Stay tuned to
Swatch
This page does not contain any fancy pictures but I hope to provide some
substantial information for collectors. If you want to see some pictures
of interesting swatches then go to my virtual
swatch museum. Although I am probably a bit biased, it is highly recommended,
especially the section about special packagings.
Older Swatch info (Last updated: 19-JAN-2024)
news from 2023 are below:
- Mission To Moonshine Gold December COLD Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(#11, last one in the series) was sold on 27-DEC worldwide in 83
cities (92 stores). The December version of Mission To
Moonshine Gold refers to the
Cold Moon: Full Moon in December 2023. The golden
seconds hand features a snowflake pattern:
Mission To Moonshine Gold
(NOV-2023) (SO33M102-112, certificate).
The tip of the seconds
hand features a little snowflake that glows in the dark.
To finish up the series of eleven Mission To Moonshine Gold watches
in 2023, the box
contains an additional
booklet with details and information
about the watches (eg. July/August
(1), August
(30)/September, December).
The Swatch website has a great overview
of the complete Mission to the Moon Moonshine Gold
collection. Thanks to
Michael Apel for the photos.
- Year of the Dragon collection. Swatch has release
five(!) new watches to celebrate the Year
of the Dragon: 1. Irony New Chrono Dragon
In Motion (YVZ100, 183 GBP, special
packaging); 2. Big Bold Bio-sourced Dragon
In Cloud (SB05Z102, 110
GBP, special packaging); 3. New
Gent Pay Dragon In Wind Pay!
(SO29Z137-5300, 91 GBP, special
packaging), note that it seems that a planned regular New Gent SO29Z132 (non-Pay!) is not available
[cancelled?]; 4. Gent Bio-sourced Dragon
In Waves (SO28Z125, 73 GBP, special
packaging); 5. Skin Irony Dragon
In Gold (SYXZ104, 164 GBP, special
packaging).
- Zodiac SwatchXYou specials. On 30-NOV, Swatch has
released 12
different Zodiac SwatchXYou watches: 1. Aries
Sun (canvas);
2. Taurus
Moon (canvas);
3. Gemini
Sun (canvas);
4. Cancer
Moon (canvas);
5. Leo
Sun (canvas);
6. Virgo
Moon (canvas);
7. Libra
Sun (canvas);
8. Scorpio
Moon (canvas);
9. Sagittarius
Sun (canvas);
10. Capricorn
Moon (canvas);
11. Aquarius
Sun (canvas);
12. Pisces
Moon (canvas).
- Interview with Swatch CEO Alain Villard. Check
out this long
interview with Swatch CEO Alain
Villard (in German, Google
Translate).
- MoonSwatch with ostrich leather straps. Swatch Japan
is hinting on
Instagram (12-OCT) at upcoming MoonSwatch variations
(screenshot: Venus, Jupiter)
with leather straps (ostrich? example
[no Swatch]). All eleven colors? Release date?
Update: It seems that some MoonSwatch watches with
ostrich leather straps have quietly(!) been sold in NOV-2023, in
selected Swatch stores: Price is 350
CHF (instead of 250 CHF), example: Mission
To Mars Ostrich Strap (SO33R100C). Photos of the
watches can be found in the fashion magazine Elle
Japan. Update 2: Closeup photos of
Mission To
Mercury Ostrich Strap (SO33A100C). Apparently,
these ostrich
strap MoonSwatch watches are available at the luxury
Knightsbridge store Harvey
Nichols in London.
- R.I.P. Ted Scapa. The Swiss artist and designer Ted Scapa, a great friend of
Swatch, has died
at the age of 92 on 06-DEC. During the years, he created five different Swatch watches. He
was present at several Swatch events (eg. Venice
2009), always friendly, signing
autographs. Rest in peace, Ted Scapa, the Swatch family
will miss you. Thanks to
Carlos Zanotelli for the information.
- KISS x Swatch SwatchXYou special. To celebrate
the KISS
final show in New York City, a special SwatchXYou KISS
(canvas) is now available
(until 04-JAN) in the Swatch Online store. On 30-NOV, KISS
stopped at the Swatch New York Times Square store and met
with fans. Here
is a video of the Swatch In-Store appearance...
