); 3. Color My Lacquered - SWP 2014 - USA (SUOS101C). The three watches are available in the Swatch USA online store and they are packaged in a nice paper sleeve: front / back. Thanks to German Santiago for the pictures.
BCEE special. For the 150th anniversary of the Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat, Luxembourg (BCEE) in 2006, a special BCEE Gent Swatch has been released.
Expo 86 Vancouver giant Swatch. Here is a nice picture of the giant Swatch that was shown at Expo 86 Vancouver, Canada. At the time, it was the World's largest Swatch. The Yellow Racer Swatch at the Commerzbank building in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1984 was even bigger.
Pestalozzi special. For the 100th anniversary of the Swiss Attorneys at Law Pestalozzi in Zurich in 2011, a special packaging of the Gent Fog Cloud (GM169) has been released in a limited edition of 100 pcs. The accompanying booklet in the box contains additional pictures and details about the Swatch Gent. I don't know if the "5 of 5" on the side of the packaging indicates the number of pieces, probably not...
Swatch Girls Pro France 2014 specials. Swatch Girls Pro took place in Hossegor, France from 20 to 24-AUG-2014. Two special watches were released: 1. Underwater - SGPF 2014 (SUOW107D), a New Gent Underwater (SUOW107) with a special loop around the strap; 2. Blue Depth - SGPF 2014 (SUON105C), a New Gent Blue Depth (SUON105) with a special loop around the strap. Both watches are packaged in a nice paper sleeve. Thanks to Melissa Starr for the hint and to Alain Choisy for the photo.
Otokar special. At the IAA 2014 (65th International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles) in Hanover, Germany, Otokar Bus has distributed a special Swatch Otokar (an Irony Big Classic Trueville (YWS400) with a special engravure on the back). The watch is packaged in a nice paper sleeve and it is limited to 100 pcs.
Three new Maxi Swatch watches. A new and good tradition continues: A few watches from the current collection will be released as Maxi Swatch watches: 1. Sir Blue (MGN718); 2. Appletini (MGR707); 3. Colour Kilt (MSUON109, the first ever New Gent Maxi(?)). Update: The case of the Colour Kilt Maxi is completely dark blue, so it is different to the standard New Gent Colour Kilt which has a colourful case. This is similar to last year: Compare Green Spell Maxi (MGB280, black case) with Green Spell Gent (GB280, black and white case). Update 2: secondwatch.it has more details about the differences of the three Maxi Swatch watches and their Gent/New Gent counterpart. Thanks to Holger Brinkmann for the hint and to Alain Choisy for the update.
Abbaye de Saint-Maurice special. For the 1500th anniversary of the Abbaye de Saint-Maurice in Valais, Switzerland, Swatch has released a special New Gent Abbaye de Saint-Maurice (SUOZ183, close-up of watch face). The watch comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve. The monastery will celebrate its 1500th anniversary in 2015, making it the oldest living monastery in the western world. The watch is available in Switzerland only: Saint-Maurice, Zurich and Geneva. Thanks to Eric Bressoud for the information and pictures.
Parkour Ride special. The Swatch UK online store sells a Parkour Ride 2014 (SUOB702I) special, a New Gent Black Rebel (SUOB702) with a special loop around the strap. It is the special for the Parkour Ride event in London, UK, on 04-OCT at Tobacco Dock.
Vogue Italy 50th anniversary special. For the 50th anniversary of Vogue Italia, two specials have been released: 1. Rhossili / Vogue, IT (SUOB706D); 2. White Bishop / Vogue, IT (GW164D). The watches are packaged in a nice paper sleeve. They are not available for sale but they were given only to VIPs, for example at the Vogue Italia’s 50th Anniversary Cocktail. Thanks to Fabrizio Mazzucco for the information.
Nick Hayek and the Apple watch. Does Nick Hayek (head of Swatch) feel scared about the Apple watch? According to this report and interview on Swiss TV, he reacts calmly. On the other hand, Elmar Mock (co-creator of the Swatch watch) states in a interview that the Swiss watch industry should be worried. Time will tell...
Second Club watch 2014. As stated in the Swatch Club benefits ("Access to the Second Club Special"), the second club special has now been announced and it will be available starting 12-SEP: It is a New Gent with the awkward name SWA-RKSHOP (SUOZ182), limited but not numbered. You probably have to say the name loud in order to get the idea :-) It is only available to club members who subscribed in 2014-2015 with a White Loop club watch. The Club benefits page mentions 5000 pcs for the second club special but the number is no longer specified in the current announcement on the official Swatch webpage. Update: A numbered version of the watch (xxx/999 on the back of the watch and on the box, 95 EUR) in a nice special packaging was sold during several club events in Geneva, New York, Frankfurt, California, Torino (Italy), Taipei, Toronto (Canada [first Swatch event ever in Canada??]) ... in early September. Here is another nice picture of the watch in the packaging. Update: Here are a few pictures from the launch in Frankfurt on 10-SEP. In Switzerland (on 09-SEP in Geneva and Zurich), the collectors received also a chocolate SWA-RKSHOP watch. Update 2: secondwatch.it has a picture of the sleeve of the regular, unnumbered edition that is on sale since 12-SEP (55 EUR). Update 3: In Singapore, the launch will take place on 23-SEP at the Megastore. Thanks to Hetto Dijkstra, German Santiago, Alain Choisy, and Álvaro Berridi for the pictures.
Alexander Gorlizki artist special. On 12-SEP, Swatch will release a new artist special designed by British born artist Alexander Gorlizki. It is a New Gent called Sliding Doors (SUOZ185S), limited to 4567 pcs. The watch comes in a nice colourful special packaging. A great video about the watch and the artist has also been published. UK retail price is 63.50 UKP. Update: On 5-SEP, Alexander Gorlizki was present at the launch of his Swatch Art Special in New York City. Update 2: Swatch has a special page about the watch and the artist. Update 3: On 08-SEP, Alexander Gorlizki was present at the Swatch Store in the Louvre in Paris. He patiently signed a lot of watches. Thanks to Hetto Dijkstra for the picture.
