Swatch Group ran a not-so-subtle ad in a German newspaper last week, with the silhouette of a Blancpain dive watch crown and a blank area at the top followed by an “x” and “Swatch” below.
Naturally, an image of that ad was subsequently posted online, which sparked speculation about what was coming next. Shortly after that, Swatch started circulating the imagery at the top of this article, all but confirming that Blancpain is the next brand they will collaborate with.
After the craziness that resulted from the hype marketing and distribution of the Swatch Group’s Omega x Swatch collaboration, which went on to be dubbed the “MoonSwatch,” the Swatch Group Ltd. — which owns Swatch, Omega, Blancpain, Longines, Tissot, Hamilton, Rado, ETA, Breguet — is taking a page from the same playbook with its hotly anticipated next collaboration between high-end Blancpain and entry-level Swatch.
While we don’t know if what was teased will end up with an unofficial one-word nickname such as “BlancSwatch” or “PainSwatch,” we do know quite a few details already. Swatch has not attempted to be coy at all and appears to have more or less revealed what will be announced this coming Saturday, September 9th, 2023, the date that was posted in the newspaper ad. The MoonSwatch was also launched on a Saturday.
First, Blancpain only sells watches with mechanical movements inside, and Swatch certainly wants to charge more for its next collaboration, so the chance that we’ll see one of Swatch’s completely machine-made plastic Sistem51 mechanical movements is high.
Second, Nicolas Hayek Jr. was also quoted as saying they had prototyped a Blancpain Fifty Fathom in bioceramic when interviewed following the MoonSwatch debut. The crown in the teaser shot (above) matches that of a traditional Fifty Fathoms model with a round case, though the boxier Fifty Fathoms Bathyscape model, could just as easily be offered in a bioceramic case.
Third, is the naming logic and color variations, which more or less have already been unofficially announced, which you can see in the header image of this article. It appears that there will be five models, each named after an ocean (Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic), which is fitting considering Fifty Fathoms is one of the earliest dive watches ever made and focuses its marketing significantly around this element.
Fourth, these will likely only be available at Swatch stores and pop-up shops, unless for some reason Swatch decides to let multi-brand retailers sell this upscale collection, or in the even more unlikely event that they let consumers order these online. In an effort to maximize revenue, Swatch could sell online, but it would likely diminish the hype effect so it seems improbable.
Finally, considering Blancpain is higher end than Omega, and that this watch will likely have a mechanical movement, and increased water resistance, and because they can, I think Swatch will charge at least $500 all the way up to $1,000.
Photos by Swatch.
