SWATCH WATCHES - MADE AS 'SECOND WATCHES' - HAVE BECOME ICONS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT!
Thu 29th November 2018
Did you know that the most expensive Swatch watch is now worth $28,000*? Even though you can buy a Swatch today for under £50, some of them have become collector’s items! But how did Swatch come into being and why did they become so ‘on-trend’ so quickly?
By the late 70’s, Asian-made digital quartz watches were all the rage! The market was saturated by brands which were selling watches for as little as £10. Traditional mechanical watches, with their complicated movements, were declining in popularity. The response was to produce a digital watch with fewer moving parts (51 versus 91), made in plastic, using state-of-the art
technology, with its own brand identity and marketing campaign.
The first collection of 12 Swatch models was launched on March 1st, 1983, with low prices and the message of disposability. They rapidly caught on and the target of 1 million pieces within 1 year was soon overtaken and Swatch restored Switzerland as a major player in the world wristwatch market. Today, the Swatch Group is headed up by Nick Hayek Jnr, the son of the founder, which comprises many well-known brands along with Swatch, including Omega, Longines, Calvin Klein
and Hamilton, which can all be found in Guest and Philips stores. Guest and Philips have watches to suit every occasion, with all ranges of Swatch available should you decide a ‘Second Watch’ is for you!
The current Swatch ranges include women’s, men’s, the edgy ‘Skin Irony’ and special limited editions. There is so much choice and, even after 35 years, it’s easy to see why Swatch is still very much a staple of watch fashion and why some of
their designs have become collector’s items. They might be a ‘second’ watch, but their innovation has made them indispensable.
*The Swatch which is now worth $28,000 is a Kiki Picasso from 1985 - which was made as a give-away!