Prime Line Munich Club event. From 18 to 20-JUL, the Munich Mash Action Sport event will take place at the Olympiapark. The event is a successor of the X-Games and it will consist of Red Bull X-Fighters (FMX), Swatch Prime Line (MTB), and BMX Street Rink. A special event watch will be released. Swatch Club Germany will host a Club event on the weekend of 19/20-JUL. Update: A special Scuba Libre Swatch Prime Line (SUUJ101D-1) has been released to commemorate the event, it is a Scuba Libre Lemon Profond (SUUJ101) with a special loop around the strap. It comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve which is numbered to 222 pcs). Update 2: Red Bull has published a nice 360° panorama from the X-Fighters event and a great video is also available, including the Double Backflip (3 times!) by Josh Sheehan from Australia. Update 3: Here is an overview of the stuff that the collectors received during the Club event. Update 4: Swatch just put some pictures from the event on the official homepage. Update 5: Very very late (due to the summer holidays): Here is a report about the Red Bull X-Fighters (FMX) part of the event (saturday). Thanks to Stefan Kluge for the picture.
Azzali 1881 Italy Club event. On 30-AUG, Swatch Club Italy is holding an event called Il Baratto Del Tempo in Mantova, Italy, to celebrate 133 years of existence and long-term collaboration with Swatch of the well-known jewelry store Azzali 1881. secondwatch.it has more details. Roberto Quadrini has more details about the event which hopefully will be huge: Gigliola Azzali also welcomes Swatch collectors from outside of Italy at the event. The Azzali 1881 shop display windows will be offered to collectors who want to show their best pieces. There will be a Swatch swapping bourse and a number of tables will be offered on a first come first serve basis. If you want more details or if you have questions, please contact Swatch Club Italy. secondwatch.it reports that two New Gent specials, limited to 133 pcs each, will also be released. Update: Two really special New Gent watches have been sold for 133 EUR (each) at the event, limited (and numbered on the back) to only 133 pcs per watch: Centtrentatri Black (SUOZ710S) and Centtrentatri White (SUOZ711S). The watches are packaged in a special paper sleeve which is also numbered. These two watches are unique and special because the date field of the original New Gent watches has been replaced so that it always shows "133 A". Update 2: Here is a small report with a few pictures by Stefano Moschetti about the Il Baratto Del Tempo event. Thanks to Roberto Quadrini and Alain Choisy for the information and pictures.
Matterhorn special. The first Pop-up Hotel in the Alps has been opened from JUL to mid SEP-2014: Base Camp Matterhorn. It replaces the currently closed Hörnli lodge which will reopen in 2015 for the 150 years first ascent of the Matterhorn jubilee. Swatch is a sponsor of the Base Camp. A special Swatch Chrono Plastic Red Shadow 4478 (SUSR400E) will be given to sumiteers of the Matterhorn (4478 m, together with a certificate) while the Base Camp is open. It comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve. and it is limited to 200 pcs. The watch is also available exclusively in the Swatch store in Zermatt.
Swatch and smart watches. With an imminent announcement of the Apple "iWatch" (on 09-SEP?), several news reports have now stated that Swatch is planning to enter the market of fitness watches with a special Swatch Touch in 2015. Let's wait and see (I would not take this too serious at the moment). Swatch has had some spectacular failures with "smartwatches" (Paparazzi, Pager, ...) in the past. Thanks to Dan Levinson for the information.
Red Dancing Rose Rosso special. As you may have seen in the lookbook (page 83), the Red Dancing Rose special (SUOZ131S) by Uma Wang that was cancelled (apparently at last minute) two years ago, will now be part of the Fall / Winter collection 2014/15, renamed as Rosso. Limitation will be 777 pcs and the price will be cheaper (and more realistic) than Black Dancing Rose: $160 US. Red Dancing Rose is scheduled for release for mid September, possibly, it will be only (mainly?) be sold at the London Fashion Week. Update: Apparently, the Rosso special (SUOZ131S. three special loops around the strap) will only be sold in London during the London Fashion Weekend (18 to 21-SEP), in a nice special paper sleeve. This means that the rumoured special red Uma Wang packaging (similar to the black one) will not be available and the watch will also not be available in the USA.
Swatch Women’s Pro Surf Competition in California. Do you want to win a one day trip to California? (unfortunately, only for applicants from US and Canada)
Why CEOs swear by Swatches. Here is a great report describing why Swatch watches are popular among wealthy CEOs.... More pictures and information (in German) in blick.ch.
Beachmania Biel specials. From 06 to 10-AUG, Beachmania (CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Masters) took place in Biel, Switzerland. Three different Swatch special were issued to commemorate the event: 1. La Nave Va Beachmania (SUUS100C); 2. Deep Berry Beachmania (SUUP100C); 3. Lemon Profond Beachmania (SUUJ101E). Each watch comes with a special loop around the strap and it is packaged in a nice paper sleeve. You can also buy a beachshirt for men or a beach-top for women and a polo shirt, all with Swatch logo. Thanks to Christine Tanner and Ines Brem for the pictures.
SISTEM51 launch in Taiwan. On 09-AUG, the VIP launch of SISTEM51 took place in Taiwan. Sophia Chang has taken a few pictures: pic1 / pic2 / pic3 / pic4 / pic5 / pic6 / pic7.
SISTEM51 launch in Amsterdam. On 30-JUL-2014, SISTEM51 was launched in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Hetto Dijkstra sent me a few pictures from the launch. The participating club members received a goody bag with a notebook, pen, Swatch Eye 3/2014, ... The special box (similar to the Geneva box) with all four watches was also available, not numbered. Update: More pictures from the SISTEM51 launch on the Dutch Swatch Facebook page.
