Something big is coming from Swatch. The Swiss watchmaker has taken out newspaper adverts over the weekend, showing abstract fragments of its Sistem51 watch movement alongside a date: 16th May.
This, comes after Swatch dangled the phrase “The Real Wonders are happening in May” on its website, along with the ‘X Swatch’ logo.
First of all, I think the Saturday points to something big. It’s the same day of the week the original MoonSwatch launched, and a ideal for reaching a wider audience when people aren’t at work.
This is also the first time since the MoonSwatch that Swatch has built hype this far in advance. A cryptic message on its website and now full-page newspaper ads – whatever this is, Swatch clearly thinks it’s worth the fanfare.
Now, I originally thought we might be seeing an eight wonders of the world theme – guided by the eight coloured loops and ‘Wonders’ text. But the new ads have shifted my thinking – the dotted backdrops, the bold “WONDER” font, the graphic fragmented layouts – it’s all starting to feel less ancient history and more comic book to me. Pop art, even. Think Roy Lichtenstein (we know Swatch loves art from the recent AI-DADA launch).
Then there’s what’s actually being shown. A focus on parts of the Sistem 51 moment and is intricate mechanical detail. Could that mean we’re going to see a high-horology collab – possibly with Breguet, Jacquet Droz, or Glashütte Original, all of which are in the Swatch Group stable.
Swatch also dropped something intriguing on Instagram – a closer look at what appears to be a leather loop. I doesn’t look like a strap in the traditional sense, but more like a leather strip designed to let you wear the watch as a pendant around your neck. It’s an odd detail, but Swatch has never been afraid of odd.
Personally, the pop art angle is the most exciting possibility here. A collaboration that blends cartoon graphics with a serious high horology brand would be genuinely unexpected.
We’ll know everything on the 16th – I can’t wait.
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