- No more "Mission To Moonshine Gold"? Swatch has posted
a photo of a
suitcase with eleven Mission To Moonshine Gold watches
(one is still missing, for 27-DEC I guess). Does this indicate
the end of the Mission To Moonshine Gold series at the end of
the year? Will the suitcase be available for purchase? Update:
On 27-DEC, no blue suitcase was available for sale.
- Zodiac SwatchXYou specials. On 30-NOV, Swatch has
released 12
different Zodiac SwatchXYou watches: Capricorn, Aquarius,
Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and
Sagittarius. Examples: pic1
/ pic2.
- Animation and Swatch. Federico
Barengo, Carlo
Giordanetti (CEO of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel), Dario Moccia
will talk about Animation
in the Swatch store Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milano (Italy) on 29-NOV
(6 to 8 pm). You can register here
for the event.
- Vanity Fair Italia SwatchXYou. To
celebrate the 20th anniversary of Vanity
Fair Italy, Swatch and Vanity Fair Italia collaborate
with four renowned artists to create four
SwatchXYou specials, inspired by the values that have influenced
Vanity Fair's editorial choices over the last twenty years: Diversity
and Inclusion, Innovation and Change , Responsibility and Female
Empowerment: 1. Responsability
(canvas, by Flora
Rabitti); 2. Empowerment
(canvas, by Eileen
Akbaraly); 3. Inclusion
(canvas, by Artsi
Ifrach); 4. Innovation2
(canvas, by Antoni
Tudisco). These four SwatchXYou specials are
available in the Swatch Italy Online store.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold November BEAVER Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(#10) was sold on 27-NOV worldwide in 83
cities (92 stores) as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. The November version of Mission To
Moonshine Gold refers to the
Beaver Moon: Full Moon in November 2023. The golden
seconds hand looks as if a beaver has eaten some parts of the
lower, thicker part of the hand: Mission
To Moonshine Gold (NOV-2023) (SO33M102-111, certificate).
The tip of the seconds
hand features a little beaver that glows in the dark.
- Swatch store Hannover. A new
Swatch store has opened its
doors in Hannover (Germany), Georgstraße 18. It will also sell the next
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold on 27-NOV.
Thanks to Joachim Meyer for
the photos.
- Matthias Lauda MoonSwatch. Matthias
Lauda (son of legendary Austrian Formula One driver Niki
Lauda) wears a Mission
To Mercury MoonSwatch on Servus
TV Austria (Formula One race Las Vegas).
- Simpsons Collection. On 02-NOV, Swatch has released
the first watch of the Simpsons
Collection, right in time for National
Donut Day: A Donut-inspired Bio-sourced New Gent Second Of Sweetness (SO29Z134,
105 EURO). In many countries, the watch is also available as
SwatchPAY! (SO29Z129-5300, 115 EURO), both are packaged in a
nice paper box. On
16-NOV, two more Simpsons Swatch watches have been released (with an
Xmas theme): 1. New Gent Wondrous
Winter Wonderland (SUOZ361, special
box, 105 EURO); 2. Bio-sourced Gent Tidings
Of Joy (SO28Z126, special box,
95 EURO).
- Mission To Moonshine Gold October LOLLIPOP Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(#9) was sold on 28/29-OCT in 80
cities (89 Swatch stores) worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. The October version of Mission To
Moonshine Gold does not refer to a special moon in the moon
calendar as in previous releases. This time, the watch has a golden lollipop seconds
hand featuring a secret
"Ω X S" signature on the lollipop that glows in the dark. The
lollipop hand is a tribute to the OMEGA
Speedmaster CK 2998-3 FAP
from 1961. Mission
To Moonshine Gold (OCT-2023) (SO33M102-110,
certificate).
- C-Monsta Beach Party 1995. André Wieners sent me a few
photos from the Swatch
C-Monsta Beach Party 1995 in Germany.
- New Swatch Club website. The website
of Swatch Club has been renovated. Nice fresh look with
many memories
from Swatch Club events in the last years... By the
way: If you want to go further back in time, check out my long
list of Swatch Club events in the past
(almost 200 events, big and small, since the mid 90s!).
- Dia De Los Muertos specials. A Dia
De Los Muertos SwatchXYou special is now available in the
Swatch Online Store: Dia
De Los Muertos (canvas).
The design is also available as prefabricated SwatchXYou: All
Bones And Flowers (SUOK144-058, 91 UKP).