Water Tank Project Club event (is cancelled probably on). On 26-JUN, a Swatch Club event Discover the Water Tank Project takes place in New York City. Club members will join a guided tour bus ride to view Swatch's custom wrapped tanks in the five boroughs of New York City. Ten artists from all around the world have created art on water tanks. Afterwards, club members will meet artists from the project at the Times Square Store and they will have the chance to buy a limited edition Swatch New Gent special Art Drop (SUOW107C). It is a New Gent Underwater (SUOW107) with a special loop around the strap, packaged in a nice paper sleeve. You can find more details about the project in the press release by Swatch and on a special Water Tank Project section on the Swatch website. Update: Apparently, the club event is cancelled and the Art Drop special will not be released (the watches are already in the store!). So far, the organizers do not have the permission from New York City authorities to paint the tanks. Update 2: Apparently, there is hope that the work on the water tanks can continue so that the Swatch water tanks will possibly be up until the end of July (that's the goal of the Water Tank Project charity). The Art Drop special is in the NYC & NJ stores as of 01-JUL and it is also available in the official US online store. Possibly, the Swatch event will be rescheduled to end of July or beginning of August but that's not yet confirmed. Update 3: The first water tank is now "live", designed by Laurie Simmons. Update 4: The second water tank is now "live", designed by Dutch illustrator Sigrid Calon. She also has designed a poster which is printed in the Swatch magazine The Swatch Eye #3. Update 5: The water tank designed by the Italian Swatch artist Lorenzo Petrantoni is now "live" as well. Pictures by German Santiago and Swatch. Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the information.
SISTEM51 launch in Singapore. On 24-JUL-2014, SISTEM51 was launched in Singapore. Here are a few pictures and impressions from the event, including "live printing" of SISTEM51 bags. Nice cocktails were served! The special box (similar to the Geneva box) with all four watches was also available, numbered xxx/151 on the back.
Pegasus Matterhorn concert. Swatch is currently promoting the Swiss band Pegasus. The band is enjoying significant success in Switzerland (incl. a Number One) and they also played at a few Club events this year (eg. Berlin). Now, Pegasus is staging an exclusive concert at the Matterhorn Basecamp (altitude 2800 meters!). Swatch The Club Switzerland is offering 20 tickets to this "high level" concert (registration is open to Swiss Club members only).
Portuguese Online Swatch Auction. From 1 to 7-AUG, a larged Swatch collection will be auctioned online in Portugal. I did not find anything really interesting, however. Thanks to Brian Pier and Martin Maguss for the hint.
Through the Eyes of Five Members. Five Gold & Pioneer members are featured in the third edition of the Swatch Eye (the Swatch newspaper), answering some "timely" questions....
Swatch Fitness watch. According to many reports, Swatch plans to release its own fitness watch based on the Touch Swatch watches in 2015. Nick Hayek has denied in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Züricher Zeitung that Swatch will collaborate with Apple on the rumoured "iWatch". Thanks to Christine Tanner for the picture.
Stop POP Swatch. It is very likely that you have never seen (or even heard of) the following type of Swatch watch: A Stop POP Swatch. Same size as a normal POP Swatch. "(c) 1990" on the dial, so two years before the release of the regular Stop watches. It is working fine. Here is a picture of the back. Two other prototypes are known: Stop POP 2 / Stop POP 3.
Swatch Club Xmas Event 2014. The Swatch Club Xmas Event 2014 will not take place in the snow: Las Vegas, USA, from 19 to 22-NOV.
From the 1983 Gent Swatch to SISTEM51. Sistem51: Swatch as Swatch can is a nice blog post (in German) where Gisbert L. Brunner describes the development from the original Gent Swatch in 1983 up to SISTEM51 in 2013. Most interesting is the early press material (page 1 / page 2 / page 3 / page 4) which I haven't seen anywhere else before. It is not the original 1982/83 press material as it shows a Classique (GB703RE) and a Jelly Fish (available in late 1984 / early 1985).
Free4Style 2014 special. From 04 to 06-JUL-2014, the Free4Style 2014 event takes place in Estavayer-le-Lac, Switzerland. Three different action sports are featured: FMX (Freestyle Motocross), Wakeboard, and Jet Ski. A special Swatch Free4Style 2014 (a Scuba Libre Lemon Profond (SUUJ101) with an additional loop around the strap) was released to commemorate this event. The watch comes in a special paper sleeve. Swatch The Club members were invited to participate at the event and they received a nice special bag and two posters (Mat Rebeaud / Levi Sheerwood). Here is a nice report about the event. Thanks to Alain Choisy for the pictures.
SISTEM51 in Germany / USA / Spain. It seems as if SISTEM51 will finally be available in Germany: SISTEM51 will be presented at the Swatch Store in Munich (Marienplatz) this Friday (20-JUN). Update: SISTEM51 will also be available in the US soon: Starting 01-JUL in the Times Square Store in New York City and starting 08-JUL in San Francisco (Grant & Geary, club members will be invited). Update 2: Wolfgang Seiler sent me a few pictures from the Munich SISTEM51 Pop-up store opening. The store was remodeled within one day only! No special packaging but collectors received a press map with a few SISTEM51 gadgets. Update 3: SISTEM51 arrives in Madrid, Spain: On 2-JUL, a new Pop-up store will open in Preciados 26. At 8:51, club members can get one of 51 special numbered packagings. Update 4: Here is an overview of the promo items distributed during the SISTEM51 launch in NYC on 01-JUL, including a specially wrapped New York Post newspaper. Thanks to Wolfgang Seiler for the information and to Henk Seligmann and Álvaro Berridi for the updates and to German Santiago and to Daniel Levinson for the pictures.
Youth Olympic Games 2014 special. For the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China (16 to 28-AUG-2014), a special Swatch has been released (available in China only): Rising Talents (SUOZ174). Here is a picture of the actual watch. Thanks to Alain Choisy and Sophia Chang for the information and picture.
