Swatch
- Founded
- 1983
- Based in
- Biel, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 5 watches from $70 to $420
Swatch is the reason the Swiss watch industry still exists in its current form. In the early 1980s cheap Japanese quartz watches were wiping out Swiss watchmakers, and Swatch fought back with a cheap, colorful plastic quartz watch made of just 51 parts. It turned watches into fashion, and its profits funded the group that now owns Omega, Breguet and Longines.
History
Swatch launched in 1983. The watch was designed by engineers Elmar Mock and Jacques Müller, with Ernst Thomke and later Nicolas Hayek driving the business. Its 51-part design could be assembled by machine, which made Swiss production affordable again. Thousands of designs and collaborations with artists followed, from Keith Haring to Kiki Picasso.
In 2013 Swatch launched the Sistem51, an automatic watch with a 51-part movement assembled by machine. In 2022 it released the MoonSwatch, a bioceramic take on the Omega Speedmaster, and people queued around the block to buy one. In 2023 it did the same with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Signature models
- Gent Original: The classic 34 mm plastic Swatch, light and colorful.
- Bioceramic Big Bold: A bigger watch in Swatch's ceramic-and-bio-plastic material.
- Sistem51: An automatic Swatch with a sealed, machine-made movement.
- MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon: The bioceramic Speedmaster, the hit of 2022.
- Scuba Fifty Fathoms: The bioceramic Blancpain diver.
What it's known for
Swatch watches are light and inexpensive, and its collaborations with Omega and Blancpain made luxury designs accessible to anyone.
Price and positioning
Swatch watches mostly cost $70 to $400. Casio and Timex are the closest rivals on price. Swatch's MoonSwatch is also a gateway to Omega for many people.
Swatch watches in our library
- Swatch Gent Original ($70 to $80)
- Swatch Bioceramic Big Bold ($100 to $130)
- Swatch Sistem51 ($160 to $260)
- Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon ($275 to $285)
- Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms ($400 to $420)