- ESA SwatchXYou
specials. The European
Space Agency (ESA) and Swatch
have unveiled a collection
of celestial-inspired designs that transcend the boundaries of
space and time. The six cosmic landscapes are now available as
SwatchXYou: 1. Cosmic
Cliffs Carina (canvas;
NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula);
2. Globular
Cluster (canvas;
Liller 1); 3. Pillars
Of Creation (canvas;
Pillars of Creation); 4. Proto
Star (canvas;
Protostar L1527); 5. The
Lagoon Nebula (canvas;
Lagoon Nebula); 6. Veil
Nebula (canvas;
Veil Nebula). Each ESA
SwatchXYou special has a special ESA
loop around the strap and each customized watch from this
SwatchXYou collection will come with a postcard
of the space telescope image used in the unique design.. ESA
has some more information
about the "stellar partnership" between ESA and Swatch.
The ESA SwatchXYou designs will be available from 04-OCT to 17-DEC,
the launch coinciding with the start of World Space Week, an
international celebration of how space science and technology helps to
improve the everyday lives of people all around the world.
- Sir Roger Moore's Swatch watches. Two Swatch specials
previously owned by Sir
Roger Moore (1927 - 2017) have been auctioned at Bonhams
for an incredible price: 1. The second James
Bond leather suitcase from 2002: A
collection of twenty 007 wristwatches with presentation case
dedicated to Sir Roger Moore. Sold for £76,600
inc. premium. This suitcase is special as it is not part of the
limited and numbered edition of 280 suitcases but it is a suitcase
dedicated to Roger Moore, outside of the regular edition.
2. Swatch Irony Scuba 200 Special The Spy
Who Loved Me (YDS4014AG) from 2002 with a personal
dedication "Love Béatrice
And Jean-Jacques" (can you identify?), otherwise nothing special
about the watch. Sold for £8,320
inc. premium!
- Lots Of Dots inspired armchair by Mendini. An
armchair called Poltrona di
Proust by Alessandro
Mendini designed in 1978 was auctioned
at Bonhams
on 03-OCT. The design of this armchair obviously inspired
the design of the Lots Of Dots Club
Swatch (GZ121) from 1992. Thanks to Carlos Zanotelli for the information.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold September HARVEST Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(SO33M102, #8) was sold on 29-SEP in 75 cities (85
Swatch stores) worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. The September version of Mission To
Moonshine Gold refers to the
Harvest Moon: Full Moon in September 2023
(the second hands were produced during the August Full
Moon). The golden seconds hand features a barley grain pattern
and a secret signature
that glows in the dark: Mission
To Moonshine Gold (SEP-2023) (SO33M102-109,
closeup, special
certificate). Thanks to
Thomas Chan for the photos.
- Château De Versailles SwatchXYou. To celebrate
400 years of the magnificent Château
de Versailles, Swatch has added three special SwatchXYou
designs that capture its elegance and opulence to the Swatch
Online store: 1. Architecture
Versailles (canvas);
2. Characters
Versailles (canvas);
3. Gardens
Versailles (canvas).
Thanks to Joachim Meyer for
the information.
- Hands-On with the Blancpain X Swatch. blancpainblog.com
has an excellent and very detailed report Hands-On
with the Blancpain X Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms (with
lots of photos). The watch case of the Blancpain X Swatch has
the same shape as the Blancpain
Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1 (ref. 5010A 1130
NABA, limited edition released in JAN-2023, 210 pcs in total).
Some more info about this Blancpain watch can be found here.
- Ed Sheeran wears a Blancpain X Swatch. Two
days after the launch of Blancpain
X Swatch (=on 11-SEP), musician Ed
Sheeran has been spotted
wearing a blue Blancpain
X Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms Atlantic
Ocean. Carlos Zanotelli even found a short
video of Ed with his blue Swatch. I assume that Ed did not
have to queue last Saturday to get his Atlantic Ocean Swatch.
- Blancpain X Swatch on 09-SEP. Swatch is teasing
us again with newspaper full
page ads around the world (video).
The ad indicates a new (scuba diving?) product ???
X Swatch to be released on 09-SEP. Any guesses
about the second ??? X Swatch collaboration? I think
that scuba.dou on
Instagram has already solved the puzzle....