Taiwan Mystery Box promotion. In June, Swatch Taiwan had another Mystery Box promotion, each box contains a surprise Swatch. Price was NTD999 (approx. 25 EUR). Thanks to Sophia Chang for the picture.
Swiss Nationalbank special. A special New Gent Septante Blue (SUOZ181) is now for sale in Switzerland. It is only available in the Swatch stores in Geneva, Zurich, Luzern, and Bern. It comes packaged in a nice blue paper sleeve, and it looks very similar to the Shareholder Assembly Special 2014 (SUOZ184): The watch face is silver instead of golden and the strap is mainly blue instead of golden. Again, you can see the shape of the Swiss border on the main cog wheel. The watch is not numbered, no information about the limitation. Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information and pictures.
Fall / Winter collection 2014/15. The press section of the official Swatch website has a preview of the Swatch Fall / Winter collection 2014/15. Quite a few nice watches! You best browse the lookbook.
Controversial Swatch ad. Swatch has placed a huge advertisement banner (for Scuba Libre) at a building at Place de la Concorde in Paris. Apparently, the text of the advertisement was very controversial (english translation) and had to be removed.
Three additions to old ads collection. I just added three new interesting old Swatch ads from 1984 (USA) to my little collection of historic Swatch advertisements. Two VIPs (Ivan Lendl, Lauren Hutton) are featured as well as a PINK Windrose Gent Swatch.
Ferrero Garden special. A special Swatch Ferrero Garden has been distributed, probably by the Ferrero Garden company (well known for Nutella, Duplo, Tic Tac, ...). It is the Jelly in Jelly Dark Beauty (SUJK128) with a special loop around the strap.
Gold & Pioneer Event 2014. From 22 to 25-MAY, the traditional Gold & Pioneer event took place at the Lago Maggiore in Stresa, Italy, and in the Ticino area in Switzerland. The theme of the event was "Swatch Loves Water". Therefore, the event participants received a unique orange Scuba Libre Over The Lakes (SUUZ100S), limited and numbered to 200 pcs. The watch is also numbered on the back. This nice orange colour won't be used in any Scuba Libre watch in the (near) future. The watch comes packaged in a nice plastic box (similar to the Irony Automatic packaging, but with a blue insert instead of red). This plastic box is packaged again in a nice bag made of recycled store decoration material. In contrast to last years, "Gold & Pioneer" is mentioned nowhere on the watch but lots of "Swatch Club" on the strap. Here is an overview picture of all the event goodies that the collectors received. Here is a detailed report about the Gold & Pioneer event 2014 with many pictures. Swatch.tv has published a funny video from the event.
Swatch Up Your Night. Swatch is launching a new series of events called Swatch Up Your Night, dedicated to electronic music and art. The first event takes place in Austria on 28-MAY: Swatch Up Your Night Vienna. Two days later (30-MAY): Swatch Up Your Night Bern. Update: Here some PR info about the Vienna event, lots of VIPs are invited. Update: Here is a report from Swatch Up Your Night Vienna. The photo gallery on the official Swatch webpage looks somewhat strange.
IOC specials. Two new IOC specials have surfaced: 1. Blue Decency Olympia Logo (YGZ704A); 2. Mystery Life Olympia Logo (SUOZ708A). Thanks to Holger Brinkmann for the pictures.
Soccer special. A good tradition continues: In the years of Soccer World Cup or Soccer European Championships, Swatch releases a soccer watch. The 2014 soccer watch Entusiasmo (SUOZ175, "enthusiasm"), a green New Gent, on the right), was shown at the Spring / Summer 2014 collection launch in London, and it is absolutely not related to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil :-) The watch will be available in many variations with the flag of the countries participating at the World Cup on the loop. Update: secondwatch.it has a better picture of the Soccer Passion Swatch, it is already available in the shops in Argentina. Update 2: German Santiago sent me another picture of the soccer watch: "Choose your additional loop". Update 3: Entusiasmo Switzerland comes with an extra red loop with the Swiss cross and it has the ref.code SUOZ175C. Update 4: In Germany, the official Swatch stores received SUOZ175 without any German loop (only the Brazil loop). In a few days, the stores will receive a limited number of watches (10 per store?) with the German loop, ref.no. SUOZ175D. Update 5: A box with 31 loops (all Soccer World Cup 2014 countries except Brazil) is also available, with an unusual ref.code. Attention: This box costs 30 EURO in Europe but only 20 CHF in Switzerland, so better get it there! Update 6: At the Gold & Pioneer event in Stresa, a fourth variation of the soccer special was distributed: Entusiasmo Gold & Pioneer (SUOZ175E). In addition to the Brazil loop, it features the two loops of the countries where the Gold & Pioneer event 2014 took place: Switzerland and Italy. I assume that this variant is limited to maybe 200 pcs. Thanks to Alain Choisy and to Holger Brinkmann for the pictures and to Henk Seligmann for the information.
Carlo Giordanetti interview. Here is a very nice interview with Carlo Giordanetti, Swatch Creative Director.
Shareholder Assembly 2014 special. On 14-MAY, the annual shareholder assembly of Swatch group took place for the first time in Grenchen at the Swiss Velodrome. Each participant (about 2977) received a special Shareholder Assembly 2014 (SUOZ184) as a present. The watch comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve which looks like a 70 Swiss Francs note (70 Swiss Francs is the regular selling price of a New Gent in Switzerland). The watch face looks almost identical to the New Gent Gilt Ghost (SUOK106) but there is a notable difference: You can see the shape of the Swiss border on the main cog wheel. Update: Even the Wall Street Journal has a picture of the watch and some background information why this watch was issued. Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information and pictures.
