The
arrival of the Swatch in 1983 revolutionized time keeping. In the late
70s, wristwatches were synonymous with Swiss jewels of careful
craftsmanship, with few changes as they passed through generations.
However, the introduction to the market of low cost Asian alternatives
that challenged the Swiss in quality, saw a rapid decline in fortunes of
the Swiss wristwatch.
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| Not Vital |
Nicolas
G. Hayek saw a solution. His curiosity with a “second watch”, an
inexpensive yet uplifting time piece that captured the personality of an
individual, would prove to be the saviour of the Swiss watchmaking
industry. Radical and vibrant designs (not to mention the move to
plastic), catalysed a growing trend of the Swatch Watch amongst an
entire generation’s youth.
Over the years, Swatch has quickly established itself to be the trailblazer of watch brands. Continuous innovation in relation to texture and colour, including invitations to artists to design their own watch, has guaranteed that Swatch remained at the top. The establishment of the Collectors Club as well as limited edition releases, have fueled a society of collectors that continue to see the value in their favorite Swatch watch.
From
the very beginning, the connection between Swatch and art through Pop
culture was inseparable. In 1984 Kiki Picasso was the first artist
commissioned to design a piece, followed by a series of Keith Haring
designs. Other notable contributions come from Akira Kurosawa, Spike
Lee, Renzo Piano, Yoko Ono, Vivienne Westwood, Not Vital and Annie
Leibovitz.
As swatch continue to write the future of watch design, the fascination with vintage swatches will always remain. As numbers dwindle vintage classics rise in value, and with so many keen collectors, it’s never too difficult to track down the swatch that best describes you.
We currently have a large collection of Swatch's available at The Old Cinema, ranging from £60 each.
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