Update: On Sunday (03-SEP), Swatch has published satellite
photos of five oceans around the world (Arctic Ocean, Pacific
Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Antarctic Ocean): Blancpain
X Swatch will be launched on 09-SEP. 5
oceans: I assume that we can expect five different Blancpain
X Swatch watches. Since Monday (04-SEP), a special
orange Blancpain X Swatch suitcase (closed) is being
shown in the shop windows of
Swatch stores around the world. So far, the script of the
MoonSwatch launch is being followed. This means that we can
expect detailed reports with photos of the new Blancpain X Swatch
collection by Hodinkee, Fratello Watches, ... on Thursday
(07-SEP). Update 2: On 07-SEP, the Bioceramic
Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection was unveiled, it is
"non-limited". It consists of five mechanical watches with
SISTEM51 movement: 1. Arctic
Ocean (SO35N100); 2. Pacific
Ocean (SO35P100); 3. Atlantic
Ocean (SO35A100); 4. Indian
Ocean (SO35I100); 5. Antarctic
Ocean (SO35S100). Price is $400 US / 390 EURO.
The backside of the watches is
very nice: The SISTEM51 movement is visible thanks to a
transparent display back featuring an illustration of one of the five
magnificent, colorful nudibranchs found in each of the five
oceans. Swatch went a bit crazy regarding the production codes
this time: N=North, P=Pacific, A=Atlantic, I=Indian, S=South;
not indicating the colors as usual. Also: Pacific
Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean should have ....400, not
....100 as these three watches have a date window. Find more
details about the watches on Hodinkee.
On 09-SEP, sales started around the world in selected Swatch stores
(with long
queues as expected but better prepared this time). It is
estimated that about 20 watches were available for each model in each
store, so about 100 in total per store. In a nice unboxing
video, you can discover the nice
packaging with a colorful
zipper (color is matching each watch).
- Giorgio Armani wears Swatch. During a recent visit to
the Venice Film Festival, fashion designer Giorgio
Armani received
a Golden Lion in Murano glass from Luigi Brugnaro, the Mayor of
Venice. Giorgia Armani is wearing
a Skin Irony 42 Skinnavy (SS07S102).
- Collecting Swatch watches. A light Sunday
reading: Squeaky
colorful Swatch watches with collector value (in
German). Not sure about the last bit....
- Irony Diaphane Automatic Chronometer from 2009. In
2009, Swatch has manufactured one of the most rare Swatch specials
totally unknown so far: For the Concours
International de Chronométrie 2009 (in May) in Le Locle
(Switzerland), a special Irony Diaphane Automatic Chronometer
Concours International de Chronométrie 2009 (face
of the watch, back of
the watch) was manufactured, probably only a handful of pcs.
This Swatch Chronometer did
not win the contest, here
is a list of all partipants. It seems that in later years (2011,
2013, 2015, 2019), Swatch did not participate at the contest.
- Mission To Neptune Moonshine Gold August Blue Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold (#7) will be sold on
30-AUG in 86 cities
(99
Swatch stores) worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. Swatch has created a real surprise for the Blue
Moon on 30-AUG. This time, the MoonSwatch with the
golden hands is based on the highly sought after Mission To
Neptune: Mission
To Neptune Gold (30-AUG-2023) (SO33N101-108, closeup,
certificate, special
black/golden packaging). Good luck in buying one of
these... Hodinkee has a small report
about the unexpected Moonshine twist... Update: The
hype is still alive: Long
queues around the world... Estimated number of watches
sold: Torino 70 pcs, Biel 100 pcs, Toronto only 25 pcs.
Many people in the queue were not able to purchase a watch in several
cities ("sold out!"), here
is a report from Switzerland.
- Controversial report about Nick Hayek. Inside
Paradeplatz (a Swiss online magazine with lots of "insider"
reports from Zurich) publishes a very
controversial report (in German; "Missed every trend") about Nick
Hayek Jr. (CEO of Swatch Group), initiated by the recent
acquisition of Bucherer
(watch retail stores) by Rolex. Swatch Group already has
a deep vertical integration with lots of brand exclusive stores around
the world. And we all know that maximum fast growth and an
inflated share price is surely not "top of mind" of Nick Hayek but a
stable business with secure jobs for the employees.
- Swatch Nines Green Hill Bikepark MTB special / event. From
18 to 19-AUG, the Swatch
Nines Beyond The Hill MTB Festival took place in
Schmallenberg (Sauerland), Germany, with about 40 of the best MTB and
Skateboard riders in the world participating. There is a special
webpage on the Swatch website about the event as well. A
special SwatchPAY! Swatch Nines MTB 2023
(SVIB105F-5300) was given to riders,
journalists and about 25 Swatch Club members who were invited to
Schmallenberg from 18 to 20-AUG. The watch is limited to 130 pcs
and here is an overview
of the goodies that were distributed to club members. Here
is a report with a few photos / videos from the event, it was a great
weekend.