GUM special. The Moscow department store GUM celebrated the 120th birthday in 2013. To commemorate this birthday, a new Swatch special GUM 120 (SUOZ179) is now for sale at the GUM department store (and only there!). Price is 2.650 RUB (approx 56 EURO). The watch is not numbered. Update: The watch (face, strap) comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve (side, back) with the GUM logo on top of the front. Thanks to Jörg van Dyk for the hint and to Alain Choisy for the update and to Sascha Stawinski for the pictures of the actual watch.
Swatch vs. Apple. Swatch objects to Apple's iWatch trademark. Swatch claims that it is too close to its iSwatch trademark that had been registered in 2008 and that it can be easily confused. I am sure that this will be an interesting lawsuit to follow. Swatch has already released a watch called iSwatch (SIK121D) in 2013. Note the interesting design of the word iSwatch which is probably protected as well. In 2012, Swatch had released two Touch watches called eSwatch (SURR102C) and iSwatch (SURG101C).
Mario Fani exhibition. From 09-MAY to 07-JUN, the gallery Christine Brügger in Bern, Switzerland, will show paintings by Mario Fani. Mario Fani has designed classic Swatch watches such as Nautilus (GK102, 1986) and Follow Me (GJ101, 1987). I am sure that no Swatch watches will be shown in Bern but you can meet the artist during the vernissage on 09-MAY, 6pm. Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information.
Swatch at Sneakerness 2014. Swatch has published a small report about the presence at Sneakerness 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland (12 to 13-APR), including the pre-launch of the upcoming Island Galore Scuba Libre collection.
Gold Member Contest 2014. Do you want to become a Swatch Club Gold Member? The Gold Member Contest 2014 has started! Update: Four new Gold members have been announced: Luca from Italy, Macavv from Argentina, CATFONS from Portugal, and Londonswatch from the United Kingdom. Congratulations! I hope that the winners will receive "White glove service" to Stresa as promised!
Pop-up store at Harrods in London. Swatch has opened a temporary Pop-up store (theme ‘Gentleman’s Club’) on the fifth floor of the famous department store Harrods in London. The new, more serious Big Classic collection will be available there. As a bonus, Swatch will host Gentleman’s Workshops there: how to tie a bow tie, shine their shoes and match their accessories from watches, hats to socks with their wardrobe. Update: Bob Gardner sent me a few pictures of the Gentleman's Club Pop-up store: pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4. secondwatch.it has a few more details including a picture of the shop-in-shop.
Swatch sponsors Art Brussels. As announced in this Facebook post, Swatch is a sponsor of Art Brussels 2014 (25 to 27-APR). The new Olaf Hajek art special will be presented. Update: secondwatch.it has a few pictures from Art Brussels. Looks like a nice exhibition.
SISTEM51 Pop-up stores outside of Switzerland. The first SISTEM51 Pop-up store outside of Switzerland has opened its doors in Milano, Italy (Via Montenapoleone 9) on 11-APR. A special launch packaging especially for Milano is available, it looks very similar to the original one from Geneva on 15-DEC last year. The second SISTEM51 Pop-up store will open its doors in Paris (104, Avenue des Champs Élysées, next to the Swatch Megastore) on 17-APR at 08:51am. It seems as if SISTEM51 is now available in Moscow and Shanghai (at the Art Peace hotel) as well. Update: Hong Kong will follow soon. Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the information and pictures.
100 Years AKB special. In 2013, the Aargauische Kantonalbank (AKB) celebrated its 100th anniversary. A special Swatch 100 Jahre AKB (YCS490GD), packaged in a nice paper sleeve and with a special engravure on the clasp, was released to commemorate the event.
Rocket Air Club Event / Special. On 11 and 12-APR, the biggest mountain bike slopestyle event in Switzerland, Rocket Air, took place in Thun. A special event Swatch was released and a club event was also held. The Rocket Air 2014 special (SUSR402C) is a Chrono Plastic Fire Core (SUSR402) with a special loop around the strap and a nice paper sleeve. About 30 club members participated at the event. Sam Pilgrim, winner of Rocket Air 2013 and Swatch ProTeam member, was present for a signing session. Thanks to Christine Tanner for the information and pictures.
AZZALI1881 event. secondwatch.it has published an invitation to a collectors event (google translation) called "Risottata di Primavera" on 12-APR at the well known Italian jeweller Azzali1881 in Mantova. Update: secondwatch.it has a report about the event.
2014 Club watch launch events. The 2014 Club watch is called White Loop according to this french interview with Carlo Giordanetti (Creative Director at Swatch International) in the WAD online magazine. Here is an english translation of the interview. The new Club watch is launched during several events around the world in March: 15th: Rome (Italy), 18th: Zurich (Switzerland), 20th: Berlin (Germany), 22nd: Lisbon (Portugal), 25th: New York City (USA, at the Marquee; lots of pictures by Barry Crell and Swatch), 26th: Paris (France), 27th: London (UK), 29th: Tokyo (Japan). You could win tickets to the Paris launch event. The regular club watch comes packaged in a nice colourful special packaging, it looks like a book. At the launch event in Rome, a special White Loop Rome version of the 2014 club watch was distributed (with an extra loop "Rome March 15th 2014"), in a similar (but not identical) packaging to the regular watch featuring the eight different flags of the countries with launch events. Even better, the launch package is numbered xxx/999 (SUOZ170S), the watch (for all launch cities) is also numbered on the back. About 50 collectors participated at the launch event. They received a nice goodie bag with a red or blue T-shirt and they visited Cinecitta. Here is a detailed report about the Zurich launch event with many pictures. And here a a few pictures from the London launch event. Update: Here is a great report from the Berlin launch event by Matthias Stawinski with many pictures. Update 2: The new Club webpage is online. Some interesting details on the totally updated Club benefits page: From now on (as in 1996 to 2001), there will be two Club specials per year (see section "products"). The second Club watch will be available in SEP-2014 and it will be limited to 5000 pcs (not numbered). Some of the additional new benefits are: "VIP treatment in selected Swatch stores" and "G&P exclusive shopping night" for G&P members, special "Online sales in selected countries" for all paying members etc. In total, there are 24 benefits for club members! The best new benefit is of course "White glove service" for new Gold members! Update 3: Swatch Italy has published a great video from the Rome Launch event. Many familiar faces :-) Update 4: Here is a video from the Berlin launch event and here are some pictures from the Paris launch event. Thanks to Henk Seligmann for the information and to Fabrizio for the pictures.
