Hodinkee
Introducing: The New Swatch Bioceramic What If? Collection Imagines An Alternate 1980s At Under $150 (Live Pics)
The original Swatch was round, but what this watch presupposes is…what if it wasn’t?
304 articles · 118 videos found · page 8 of 15
How Nicolas Hayek\'s ASUAG/SSIH merger (1983) and Swatch brand launch (March 1983) rescued Swiss watchmaking from the quartz crisis.
Largest Swiss watch employer (~17,000 staff). 18 brands from Breguet/Blancpain at the top to Swatch at entry. ETA SA + Nivarox-FAR. Hayek family controls.
Ref. SSX01B700: solid 18K Moonshine gold dial, gold crown and pushers, 11 grams of the good stuff, and CHF 500 because Swatch decided to charge 1969 gold prices. Only 1969 pieces. ESTA lottery is live.
Swatch's plastic Royal Oak needs an actual strap the moment you get it home. Here are the four makers doing colour-matched integrated-lug Royal Pop straps in leather, rubber, canvas and everything else. Prices, colour ranges, quality, and which to buy per watch reference.
Hodinkee
The original Swatch was round, but what this watch presupposes is…what if it wasn’t?
Time+Tide
This week was a bit calmer in regard to new novelties, but a big headline within the watch world was the news that Swatch are suing the Malaysian government after it seized 172 pride-themed watches from stores. Swatch is seeking damages and the return of the watches that are worth US$14,000. The Malaysian authorities said … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Swatch sues Malaysian government for seizing their Pride-themed watches from stores appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Summer is in full swing, cool and casual is the name of the game, and for Swatch that means bigger and bolder watches. Big Bold Irony, that is. For the first time, the brand is bringing its Irony treatment to the Big Bold lineup in the form of five new watches. The Irony collection was originally conceived in the 1990s as a premium offering featuring cases made from metal, and indeed, the new Big Bold Irony watches are fitted with stainless steel cases. They are also the first to combine steel with Swatch’s proprietary Bioceramic. There’s no getting around the fact that these watches truly live up to their namesake. At 47mm wide, they undoubtedly make a statement. Swatch has cleverly shaped the lugs, which start towards the underside of the case and curve sharply downwards, resulting in a case length of just 44.8mm. This is identical to the current Big Bold collection and is remarkably wearable for a wide audience. In fact, the only difference in dimension between these and the standard Big Bolds is thickness: the new Irony watches are 13.3mm thick as opposed to 11.75mm in plastic. Swatch’s design choice of keeping the crown at 2 o-clock ensures it will never dig into your wrist, and at 108 grams (with a quartz movement), these watches can easily be worn all day, every day, which is kind of the point. With five options of summery colors – Dark Irony (Black), Azure Blue Daze, Red Juicy, Mint Trim, and Bolden Yellow – you will have no trouble finding one that match...
Deployant
The popular Swatch Big Bold family of watches gets the stainless steel case and joins the Irony family with 5 novelties available now, and 5 more in Sept.
Worn & Wound
For the last year, Swatch has existed primarily as the brand that makes and sells the MoonSwatch, their enormous, crossover hit made in partnership with Omega. It’s tough to underestimate the impact of the MoonSwatch on the watch world, mostly because its impact transcends the watch world. Your friends and family who are not part of the hobby, don’t read this site and others like it, and may not even own a watch, are almost certainly aware of the MoonSwatch. They’ve seen an advertisement for it, or have heard about it on the news, or perhaps they’ve stumbled onto the impressive MoonSwatch displays in a Swatch store, only to be told that the watches aren’t actually available to buy. Swatch has recently upped the ante somewhat on the MoonSwatch front by offering extremely limited versions with gold plated seconds hands, and it has me (and others) wondering if the hype for these watches has crested, and longing for Swatch to go back to making really cool Swatches like the ones so many of us grew up with. The truth is, Swatch never stopped making exactly those kinds of watches, but they’ve been somewhat lost in the hysteria for the MoonSwatch. Now, though, comes a series of watches that I think might actually rival the MoonSwatch in terms of enthusiast interest, at least in some quarters. The latest entry in the Swatch Art Journey collection (that has already seen releases this year with watches based on pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, René Magritte, and others) is ...
Video
Is the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M the perfect one-watch collection? Here, I'm unboxing the ref. 220.22.41.21.03.001. With its sun-brushed blue teak dial, solid steel build with Sedna™ gold accents, METAS-certif...
