deep dive 05: Swatch
is that a banana on your wrist?
If you came of age in the 1990s and early 2000s, you had no shortage of items with which to adorn your wrists. The omnipresent slap bracelet, applied in one violent, decisive motion. The meaningless stacks of jelly bracelets, confiscated by concerned parents fooled by a moral panic. The power beads that weighed down the wrist with promises of calm (amethyst), clarity (tiger’s eye), and confidence (aventurine). The bulky Casio Baby-G, mimicking the aesthetic of the newly released colorful, translucent iMac. And just out of reach, coveted but not often acquired, the closest a middle schooler could get to ‘avant garde’—the Swatch.
A Swatch is recognizable not by logo, but by a remarkably creative brand consistency and identity. Swatch, as it exists today, was conceived of as a response to the ‘quartz crisis’ of the 1970s, and introduced in its current form in 1983. The ‘quartz crisis’ refers not to a shortage of quartz (we’re all learning!) but rather a panic in the Swiss watch industry, whose global dominance of the market with an emphasis on mechanical watches and craftsmanship was challenged by the introduction of accurate, affordable, and efficiently manufactured quartz battery watches from Japan.
A consultant named Nicolas Hayek, originally hired by bankers to liquidate the two largest Swiss watch groups at the time (SSIH and ASUAG), brought them together and went rogue. Instead of doubling down on the heritage and craftsmanship angle, he decided to shake things up by introducing a Swiss-made competitor to those Japanese watches—a collection of lower-priced, colorful, lightweight battery-powered watches made from plastic.1 The gamble paid off, and Swatch (a portmanteau of either ‘second’ and ‘watch’ or ‘Swiss’ and ‘watch’, depending on where you get your information2) injected new energy and a renewed global interest in the Swiss market.3
A Swatch didn’t have to be a luxury item you bought once and wore for decades, which was the prevailing ethos of most luxury watch brands at the time. (This ethos is reflected in the truly iconic Patek Philippe ad campaign that I saw decades ago in a Sunday New York Times Magazine and have never forgotten: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”)4 A Swatch could be your second watch—or your third, or fourth.
Swatches weren’t marketed only as a cheap timepiece, they were positioned as an accessory—something you chose specifically for its style or design, and could coordinate with your outfits.5 (I imagine that Swatches also acted as somewhat of a ‘gateway watch,’ creating a generation of youth amateur collectors who would stay plugged into horology for the rest of their lives.)
But it’s hard not to notice how the word “cheap” is used to denigrate these new watches that originated in Asia, while the same type of product is touted as ‘affordable’, ‘novel’, and ‘democratizing’ when repackaged as a European export. (If you also flagged that, you’ll enjoy this recent piece from
.)High Snobiety suggests that Swatch was one of the first examples of fast fashion, citing their ability to “react quickly to changing sartorial trends”.6 Though Swatch fits the criteria in some ways, it does feel less soulless and more cohesive than the typical fast fashion brand of today. There’s a forty-year throughline in their aesthetic—a Swatch from 1984 is instantly recognizable as such, yet impossible to place on a timeline. And there’s also an air of genuine delight that stands out in our current age of irony, gimmicks, and worshipping at the throne of minimalism and quiet luxury.
While I had my share of power beads and slap bracelets, and even a lime green Casio Baby-G, I never ended up getting a Swatch. I rectified that several years ago by purchasing this vintage Swatch on Etsy for about $30.
Soon after, I bought a different one for my friend Carley (owner of an amazing glass art studio)—after failing to find the purchase confirmation email the other day, I asked and she graciously sent me a couple pictures. This one is more of a bracelet/watch hybrid, made of clear plastic beads with fake flowers embedded in them.
Here’s a selection of some more vintage Swatches I would absolutely wear—and some that I just appreciate!
Depending on condition and packaging, once you see one you like, it’s pretty easy to find varying price points—the Metrica for example, is out there for cheaper than the one I linked, but I wanted to make sure I was using the correct listing for the one I took the photo from.7
(One last little tidbit to leave you with: Swatch nailed experiential packaging long before the YouTubers who film unboxing videos were even born. See below.)
Did you own a Swatch (or multiple Swatches?) when you were younger?
https://www.hodinky-365.com/blog/swatch-the-story-of-a-company-that-saved-swiss-watchmaking-x32679
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/swatch-watches-history/
https://www.montredo.com/the-quartz-crisis-the-almost-downfall-of-the-mechanical-watch/
https://quillandpad.com/2024/05/18/how-swatch-saved-the-swiss-watch-industry/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertanaas/2016/12/09/patek-philippe-celebrates-20-years-of-its-iconic-advertising-campaign-you-never-actually-own-a-patek-philippe/
https://www.fratellowatches.com/40-years-of-swatch-a-look-back-at-the-plastic-watch-that-changed-everything/#gref
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/swatch-watches-history/
After investigating (absorbing knowledge from Reddit), the older vintage Swatches are made from a different material that becomes brittle over time. I can’t find an exact timeline of strap material changes, but it seems like most are made of silicone instead of plastic now, which is more durable. There seems to be some consensus that Swatches from the 2000s onwards should hold up better—you can filter by year/decade on eBay if this is important to you. If it’s the watch face and not necessarily the band that matters to you, Swatch and many sellers on Etsy do sell replacement silicone bands.
The vintage ones with white/clear/off-white straps may also yellow over time. According to some more knowledgeable than I (aka Reddit), this is likely because, “Older plastics yellow because of a fire retardant, bromine, destabilizes and comes through to the surface. This style of plastic has fallen out of favor because of this, and I am fairly certain [Swatch] doesn't use it anymore.” Given those concerns, I would be hesitant to spend more than $100 on an older vintage one that I wanted to wear often.
Thank you so much I adored reading this. I'm Australian and in the 90s you only buy Swatches at the airport in Oz and I went to school with a girl whose dad travelled frequently for work and he bought her a Swatch every time and she has like 6 of them. I was green. I've never actually owened one but my 6 year is due a watch and you can buy them in normal stores now. Thanks for the inspo!
I still have my 1985 Swatch that I got for Christmas from my parents. It has a clear purple band which has faded/discoloured a bit, possibly silicone as you noted- a cool detail I didn’t know, thanks! The face is quartered in white and neon pink surrounded by black, with glow-in-the-dark hands. No numbers, which annoyed me at the time. I dug around online-yikes, I should probably have it cleaned and wear it! It’s valuable, who knew? You! Fun article, thank you.