Swatch

History

On 1 March 1983 the first collection of twelve models was presented in Zurich, with an ultrasonically sealed plastic case and only 51 components, which cut production costs radically. In 1986 it launched the Pop Swatch, a 47 mm watch with a removable dial that clipped onto clothing, and began its artist series with figures such as Keith Haring and Kiki Picasso. In 1990 came its first chronograph (Swatch Chrono) and the Scuba 200 diver. In 1994 came the Irony, the first Swatch with a metal case, and in 1997 the ultra-thin Skin. Nicolas Hayek, together with Swiss investors, took majority control of the parent SMH in 1985, renamed The Swatch Group in 1998. In 2013, for its thirtieth anniversary, it presented the Sistem51, the world's first mechanical automatic movement assembled on a fully automated line, with 51 parts and 90 hours of power reserve. In 2022 the MoonSwatch, a Bioceramic collaboration with Omega, drew queues worldwide and passed two million units.

Iconic models

• Swatch Sistem51 (2013)

  The world's first mechanical automatic watch assembled entirely by machine, with 51 parts anchored to a central screw and 90 h of power reserve.

• Bioceramic MoonSwatch (2022)

  An affordable reading of the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch that set off queues worldwide and redefined collaborations in watchmaking.

• Pop Swatch (1986)

  A watch with a removable dial that clipped to your clothes or bag, a pop icon of eighties design.

• Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms (2023)

  A Bioceramic take on the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver, the second great collaboration within the Swatch Group itself.

• Keith Haring artist series (1986)

  The first artist-signed editions, which turned the Swatch into a collectable of popular art.