Jacques Rogge IOC special. An IOC special, related to the recent end of Jacques Rogge's IOC Presidency, has surfaced in 2013: Green Sky Olympia Special (YAZ402) is the IOC version of the 2012 Irony Automatic Green Sky (YAS410G). Update: The watch has the signature of Jacques Rogge on the back, and "merci / thank you". The predecessor of Jacques Rogge was Juan Antonio Samaranch (IOC president from 1980-2001). He also got an IOC special Swatch when his presidency ended: Merci Samaranch (YAZ400, 2001). Maybe Green Sky Olympia Special is called Merci Rogge? The Swatch Finder is sooo out of date.
Sochi 2014 Organising Committee special. A special Gent Sochi 2014 Organising Committee (GR703F) was distributed to staff members who participated at test events in the winter season 2013/2014. It is a Gent Information Screen (GR703 from 2000) with a red strap with a special sochi.ru 2014 loop.
SISTEM51 launch outside of Switzerland. According to this great interview with Nick Hayek, the launch of SISTEM51 outside of Switzerland will begin very soon. As a first step, Pop-up stores selling only the four SISTEM51 models are planned for Germany, Italy (Milan and Rome), France (Paris), UK (London), Hong Kong, China (Shanghai at the Art Peace Hotel). For the US, no Pop-up store is planned. 1-2 months later, the regular distribution will start. A similar Pop-up store was used in Zurich in DEC-2013 after the SISTEM51 launch. It is well worth to listen to the complete Nick Hayek interview (53 mins), lots of interesting and honest insights about the watch industry and innovation in general. Update: Milano starts on 11-APR. Update 2: secondwatch.it has found a very nice website where a SISTEM51 is tested and disassembled (ie. destroyed :-)
Olaf Hajek Artist Swatch special. During the Spring / Summer 2014 collection launch in London, it was unveiled that German artist Olaf Hajek has created a Swatch "with colours and patterns that make non watch-wearers want to wear Swatch". Previously, Olaf Hajek has shown his artworks at the Illustrative 2010 which was sponsored by Swatch. Update: secondwatch.it has pictures and details about the watches, including the limited edition special (888 pcs, SUOZS08). (original source). Update 2: The Olaf Hajek artist Swatch watches were launched on 21-MAR in Berlin during a Swatch Club event, including with a signing session. Update 3: Here is a great report by Matthias Stawinski with many pictures and here is a report by Swatch with a few pictures. Thanks to Matthias Stawinski for the picture.
Keret variants. Here is a picture of two different Keret (GK231) variants, one dial variant and one strap variant (GK231C). Keret was designed by Victor Vasarely.
Swatch Xtreme Verbier 2014 specials. The Swatch Xtreme Verbier 2014 was originally planned for 22-MAR but it had to be postponed due to bad weather conditions. Nevertheless, a small Club event took place. Two special Swatch watches have been released for Xtreme Verbier 2014: 1. Xtreme Verbier 2014 White; 2. Xtreme Verbier 2014 Night. The watches are identical to the normal Freeride World Tour specials FWT14 White (SUSW402C) and FWT14 Night (SUSB401C), with an additional loop "XTREME VERBIER 22|03 2014" around the strap, in either black or white. Update: Here are some photos and a nice video with a few impressions from the event (bad, bad weather). Thanks to Holger Brinkmann for the pictures.
Maxi exhibition in Lugano. secondwatch.it has announced an exibition of more than 200 Maxi Swatches in Lugano, Switzerland, from 21 to 23-MAR at Must Gallery. Update: secondwatch.it has pictures from the vernissage of the Maxi exhibition.
New York 5th Avenue Swatch store closes. The New York Swatch store at 666 5th Avenue is being closed and it will be converted to a Tissot store. Thanks to German Santiago for the information.
Spring / Summer 2014 Swatch collection. This chinese website (english translation) seems to have a lot of information about the upcoming Spring / Summer 2014 Swatch collection: A few of them seem to be pastry / sweets related: Swiss Chef Sara Hochuli has designed a Dreamcake Swatch special (limited to 5678 pcs, not numbered, 120 CHF). And there are more Swatch watches in the Pastry Chef collection. The Love of Patterns collection contains a few truly classical Swatch watches. Some colourful Skin watches as well, presented by a few nice girls on stage. Update: The official Swatch Finder already contains many watches from the upcoming Spring / Summer 2014 Swatch collection. If you want to see the complete collection, check out the leaflet on the Swatch page. Update 2: Sara Hochuli has some interesting blog entries about the collaboration with Swatch and about the press launch of the watch in London. Update 3: Here are pictures and a report from the press launch in London. Update 4: Here and here are some very "sweet" pictures from the press launch in Switzerland. Update 5: Sara Hochuli will be at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai on 14-MAR. Update 6: Here are a few pictures of a small autograph session at Sara's cafe in Zurich. Thanks to Sophia Chang for the update.
Swatch Club in Fieberbrunn. Swatch just added a small report with a few pictures from the event in Fieberbrunn during the stop of the Freeride World Tour on 31-JAN to 02-FEB-2014.
