Swatch Watches

Curiosity takes you to strange levels. Ever since I started writing at Mouthshut, I have tried to write on everything that’s near me—everything that has become a part of my life. I have explored the otherwise tiny-looking things and by writing on them, have felt much wiser about everything I use. And out of this everything, is my sweet swiss Swatch. So come let’s talk a bit about my watch...

MY WATCH..

It was winter 2001. I was travelling to London by Royal Jordanian Airways, and in came a sweet in-flight air-hostess with a tray full of goodies...There were many things to buy...Beers, Whiskeys, Cigars, Chocolates and, hold your breath, Swatch watches! I had heard a lot about this stylish Swiss company which instantly prompted me to go for it. At a first glance, it was strange to look at in its transparent glass case. The watch itself was a beige coloured transparent watch---I could see all the inner components of it working, which was exciting to look at....I paid the hostess $55 and got my first ever expensive watch. Actually, I have never been fanatic about branded accessories. As far as watches go, I always wore digital stuff from the house of Casio—but this one took my breath away with its simplicity.

I tore open the sealed packet and case and felt my new watch. The first thing that struck me was the watch’s slimness. It’s just 1 cm thick and weighed 39 gms including its heavy but slim metal strap. The strap is also very strange—it swirls around in any direction even though its metal!! Its been 1 and a half years now, and I have had no problem with my sweet Swiss Swatch ever. Its still retains the shine of a new watch (even though I sleep and take bath with it daily), has not stopped working ever (even though I have dropped it from my 3rd storey house thrice and I still love it for its sleek and cheeky looks...

ASSESSING MY WATCH:

Model Name: Skeleton (Model rejuvenated and new price = $80)

Durability: (Just as promised—lives up to its name!!)

Looks: (You’ll sure be baited by its slim and trim deign)

Value for Money: (Expensive it is, but the name speaks volumes!!)

After reviewing my own Swatch, let’s have a look at the Swatch, the company and its watches:

SWATCH’S PAST AND PRESENT (in brief):

A reason why Swatch is so famous today is partly because of its enthralling history. The company overcame the crisis and was actually responsible for the survival of the Swiss watch industry. In the mid-seventies, the Swiss watch industry was in the midst of its worst crisis ever. Technologically speaking, the Japanese competition had been outclassed in 1979 with the launch of the ’’Delirium, ’’ the world´s thinnest wristwatch with a limited number of components. But the event that marked the upturn in the industry´s fortunes was the founding of SMH, the Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries.

And its answer to the crisis was Swatch-a slim plastic watch with only 51 components (instead of the usual 91 parts or more) that combined top quality with a highly affordable price. It first went on sale in 1983.

So the word Swatch actually means Slim Watch.

Since this time, it has gone on to become the most successful wristwatch of all time, and The Swatch Group, the parent company, is the largest and most dynamic watch company in the world.

For many years, new developments have been taking place alongside the standard Swatch watch in plastic-from Irony (the metal Swatch) to the Swatch SKIN Chrono (the world’s thinnest chronograph) to Swatch Snowpass (a watch with a built-in access control function which can be used as a ski pass at many ski resorts throughout the world), and Swatch Beat (featuring the revolutionary Internet Time).

Swatch is also the Official Timekeeper of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games. Outstanding technical capabilities and advances in the fields of science and technology were already proven by Swatch during its role as the Official Timekeeper in both the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic

SWATCH COLLECTIONS

Swatch has a wide-range of watches to suit practically all tastes and ages, but one thing is common between all its four ranges—they represent freshness and trendiness in their designs. So if you are the kind who wants to make a fashion statement, lookout for Swatch.

Basically, Swatch has four beautiful collections to boast of:

•The Originals: One of the largest collections of watches ever, The Originals have trendy looking watches for Gents, Ladies, as well as some funky and extra-ordinary watches in the sub-ranges called POP, Scuba, Turnover and X-Large.

•Skin: This range consists of ultra-thin wonderous watches which measure just 3.9mm in thickness and are the thinnest plastic watches in the world. My watch (Skeleton) belongs to this range.

•Beat: This range consists of some stupendously smart-looking digital watches. There are sub-ranges to choose from-Alu, Aluminium, Plastic and Alumini.

•Irony: This is the ‘metal’ collection of Swatch. Consisting of more than 100 individualistic designs, there are 10 sub-categories to choose from—Big, Chrono, Chrono Medium, Lady Lady, Diaphane, Nabab , Scuba 200 and many more...

WANNA SHOP FOR SWATCH.....

Due to the strong brand image and name, it won’t be difficult to buy Swatch—any big fashion accessory shop can be hunted. But, prices are highly fluctuating.

To get the best Swatch, shop online at:

https://swatch.com

Besides getting the best price, you can have a look at the complete range and keep track with the latest collections of watches (Look out for Phil Collins Special Collection, Spring Collection 2003 and many more....)

TO SUM UP.....