Watch collaborations are not a rarity. With increasing regularity, the luxury brands, and not just the likes of Swatch, Casio and Timex, are partnering with giants from entertainment and sport to create limited edition collaboration watches.
Especially buoyed by Swatch and Omega’s success with the MoonSwatch as well as a desire by some of the old Swiss companies to appeal to younger generations, it is now a reality to see brands at the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum working together.
That’s not to say that the history of horology is not filled with surprising collaborations and we have looked at 10 below from 10 different watch brands.
Audemars Piguet and Marvel
Just about the last watch company in the world you’d expect to get into bed with a property like Marvel, Audemars Piguet have brought their technical ingenuity to the pop culture collaboration watch, fitting Black Panther and Spider-Man into the iconic Royal Oak shape. Literally, as the superheroes are turned into 3D figures on the dial. Only 250 were manufactured of each and they have since become as rare as superpowers themselves.
Rolex and Domino’s Pizza
Created so that Domino’s Pizza could reward their most successful employees with a true memento. On early editions, the blue and red Domino’s logo would just be printed in the centre of the Air-King’s dial whereas newer issues feature the logo integrated into the bracelet links and on the caseback so that it looks less like a gimmick. They do occasionally pop up on the pre-owned market, usually for a significant amount more than a standard Air-King.
Seiko and Jaws
Seiko are no strangers to pop culture collaborations but certainly one of their best and most interesting is the Prospex they repurposed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jaws last year. Limited to just 5,000 pieces and only available in select parts of the world, the watch is appropriately water resistant up to 200 metres meaning it would have been suitable if Quint, Brody or Hooper wore it when going off to kill the shark. The dial is directly inspired by the legendary film’s poster while the caseback features the fishing boat and the shark.
Omega and Snoopy
On the face of it, this is one of the more random collaborations but once you know the history, it makes perfect sense. NASA have used Snoopy as an internal mascot since the 1960’s and giver out their Silver Snoopy Award for those who have made outstanding contributions to space travel. Omega were awarded one after Apollo 13 when a Speedmaster was used onboard to correctly time the engine burn so that the crew returned safely to Earth. Omega decided to celebrate 50 years of the award and Snoopy’s role in it with the stunning a special edition Speedmaster which features the iconic cartoon character piloting a rocket on the caseback.
Swatch and The Simpsons
One of Swatch’s best and most successful collaborations in recent years, there have been numerous inventive designs featuring Simpsons iconography but none probably beat the donut watch which dropped in 2023.
TAG Heuer and Tiger Woods
One of the most iconic athletes in the history of sport, Tiger Woods started off his watch endorsements with Tudor before moving to TAG Heuer in 2003 with him bringing out his own signature model two years later. Golfers famously don’t play with watches (for obvious reasons) but this limited edition piece was intended to be worn while playing a round of 18. While this is distinctive looking, they can be found on the market for far less than what they retailed for.
Breitling and NFL
The NFL’s first premium watch collaboration, Breitling have designed a watch for all 32 NFL teams using various different models including the Endurance Pro and Chronomat GMT 40. The prices also vary substantially with multiple watches for each team retailing for between £3,700 and £29,300.
G-Shock and Eminem
Eminem is a known G-Shock super fan, having worn the brand for more than a decade, but he does not do endorsements of any sort, making it a surprise he hooked up with the brand for a 30th anniversary piece that features his reverse E logo as well as the Detroit skyline and a signed caseback. A steal when they were released for less than $200.
Hamilton and Dune
Hamilton may be Hollywood’s watch brand of choice but this collaboration for the release of Dune: Part II is one of their more leftfield designs and directly inspired by a piece the company made for the film. The two Ventura models are both luminous blue and triangular and have a real sci-fi aesthetic which almost transport the wearer straight to Arrakis.
Oris and Kermit the Frog
This looks exactly like what you would expect a Kermit the Frog watch to look like. The dial is as green as grass with a little Kermit at the bottom, meaning it captures the right aesthetic without being overly branded. While almost £4,000 may be a lot of money for a watch featuring the world’s most famous frog, here’s hoping Oris make pieces for the rest of The Muppets.
Like this? The best Swatch Collaborations of all time, including the Royal Pop
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