New Maxi Swatches. Swatch will sell four new Maxi Swatches, probably only available in the online store. One of the four will be the Maxi version of Sveglia (MGT105). I expect a huge success! Update: The other three models are: Red Pass (MGR162), Peppercane (MGW166), and Green Spell (MGB280) from the new Spring / Summer collection. Possibly Definitely, the Swiss only (as a Gent) D'Schwizer (MGZ286) will be available as a Maxi in Switzerland (and maybe other countries?) as well. Update 2: Meanwhile, the new Maxi Swatch watches are featured on the Swatch website. Here is a picture of the actual D'Schwizer Maxi. It comes packaged in newly designed box: front / back. Even though the D'Schwizer Maxi will be available in Switzerland only, here is a picture of the price sticker in EURO :-) The D'Schwizer Maxi is available in the USA as well, hanging next to an Octoberfest Munich poster :-) Thanks to Alain Choisy for the update of the update and to German Santiago for the picture.
DOSB Sochi specials. For the XXII Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi, the DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund; German Olympic Sports Confederation) has issued a two special Swatch watches: DOSB Sochi 2014 orange (GO112D) and DOSB Sochi 2014 blue (GN236D). It is the Sochi special 36.80 (GO112) with an special loop around the strap, respectively the Sochi special 34.03 (GN236) with a special loop. Apparently, the watches were distributed in late 2013, as the guarantee has a printed date 30-NOV-2013. Thanks to Daniel Licata for the pictures.
Swatch at London Fashion Week 2014. Swatch is a sponsor of the London Fashion Week 2014. On 15-FEB, Swatch was present with a nice Pastry Chefs van. Update: Swatch has published a nice video.
Sochi Volunteer special. For the XXII Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi, the volunteers received a special Olympic Volunteers 2014 Swatch Gent watch (GP141). Update: secondwatch.it has better pictures.
New Swatch store in Las Vegas. Recently, Swatch has opened a new store at the New York New York hotel in Las Vegas, USA. The store is selling the New York special Lines In The Sky (GZ209) and features a similar ceiling light as the New York Times Square store. always-surprising.com has pictures of the Las Vegas New York New York store.
Dominion Diamond Corporation special. In 2013, the Canadian Dominion Diamond Corporation has sold its luxury brand diamond jewelry and timepiece division, Harry Winston, Inc. to The Swatch Group Ltd. I don't know if the following is directly related to this transaction but a Dominion Diamond Corporation special (SUON701K) has surfaced. The watch is a New Gent Cobalt Rebel (SUON701) with a special strap featuring a nice loop. The watch comes packaged in a nice colourful paper box (opened / back). The special is limited to 2000 pcs.
New Swatch store in Hannover. A new Swatch store has opened its doors in Hannover, Germany, Georgstrasse 24/Große Packhofstrasse. On 07 and 08-FEB, "sweet" surprises and activities in candy style will be available in the store...
2014 Valentine's special. The 2014 Valentine's special is different but I like it! According to this chinese website, it is a New Gent called Sweet Valentine (SUOZ168). Here is a picture of the nice special packaging of the Valentine's special. Update: In Taiwan, Germany and Switzerland, you get a nice glass of candies in a similar design with the purchase of the Valentine's special. Update 2: Swatch is now running a Sweetlove contest on the official homepage where you can win a €2000 travel voucher for a romantic holiday of their choice with their loved one (and more). Update 3: German Santiago has discovered a huge Sweet Valentine Maxi at a shopping mall in the Philippines (about twice the size of a regular Maxi). Update 4: secondwatch.it reports about a mobile sales station for the Sweet Valentine special in Milano. Thanks to Sophia Chang and Alain Choisy for the update.
Mother's Day special. Is this the Mother's Day special 2014 (on the left)? It was shown at the Spring / Summer 2014 collection launch in London.
Club watch pre-launch events. secondwatch.it has information, dates and locations for several pre-launch events of the new Club watch for 2014. Rome, Zurich, Berlin, Lisbon, New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo are the stops... (google translate)
Liquorice by Marcel Bierenbroodspot. Dutch designer Marcel Bierenbroodspot (eg. Dutch Swatch Streets of Utrecht special packaging) has sent me a sketch for a Liquorice Swatch, designed by him in 1994! This would have been a nice addition to the Lekker New Gent watch (SUOP102) from the current Pastry Chefs collection. Update: Marcel made several designs, another one is Firecracker in a special packaging.
SISTEM51 launch in Geneva. On 15-DEC, the new and fascinating product line SISTEM51 (an automated (self-winding) mechanical movement made from 51 components and only 1 screw) was launched in Geneva. The first SISTEM51 collection consists of four models: 1. Sistem Red (SUTR400, back), 2. Sistem Blue (SUTS401, back), 3. Sistem Black (SUTB400, back), 4. Sistem White (SUTW400, back). For more technical details about this watch, check out the Swatch homepage. All watches come packaged in a nice colourful paper sleeve. Retail price is 150 CHF (approx. $170 US). For the Swatch The Club Gold & Pioneer members, a special launch event took place on 15-DEC at the Cité Du Temps in Geneva. About 100 club members participated and during the launch event, a special packaging (SUTZS01, back of the packaging) containing all four watches, numbered and limited to 151 pcs, was sold. The watches and the sleeves of the watches are not numbered. All special packagings are somewhat different because different sized stickers were used on the front and on the back. The international launch of the watches will take place in the "first half of 2014", so until the end of this year (and possibly quite some time later), you can buy the watch only in Switzerland. Update: Can someone decode the production code (back, lower right of the case) of SISTEM51? My blue one reads (I think) "AR46". According to secondwatch.it: "A" should be the production site (which one? this was a question during the SISTEM51 launch :-), "R" is 2013 (they probably will skip "Q"), and "46" is the week of production (mid November!). Update 2: Here is a detailed report about the event with many pictures. Update 3: Here is a short test of the accuracy of a SISTEM51 watch. Update 4: SISTEM51 will cost 130 EURO in Germany. Thanks to Torsten Rube for the update.
Freeride World Tour 2009 special? Christine Tanner just got the following Chrono Plastic special: SUKR100D. It is a Reddish Black (SUKR100) with a special strap and a Freeride World Tour loop. I assume that it is the Freeride World Tour 2009 special. Correct? Does it come with a sleeve originally?