- Swatch Swiss Canton Flags available. The Swatch
Swiss Cantons from 2002 (designed for Swiss Expo
2002), also to be found on the nice special Gent D’Schwizer
(GZ286, more
info) from 2013 are now available for purchase as "real
flags" from Switzerland (1m x 1m or up to 2m x 2m).
- Thai politician Thaksin Shinawatra wears a MoonSwatch. Former
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who recently returned
to Thailand from 15 years in self-exile, has been sentenced to eight
years in prison by Thailand’s Supreme Court. He was wearing a Patek Philippe grand complication
while departing from Singapore. However, upon arriving in
Bangkok, he was seen sporting a MoonSwatch Mission
To Mars. Thanks to Carlos Zanotelli for the
info.
- Ernst Thomke 1988 interview. I just found a very
interesting and long report/interview with
"Dr. Swatch" Ernst Thomke ("Swatch"
project lead at ETA) from APR-1988. Be sure to check it
out. It is in German, hopefully Google
Translate will do the job. If you can send me an
English translation: I would be very happy.
- 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." Update: Swatch
sues Malaysia for seizure of Pride watches. The
purpose of this legal case is probably not only the amount of 64,795
ringgit ($14,250.05 US) for the watches alone... Update 2: "Swatch
Pride watches banned, owning one can lead to 3 years' jail"
(10-AUG). What a shame, unacceptable... Thanks
to Carlos Zanotelli and to Janson for the information.
- French Riviera Destination special. A new
Swatch Destination special is available since 03-AUG: New Gent
Bioceramic Le Chant Des
Cigales (SO29Z131,
95 EURO) is Destination special #82
and it can be bought on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur), try one of the
stores in Nizza, Nizza Airport, Cannes, Antibes. Thanks
to Bruno Mahier for the photos.
- New Swatch Amsterdam store. A new Swatch
boutique (no longer a store?) has opened its doors in Amsterdam
(P.C. Hoofstraat). Check out the report
on Fratello for photos. Thanks to Jan
Molenaar for the info.
- Swatch What If? collection. What if the first
Swatch had been square? As an unusual (and a bit late) celebration for
the 40th anniversary of Swatch, Swatch has unveiled a brand new
playful product line of Square watches during the traditional Gold
& Pioneer Swatch Club event in Laax (Switzerland) on
27-JUL. The What
If? collection consists of four Bioceramic
Swatch watches and it is introduced with an superb "alternate
reality" video.
Don't miss it! Check out also the "story
behind the collection" on the Swatch website, explaining how a prototype from 1981 (photo
taken at Blum collection auction in 2011,
photo album) was
released almost unchanged as a real Swatch 42 years later... The sale
of the new collection will start on 01-AUG (Swiss National Day),
priced at 105 EURO per watch. There are a lot of interesting
details in this new product line: edge
to edge glass, a very special "playful" battery
cover that refers to the original 1983 collection, Bioceramic
material with a design that refers to (a
different) 80s Swatch, ... The four watches (33mm x 33 mm) in
the collection are: 1. What If ...
Green? (SO34G700, more
details); 2. What If ... Gray?
(SO34M700, more details); 3.
What If ... Black? (SO34B700, more
details); 4. What If ... Beige?
(SO34T700, more details). Update:
The attachment of the strap at the
case of the square watch case is not the typical Swatch design anymore
as the old Square watches had a lot of problems in that area (many
broken cases, unlike the Gent Swatch watches which almost never
break). The Hodinkee
report shows a What If
... Black? stamped "not for sale" on the back!
