1986 Called… I Answered

Story time. When I started “collecting” (accumulating?) watches, I wondered how cool would it be to find my first watch?

After months of on and off again searching Swatch catalogs, and countless Google searches, out of pure happenstance I found the watch and identified the reference number.

Folks, from the 1986 Spring/Summer collection, the Swatch Tonga GL100.

Now to find one. This actually wasn’t too hard. Luck probably, but I found a beat up one on EBay and the one pictured above, new-in-box from 1986 in Frankfurt, Germany. A month later, it’s here!

I couldn’t be more excited to add the watch that started it all to my collection and enjoy the good vibes from a simpler time!

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I’ve been trying to remember what my Swatch was. I think it was grey transparent and would have been ‘85-‘86. I haven’t found it yet. I’ll know it when I see it.

Not even really to buy one, but just to nail down that vague memory.

I might have had two of them. At least one had a Swatch guard. I was really proud of it.

I remember very clearly a girl in 9th grade. She had a McGregor. Funny how I remember her Swatch better than my own.

But then again I looked at her a lot more than I did at my watch.

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Who didn't get started with a Swatch! Wish more people were brave enough to post these in WRUW.

A word of warning... my new-old-stock Swatch had its strap disintegrate after about 30 minutes of wear. Luckily you have a solid colour design which should be easy to match with aftermarket parts if necessary...

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MrPsionic

I’ve been trying to remember what my Swatch was. I think it was grey transparent and would have been ‘85-‘86. I haven’t found it yet. I’ll know it when I see it.

Not even really to buy one, but just to nail down that vague memory.

I might have had two of them. At least one had a Swatch guard. I was really proud of it.

I remember very clearly a girl in 9th grade. She had a McGregor. Funny how I remember her Swatch better than my own.

But then again I looked at her a lot more than I did at my watch.

I had the same vague memory of mine that you did. Finally found it in an online archive of someone who collects Swatch advertisements. I knew it the second I saw it, then used google search by image to find it.

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sagebrush

Who didn't get started with a Swatch! Wish more people were brave enough to post these in WRUW.

A word of warning... my new-old-stock Swatch had its strap disintegrate after about 30 minutes of wear. Luckily you have a solid colour design which should be easy to match with aftermarket parts if necessary...

The seller warned me as much… thanks for confirming. Now that it’s here I’ll have to match up new straps. Although I’m a little leery to wear it… it still has the plastic over the crystal 😬

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casiodean

I'm brave enough. 😉

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Love it! Watches should be FUN!

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What a great, fun story!! Next time I visit my folks, I’ll need to rummage through photo albums to help me remember my first Swatch…and then the arduous search for the actual watch begins (maybe)! See what you’ve done????🤙😂❤️

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Always great to see others in the community that have pre-MoonSwatch experience with the brand. It's been tiresome listening to band wagoneers drone on who have no history with the brand but are now 50 shades of outraged because one Swatch iteration didn't roll out well...for them. You've inspired me to perhaps start posting some of mine here in WC even if "cheap toy" is the all too frequent watch snob response. This hobby is supposed to be fun so here are a few from my 007 collection.

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Cool watch, great story.

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FlatteryCamp

Always great to see others in the community that have pre-MoonSwatch experience with the brand. It's been tiresome listening to band wagoneers drone on who have no history with the brand but are now 50 shades of outraged because one Swatch iteration didn't roll out well...for them. You've inspired me to perhaps start posting some of mine here in WC even if "cheap toy" is the all too frequent watch snob response. This hobby is supposed to be fun so here are a few from my 007 collection.

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Very cool. Never knew they did such a series,

Of course being in the USA severly limits their availableness,

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FlatteryCamp

Always great to see others in the community that have pre-MoonSwatch experience with the brand. It's been tiresome listening to band wagoneers drone on who have no history with the brand but are now 50 shades of outraged because one Swatch iteration didn't roll out well...for them. You've inspired me to perhaps start posting some of mine here in WC even if "cheap toy" is the all too frequent watch snob response. This hobby is supposed to be fun so here are a few from my 007 collection.

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Too cool! Love it!