VISA Olympics Reunion Center special. At the Olympic Games 2004 in Athens, a special VISA Olympics Reunion Center Swatch (SUDB101C) was distributed. It is an X-Large Mr. Blacky (SUDB101) with a special strap. No idea about limitation or the way how this was distributed exactly.
Swatch and Ice-Watch settle legal dispute. You probably know the difference between a Swatch and an Ice-Watch but I bet that many friends of you have mixed up Swatch and Ice-Watch. So no wonder that Swatch and Ice-Watch had legal battles since seven years. It seems that this dispute has been settled now by reaching a mutual accord on an agreement of co-existence in Berne, Switzerland. No further comment from Swatch...
Year of the Horse special. 2014 is the Chinese Year of the Horse. Similar to the last years, Swatch will release a special New Gent Year Of The Horse (SUOZ169). It comes packaged in a nice paper box with a holographic cover. It looks as if the horses on the holographic cover are running if you shake the box. Nice! Update: On 31-JAN, the Swatch Store at Le Louvre in Paris will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a cocktail reception and a "surprise".
Hypo Vereinsbank special. A Hypo Vereinsbank access special has surfaced, it is a Clearance (SKK103; I thought that the stock at Swatch would be empty by now...) access with a special strap. It comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve.
Swatch Girls Pro Hossegor 2013 Maxi. Alain Choisy has sent me a picture of the Swatch Girls Pro Hossegor 2013 Maxi which was used during the victory ceremony of the event. Of course, it is a custom made Maxi based on the Scuba Libre Playero (SUUJ400) with an imprinted bezel ("5-10-15-...").
Freeride World Tour 2014 specials. For the Freeride World Tour 2014, two special Swatch watches FWT14 White (SUSW402C) and FWT14 Night (SUSB401C) are now available, also in the Swatch Online store. Update: secondwatch.it has a picture of the actual FWT14 Night special, with the nice sleeve. And a few Swatch Club members participated at the first (very snowy) stop of the Freeride World Tour 2014 in Courmayeur, Italy on 18-JAN (now postponed to 22-JAN).
Cory Aquino Maxi. It seems as if the giant Cory Aquino Maxi (24 feet high) has now found a permanent home in a park (Greenbelt 5, Makati City, Manila) in the Philippines. Thanks to German Santiago for the picture.
"Mika 4 Swatch" specials. Singer-songwriter Mika has designed two Swatch watches with a african tribal theme, together with his sister Yasmine. They have been unveiled at a press conference on 05-NOV in Venice, Italy: 1. A Gent special Kukulakuki (GZ287S). It comes packaged in a beautiful box made of terracotta (packaged in a beautiful box) and it is very limited: 999 pcs only, $150 US, $175 US. 2. An unlimited New Gent special Kukulakuku (SUOZ171), packaged in a nice paper sleeve. Way to go, Swatch! Really very nice! On 19-NOV, a signing session with Mika will take place at the Swatch Store on Champs Elysee in Paris, France. Update: More signing sessions with Mika: Milano, 23-NOV (4pm to 5pm) and London, 26-NOV (5.30pm to 6.30pm). Update2: Swatch Italy has created an interesting website: www.mika4swatch.com Some kind of online treasure hunt in Milano? Update3: Yesterday's Mika signing at a record store in Milano (not Swatch related) was very crowded as you can see on this picture, so you probably have to be early at the Swatch store on the 23rd! Mika is really HUGE in Italy. Update4: The Swatch signing session in Milano apparently was quite rowdy, Mika tweeted that 4000 people turned up. Wow, like in the good old days :-) Update5: Massimo sent me a few pictures from the signing. Update6: Steve Webb sent me two nice pictures from the Mika signing in London: Mika with horns and the Mika artwork with the special watch. Thanks to Andrea Marco Faggioli for the information.
Mystery Box promo in the UK. The UK Swatch Online Store and all UK Swatch retail stores have a nice promotion: If you buy a Swatch watch, you can purchase an additional mystery box containing one random Swatch (out of five different models, including Corto Maltese (SUJZ106-E)) for 25 UKP. The promotion ends on 24-JAN.
New IOC special. A new IOC special has surfaced: Whitematic Olympia Special (YAZ401) is the IOC version of the 2012 Irony Automatic Whitematic (YAS404).
Swatch Skiers Cup 2014 special. The Swatch Skiers Cup 2014 takes place in Zermatt, Switzerland from 04 to 10-JAN. A special Swatch Skiers Cup 2014 (SUSB402C, a Chrono Plastic Nitespeed (SUSB402) from the Spring / Summer 2014 Swatch collection, with a special strap) will be released. It comes in a nice paper sleeve and it can be purchased in the Swiss Swatch Online store. Thanks to Jacky Beauverd for the information and picture.
Swatch on Swiss TV in 1990. Here is a nice Swiss TV news report from 12-SEP-1990, the day of one of the first Swatch auctions (Sothebys, Milano, Italy). Does anyone know the early collectors Beat Müller and Odilio Casanova? The second name is probably a pseudonym :-)
SISTEM51 Pop-up Store in Zurich. Swatch is really serious about the marketing and advertising of SISTEM51: They have run several long (2 minutes) TV spots at prime time in Swiss TV. And now Swatch has opened a Pop-up Store at the famous Bahnhofstraße 52 in Zurich, they only sell SISTEM51 in this store (until 04-JAN when the shop will close its doors again). The shop has a nice display related to the TV spot. Thanks to Ines Brem and Bernd Eigler for the information and pictures.
125 Years Rhätische Bahn. The first 2014 Swatch special is already in circulation: For the 125th anniversary of the Swiss railway company Rhätische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway) in 2014, a special Swatch 125 Years Rhaetian Railway (YGS746C, an Irony Big Red Suit (YGS746) with a special strap) has been released. The watch comes packaged in a nice paper sleeve. Limitation and distribution is unknown.