Swatches
I've heard of Swatches my whole life, ever since Bill Engvall made his jokes about it.
Why are Swatches such a big deal? What makes them so special?
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KL3XB
New to collecting, I like vintage style watches.
Atlanta Georgia
Member since
Last active: 11 months ago
They are fun, cheap, and Swiss made...
They are fun, cheap, and Swiss made...
I highly disagree with "cheap". Cheaply made, maybe!
The brand gets a lot of credit for "saving" the Swiss watch industry. Swatch was founded in 1983 at the height of the "quartz crisis" when countless venerable Swiss brands had gone bust. The Japanese quartz watch was king and on the wrists of movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then Swatch came along with fashionable, colorful, whimsical and trendy low cost watches. These were not adjectives the public associated with the stodgy Swiss watch industry and Swatch was NOT your father's (or grandfather's) watch. They sold like hotcakes and propped up the whole industry. We would probably not have the Swatch group as we know it today without Swatch.
The brand gets a lot of credit for "saving" the Swiss watch industry. Swatch was founded in 1983 at the height of the "quartz crisis" when countless venerable Swiss brands had gone bust. The Japanese quartz watch was king and on the wrists of movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then Swatch came along with fashionable, colorful, whimsical and trendy low cost watches. These were not adjectives the public associated with the stodgy Swiss watch industry and Swatch was NOT your father's (or grandfather's) watch. They sold like hotcakes and propped up the whole industry. We would probably not have the Swatch group as we know it today without Swatch.
Thanks for explaining it! 😁
The brand gets a lot of credit for "saving" the Swiss watch industry. Swatch was founded in 1983 at the height of the "quartz crisis" when countless venerable Swiss brands had gone bust. The Japanese quartz watch was king and on the wrists of movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then Swatch came along with fashionable, colorful, whimsical and trendy low cost watches. These were not adjectives the public associated with the stodgy Swiss watch industry and Swatch was NOT your father's (or grandfather's) watch. They sold like hotcakes and propped up the whole industry. We would probably not have the Swatch group as we know it today without Swatch.
I was born in '95, so I had no idea. 😂
Case in point. I wore one these Casio Arnie watches for much of the late 80's. It was on a black rubber strap and I have no idea what happened to it but now I own this gold dial and a black dial version.
Swatches are light and fun to wear but as far as ticking goes they louder than timex.