- G&P Summer Camp Gold & Pioneer Event. The
traditional Gold & Pioneer Swatch Club event took place from 27 to
28-JUL in Laax, Switzerland. Swatch had invited(!) 124 Club
members from all over the world for a G&P Summer Camp event
around the rocksresort
in Laax, Switzerland. The highlight of the event was the world
exclusive premiere of the new Swatch What
If? collection presented by Carlo
Giordanetti (CEO of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel) and Alain
Villard (CEO of Swatch). Each invited club member
received a SwatchXYou special Gold
& Pioneer Laax July 2023 (SUOK145-053) as a gift during
the event as well as several Swatch
goodies. Here
is a report with many photos from two
fantastic days in Laax.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold August BUCK
Moon Swiss National Day. The MoonSwatch Mission
To Moonshine Gold (SO33M102,
#6) will be sold on 01-AUG in 85
cities (97
Swatch stores, screenshot)
worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. In some countries, the sale will be on
02-AUG (eg. in most Swiss stores due to Swiss National Day). The
first August version of Mission To Moonshine Gold might refer
to the Buck
Moon: Full Moon in July 2023 (the second hands were
produced during the July Full Moon). But this time, Swatch has a
surprise for the collectors: The golden seconds hand shows an
emblematic Swiss
lantern pattern (01-AUG is Swiss
National Day): Mission To
Moonshine Gold (AUG-2023) (SO33M102-108, closeup).
- Locarno Film Festival 2023 special. A special
Bio-sourced New Gent Swatch Locarno76
(SO29Z401, 110 CHF) for the 76th
Locarno Film Festival 2023 (02 to 12-AUG) is now on sale
in Switzerland, also in the Swatch online
store; unlike last year [Switzerland only]: this time
available online in many countries. The special is packaged in a paper
box. The great watch design is by the British artist duo Ciaren
and Sarah Diante. There is a special
section about the Locarno Film Festival on the Swatch website,
including some info about the Swatch Studios which make its
grand debut just steps from the Piazza Grande in Locarno during the
Film Festival: You can also discover a retrospective of past Locarno
Film Festival Swatch models while enjoying a taste of life in
the spotlight at a photo platform built like a film set!
- US Swatch Auction. Swatches:
The Collection of Esther Montagner (Swatch Club Pioneer
member) on 19-JUL is a celebration not only of one collector's zeal
and dedication, but of the history and lore of the Swatch
universe. The auction with more than 900+ new and unworn Swatch
watches (302 lots) will take place in Los Angeles. Update:
The auction
was a huge success (snapshot)
with 99% of the 303 lots sold in 5 hours and 30 minutes (Sale total $139,645 US, 101%
by value). A lot of very high
results with different artist watches (eg. Mimmo
Rotella set (GZS04): $882
US). This was probably due to the excellent presentation
of the Swatch
collection on the LAMA website.
- Summer Flowers SwatchXYou. A collection of six
different Summer Flowers SwatchXYou watches is now available
in the Swatch Online Store: 1. Tulipgradient
(photo); 2. Sunflowergradient
(photo); 3. Marigoldvertical
(photo); 4. Daisyvertical
(photo); 5. Dahliagradient
(photo); 6. Clematisvertical
(photo). In contrast to
most previous SwatchXYou, you can choose only the background color
this time (design is probably cheaper :-)
- Tokyo Olympics 2020 IOC Irony SISTEM 51 special. A
nice Tokyo Olympics 2020 IOC special (with the olympic rings on the
dial) has surfaced: An Irony SISTEM51 Sistem
Kaki IOC (YIZ408GB). The
watch is a SISTEM51 Sistem Kaki (YIS407G)
with a special imprint on the back of the
watch case: "Limited Edition 2020". The guarantee is stamped 23-JUN-2021.
- Big Bold Irony. Finally, after several delays, Swatch
has released the new product line Big
Bold Irony on 06-JUL. Swatch has posted a teaser
video on Instagram. Some stills from the video: shape of the watch / closeup
1 / closeup 2 / clasp.
The watch in the teaser video differs from photos that were previously
circulating on the Internet: The earlier rumoured Big Bold
Irony watches had colorful dials (think of eg. Nomos).
Update: A japanese
press release (translation)
has a lot more details: Big Bold Irony is a combination of Bioceramic
with stainless steel, this has never been done before by Swatch.
The first
collection consists of five watches: Dark
Irony (SB07S105), Azure Blue
Daze (SB07S106), Red Juicy
(SB07S110), Mint Trim
(SB07S111), and Bolden Yellow
(SB07S109). The weight of each Big Bold Irony is 108
gram and the price is 190 EURO. On 07-SEP, the second
Big Bold Irony collection consisting of five additional
watches will be released (it is the long rumored collection with the
colorful dials). The five watches are: 1. Aqua Shimmer
(turquoise); 2. Forest Face (dark green); 3. Indigo
Hour (navy blue); 4. Amber Sheen (amber);
5. Scarlet Shimmer (burgundy). Here
is a short video from a press launch event in Portugal on 05-JUL.
