Swatch Goes Vintage with the 1984 Reloaded Collection
Launched in 1983 – with the driving force behind its conception being Ernst Thomke, the then-chief of movement manufacturer ETA – Swatch set out to be the antithesis of the traditional Swiss-made watch. Cased in plastic and quartz, the Swatch watch was cheap, cheerful, and vividly colourful. But it was a hit, with its unusual, funky styling making the Swatch a fashion statement – a million watches were sold in the first year. To celebrate the occasion, Swatch constructed a 13-tonne, 162 m-long mega-watch and hung it from the front of the Commerzbank skyscraper in Frankfurt. A homage to London’s Big Ben, the giant clock was a brilliant publicity stunt that boldly announced the ambitions of Swatch. The oversized watch indicated the time and three pieces of information: “Swatch”, “Swiss”, and the retail price of “DM60”. Now Swatch is remembering 1984 with a quintet of watches, each a recreation of the year’s bestsellers, but with a twist. Instead of plastic as the originals were, the remakes have cases of Bioceramic, while the straps are made of bio-sourced plastic – making the entire watch a little friendlier to the environmental than the 1980s originals. Initial thoughts Given the diverse and imaginative offerings at Swatch, it’s unusual for the company to reissue vintage watches, though it’s done a couple in the recent past. Interestingly, the 1984 collection resonates with the broader, luxury-watch market, which frequently returns to past hit...
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