Over the last 40 years, Swatch has revolutionised the watch market and the entirety of the Swiss watch business. Founded at a time of great upheaval in watchmaking, Swatch, with their affordable but high quality quartz pieces, near enough saved the industry in their homeland.
The company’s still thriving business is essentially a testament to their unofficial ethos that something mass produced and widely used can still be of a high quality, spark emotional attachment and actually mean something. Not everything, of course, is smooth sailing, the Swatch Group’s revenue has been trending downwards in recent years and so are profits with the brand’s decline in what used to be a core market in China to blame.
Throughout that history, a core part of their business plan, has been collaborations with fashion designers, other watchmakers and brand entities such as Dragonball Z and Peanuts. A big game-changing moment for the company was their collaboration with Omega to create the MoonSwatch as the two entities (both part of the enormous Swatch group which also includes Harry Winston, Hamilton and Tissot) brought luxury to the marketplace at affordable prices.
Now, with Swatch going one step further by working with Audemars Piguet to create the earth-shattering Royal Pop, we thought it would be the perfect time to look back at some of the company’s best and most unusual collaborations.
Audemars Piguet – Royal Pop
A watch release so big and chaotic, police were called to Swatch shops all over the globe. Representing Audemars Piguet’s first move into accessibility and affordability, Swatch took inspiration from their POP range of the 1980’s and turned the Royal Oak into something that isn’t even a wristwatch. It may be a while until there is so much talk about a singular watch again.
Omega – Mission to the Moon
The collaboration that originally broke the internet and led to fans and collectors camping outside of shops. Immaculately designed in honour of the iconic Moonwatch, this can already be considered one of the most important releases in Swatch’s history with a staggering two million units sold around the globe – and it’s still on sale.
Blancpain – Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms
The bright pink might not be to everybody’s tastes but this tribute to the original diver’s watch thankfully now comes in a number of different colourways including a subtler deep green. Not as widely embraced as the MoonSwatch (probably because Blancpain is still a lesser known name) but this collaboration proved Swatch had the capability to manufacture something to a very high mechanical standard.
Hodinkee – Sistem 51 Vintage 84
The influential watch website and magazine hooked up with Swatch back in 2017 for a contemporary take on one of the most important models in the company’s history. With the Swiss watch industry struggling against the influx of quartz-powered pieces, Swatch created their own, using plastic and selling it cheaply. This collaboration bought that distinctive and game-changing watch back to the masses with the specific dial taken from Swatch’s second ever collection.
Vivienne Westwood – Orb Pop
One of Swatch’s more elaborate collaborations, this early 90’s hook up represented the first time a fashion designer had put their stamp on one of the watch giant’s models. The case – a recreation of the designer’s orb and cross logo – is a showstopper itself and has little of Swatch’s imprint meaning it’s undeniably Vivienne Westwood.
Keith Haring – Blanc Sur Noir
Swatch recently reunited posthumously with the iconic artist for a Mickey Mouse inspired range but Haring first designed for the watch giant in the mid 80’s with four of his trademark abstract creations. Haring also created the advertising for the release and like most things to do with the New Yorker, the watches have gone on to be very collectable.
Jeremy Scott – Portrait
Scott is the perfect designer for Swatch’s oft-colourful designs that can veer into the avant garde at their most experimental and as such, has done several lines for the company. The most interesting of these is the Portrait where the bezel is actually a portrait frame. Notably one of Swatch’s least practical releases but certainly one of their most eye-catching, complete with a picture of the fashion designer in the middle of the dial.
Kiki Picasso – GZ008
The original Swatch collaboration, Swatch joined forces with the French artist in 1985 to create a limited run of just 140 pieces. The abstract design helped the emergent company grow into a powerhouse with its affordable and practical pieces. If you got in on the ground floor, a GZ008 would have cost less than £50, now you would be expected to pay up to 1000 times that, making it the most valuable Swatch on the market.
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