- Europa Star archive reports. Europa
Star is a Swiss watch magazine, reporting for more than 95
years about watches from all around the world (with an emphasis on
Switzerland). Several great reports about Swatch with lots of
rare photos can be found in the archives: 1. A
first look at the Swatch watch in 1982/83 (superb, dont
miss it!); 2. Debunking
the Quartz Crisis (late 70s / early 80s); 3. A
history of watch advertising: 1980-1989.
- Chinese vintage Swatch video. If you speak Chinese, here is an interesting video
on a popular YouTube channel featuring several vintage Swatch watches
(Keith Haring, Tresor Magique, ...). Hopefully, the Swatch
collecting virus will spread further around the world :-)
- Mission To Moonshine Gold July STRAWBERRY Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(SO33M102, #5) was sold on 03-JUL in 82
cities (96 Swatch stores, screenshot)
worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. The July version of Mission To Moonshine
Gold refers to the
Strawberry
Moon: Full Moon in June 2023 (the second hands were
produced during the June Full Moon). The golden seconds hand
shows a few small red strawberries: Mission
To Moonshine Gold (JUL-2023) (SO33M102-107,
closeup, special
certificate).
- Italy Swatch Auction. Another large Swatch
collection of 514 lots will be auctioned in Italy on 06-JUL.
- Swatch Group Apprenticeship graduation 2023 special. During
a celebration event,
each one of the 158
apprentices
of the different Swatch Group companies received a Swatch Group
Apprenticeship graduation 2023 special (with a Big
Bold Swatch watch included).
- New York City Art Journey Club event. Thomas
Chan sent me photos and a short report
from the Swatch Art
Journey Club Event in New York City on 10 and 11-MAY.
- Saype @ Zurich Art Weekend. On 09-JUN, French land
artist Saype was
present at the Zurich Art
Weekend, in the contemporary art center Löwenbräukunst.
At 5pm, a Swatch Art Talk with Saype and Carlo
Giordanetti (CEO of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel) was held (full
video). Carlos Zanotelli has send me a few photos
from the event, the last blurry photo shows the famous Swiss Art
Collector Uli
Sigg, former Swiss ambassador to China.
- Black Rebel Again. The classic New Gent Black
Rebel (SUOB702) from 2010 has been reissued as a
Bio-sourced New Gent Black Rebel Again
(SO29B706, 85 EURO). Thanks to Alain Choisy for the
information.
- Grand Prix craze reloaded. Leonardo
Bonucci of Italy national football team has been spotted
wearing the new Swatch Neon To The Max
inspired by the 90s Swatch Chrono Grand Prix
(SCJ101, 1992). No wonder that Neon To The Max is sold
out in the Swatch Italy online store.
- Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat tram. A Swatch
x Jean-Michel Basquiat tram has been spotted in Basel
(Switzerland). Thanks to Carlos Zanotelli for the photo.
- Canada Eh Pay Destination special. A new
Swatch Destination special is available since 15-JUN: New Gent
Bioceramic Canada Eh Pay (SO29Z122-5300,
$120 CAD) is Destination special #81
and it can be bought in Canada only. It is the first Destination
special with SwatchPAY! function.
So far, SwatchPAY!
is not available in Canada, maybe it will be introduced soon.
- Nike SB 20 years special. A very cool Nike
SB 20 years special B2B New Gent has surfaced. The
watch was released by Nike
SB (Nike Skateboarding) and it is a New Gent XX-Rated
Black (SUOB402) from 2018 with a special new strap in a
very cool packaging. It was issued for the 20
Years of Nike SB exhibition in 2022, it was given to "Friends
& Family" and people involved in the exhibition. Thanks
to Liam Stone for the photo.
- Italy State Police special. A special Gent Polizia
(GN252C) has been released in 2022 by the Italian State Police.
It is a Gent Blueway (GN252) with a
special strap. Thanks to Paolo Monfardini for the photo.
