Brand

Swatch

The Watch That Saved Swiss Watchmaking

About Swatch

Swatch revolutionized the watch industry in the 1980s by making Swiss watches accessible, fun, and collectible. Today, Swatch continues to push boundaries with collaborations like the MoonSwatch (with Omega) and Fifty Fathoms (with Blancpain), creating viral moments that bring new collectors into the hobby.

Swatch history in brief

Founded: 1983
Headquarters: Biel/Bienne, Switzerland

Swatch was launched in 1983 as the Swiss industry's answer to cheap Japanese quartz watches: a plastic watch with only 51 parts, assembled automatically. It helped save the Swiss watch industry, and its parent company — renamed the Swatch Group — now owns Omega, Longines, Tissot, Hamilton, Blancpain and Breguet. Since 2022, the bioceramic MoonSwatch (with Omega) and Scuba Fifty Fathoms (with Blancpain) collaborations have drawn queues outside stores worldwide.

Signature Swatch models

MoonSwatch — Omega Speedmaster design in bioceramic for about $270.
Scuba Fifty Fathoms — Blancpain's classic diver reinterpreted with an automatic movement.
Sistem51 — An automatic movement built from just 51 parts and assembled by machine.

Tips for buying a Swatch

▸Collaboration models are sold only in Swatch stores — online resale prices well above retail usually fall over time.
▸These are fun watches, not heirlooms: bioceramic cases scratch and most cannot be serviced economically.
▸Buy only from Swatch stores or swatch.com; fakes are widespread on marketplaces.

Best for: Anyone who wants a playful Swiss watch or a taste of Omega and Blancpain design for under $500.