Time+Tide
The Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat collection marks the final collaboration of the Art Journey project Previous collaborations were with MoMA, Magritte, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi The triptych includes three quartz-driven pieces inspired by Basquiat’s ‘Ishtar’, ‘Untitled’, and ‘Hollywood Africans’ artworks Swatch as a brand, not the conglomerate group, is widely credited … ContinuedThe post Swatch wraps up their 2023 Art Journey with new Jean-Michel Basquiat triptych appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Exploring the unforgettable extravagance that is the Swatch Tresor Magique, nearly 30 years after its precious-metal debut.
Deployant
Swatch releases new watches in the next chapter of their Art Journey Collection featuring famous and important works from selected galleries.
Time+Tide
Ok. So we just published a story on the new Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine, honing in on the reactions we compiled upon its unveiling. In the story, Zach touched upon a cheeky FAQ list we shared on Instagram. Interestingly, while we disclosed this was genuinely a Swatch-supplied frequently asked questions list, its rather playful … ContinuedThe post The Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine FAQ is not a joke. Here’s proof appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Oh, the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch. Around this time last year, the unveiling of the concept and original collection was a massive moment for the watch space – the ripples of which extended far beyond the niche of watch enthusiasm. Massive queues, a lack of accessibility, while the launch certainly stirred up a lot of … ContinuedThe post Your reactions to the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine – the good, the bad, and the indifferent appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
The IFL x Bulova Super Seville — Edvard Munch's The Scream, hand-painted onto a watch dial in neon pigment that glows under UV light. 300 pieces, dropping October 5th.
Revolution
Worn & Wound
Swatch, the brand that is just about everyone’s first watch, celebrated their 40th birthday this week. On March 1, 1983, Swatch unveiled its first collection of plastic cased, battery powered watches, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it just might have saved the Swiss watch industry. After a long period of dominance in the mass production of watches, quartz watches made by Japanese companies at a massive scale radically changed the watchmaking landscape, putting the traditional mechanical watchmaking industry into something of a tailspin. The massive success of Swatch through the 80s and into the 90s injected cash and enthusiasm into Swiss watchmaking that the industry still benefits from to this day. We write about anniversaries all the time in these pages. As we’re all fond of saying, “Every year is an anniversary year.” But in the coverage of the big Swatch 4-0 that I’ve seen this week, I’ve much more commonly heard it referred to as a “birthday,” and I think that’s important. Anniversaries can be joyous occasions, but the word implies a certain seriousness that isn’t right for Swatch. A birthday is different. It’s fun, there’s cake, and hopefully some color. That’s how I think of Swatch (minus the cake). Swatch and I are just about the same age. I turned 40 in October of last year, and it’s interesting to think about the brand approaching middle age, as I, much to my dismay, seem to be doing as well. Does Swatch also have naggi...
Hodinkee
Naysayers were adamant that Omega's blockbuster Swatch collaboration would devalue the Speedmaster. Now that the dust has settled, we checked to see if that's happened.
Hodinkee
But can it last?
Hodinkee
I don't want a lot for Christmas – there is just one thing I need (this hilarious Swatch).
Video
Recently, I had to make a tough decision regarding which watch to keep, between the Hamilton Khaki GS Mechanical 36mm and my Rolex Explorer (ref. 114270,) and something unexpected helped me to decide. Have you learned...
Revolution
Hodinkee
Or raid the collections of your favorite Talking Watches alumni. And it's all for charity.
Hodinkee
I'd even pick these over the MoonSwatch. I'm just Saiyan.
Quill & Pad
Fellows auction house is still something of a hidden gem, so if you look hard you might find incredible bargains. The author herself has gotten very lucky here, once even managing to find a timepiece that she had long been searching for at an unpredictably good price. See what you can find in the next timed auction!
Hodinkee
Before he was the winner of 'Celebrity Mole,' he wore a Swatch.
Video
£3,600 retro-futuristic jumping hour mechanical-digital watch with prism LRD display. Full history from 1925 to 1976 Baselworld to 2024 revival, full specs on Soprod Newton P092 + in-house 9-part module, and why it's...
Hodinkee
There's no such thing as having too many Swatches – and trust us, there are plenty to choose from.
I grew up idolizing everything about him – including his watch. But the story took a turn when he passed it down to me.
Hodinkee
A plastic watch designed by a sort-of-famous pig. Nope, it's not April 1st.
Hodinkee
The Sistem51 gets a small (seconds) update.
Hodinkee
Remembering three highly collectible creations from the earliest days of the Swatch Art Special.
Video
September watch news 2026: the Tudor North Flag returns, Rolex introduces the new Perpetual Padellone annual calendar with moonphase, and Panerai unveils smaller, more affordable Luminor watches. Plus, Gallet’s come...
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.