- Mission To Moonshine Gold June FLOWER Full Moon. The
MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
(SO33M102, #4) will be sold on 03-JUN in
77(!!) cities (92 Swatch
stores) worldwide as announced by Swatch
on Instagram. The full
list of participating Swatch stores can be found on the Swatch
website. The local starting time is not mentioned on the
website, so I assume that it will be available as soon as the store
opens!?!? Due to the high number of participating Swatch stores,
it is expected that the number of watches per store is not as high as
in previous months, so the watches may sell out fast! Update:
France / Paris is not listed in the full
list of participating Swatch stores but there will be a special
Mission To Moonshine event at Trocadéro (Paris)
on 04-JUN at 8pm. Update 2: The June version of Mission
To Moonshine Gold refers to the
Flower Moon:
Full Moon in May 2023 (the second hands were produced
during the May Full Moon). The golden seconds hand shows an
engraved flower pattern: Mission
To Moonshine Gold (JUN-2023) (SO33M102-106,
closeup, special
certificate).
- Italian Destination specials available online. From 02
to 04-JUN (celebration of Festa della Repubblica (Republic
Day) on 02-JUN), eight Destination
specials from Italy are available in the Swatch
Italy online store: Love In
Verona, Colosseo, Acquagranda, Vacanze
Romane, Quadrilatero,
Tutta
Mia La Citta, Selflorence, Azzurrissimo.
- Swatch NEON collection. Just in time for the summer,
Swatch releases a colorful NEON
collection with reworked reissues
of four all-time favorite Swatch watches (models that have been
increasingly popular in the last years): 1. A Bio-sourced Big
Bold Chrono Swatch The Purity Of Neon
(SB06W100, 133 GBP) based on the Chrono White
Horses (SCW100) from 1990; 2. A Bio-sourced Big Bold
Chrono Swatch Neon To The Max
(SB06J100, 133 GBP) based on the infamous Chrono Grand
Prix (SCJ101) from 1992 (this Big Bold Chrono is also
available as SwatchPAY! Swatch Neon To
The Max Pay! (SB06J101-5300, 142 GBP); 3. A
Bio-sourced Big Bold Swatch Blinded By Neon
(SB05K400, 119 GBP) based on the Gent Techno
Sphere (GK101) from 1985 (note the two sloppy
errors on the website!);
4. A Bio-sourced Gent Swatch Shades Of Neon
(SO28J700, 64 GBP) based on the Gent Skychart
(GN705) from 1991 (totally different colors with this model).
The watches are packaged in a nice colorful
box. What do you think? Sacrilege or Genius?
The new Grand Prix version was shown on a big
display on Times Square in New York City.
- 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, ...
- 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 Shareholder Swatch Crowdemotion
(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:
13-APR:
11-MAY:
There is an exclusive preview
of the Swatch Art Journey collection in Bangkok on
11/12-MAR. Update 5: Miguel Santos sent me photos
from the Swatch
Art Journey Club Event in Lisbon on 10-MAR (incl. a nice
street art tour with artworks by Vhils,
Add Fuel, ...). Update
6: Sascha Stawinski sent me photos from the Swatch
"Art Journey" Brussels Club Event on 15-MAR (incl. a visit
to the Magritte
Museum). Update 7: On 28-APR, Swatch UAE held an
event at the Louvre Abu
Dhabi, with Carlo
Giordanetti (CEO Swatch Art Peace Hotel) and Guilhem
André (Chief Curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi) showing the New
Gent The Great Wave By Hokusai &
Astrolabe (SUOZ351) in special showcase: pic1
/ pic2 / pic3
/ pic4 / pic5
/ pic6.
Update 8: Christine Tanner sent me photos and a short report from the Swatch
Art Journey Club Event in Basel on 11-MAY (incl. a nice
street art tour). Update 9: A Swatch Art Journey Streetart
Workshop was held in Frankfurt (Germany) on
25-MAY. It was a lot of fun and every participant took a
hand-sprayed canvas home. The Basquiat special set (Triptych)
was not available for sale in Frankfurt.
Update 10: Thomas Chan sent me photos and a short report from the Swatch
Art Journey Club Event in New York City on 10 and
11-MAY.
- 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, #3) 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 (#2) 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.
- Oz Destination specials available online. The
Australian Destination special Melbnificient
(Melbourne, SUOB720I, $145 AUD, Destination special #73)
are currently available for sale in the Swatch
Australia Online store. Also available online: Sydeshow
(SUOW137C).
Andreas Wiethoff
![example [no Swatch]](moonswatch_leather_strap.jpg){kind=link}
