Here are Style’s five front runners for Swatch’s next potential collaboration …
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1. Breguet
In watch forums and group chats all over the globe, Breguet is head and shoulders the most popular guess for the next Swatch collaboration. The brand has been around since 1775 and is named after its founder Abraham-Louis Breguet, whose historical clients included Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, King George IV and Alexander I of Russia, to name a few.
Breguet himself is known most for inventing some of the most coveted complications in watches, such as the tourbillon, retrograde displays and the gong most widely used in minute repeater watches.
If Swatch decides to leverage a Breguet piece for a bioceramic revamp, we see that going in one of two directions. Breguet is primarily known for its dress and complication watches, with its signature watch hands, but it’s also known for the Type XX pilot’s watch, which has a more accessible design.
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A bioceramic pilot piece based on the Type XX would be an absolute design hit, but this is also a prime opportunity to make accessible one of Breguet’s famous complications, adding the Breguet hands for a signature touch.
2. Glashütte Original
The Swatch Group’s other high horology brand resides not in Switzerland but in the Glashütte region of Germany, with roots in the region going back to 1845.
Like Breguet, Glashütte Original’s most impressive pieces come from its dress lines such as the Senator and Pano collections. In recent years though, the brand has added chic styles from the latter half of the 20th century such as its cushion-cased Seventies collection or SeaQ dive watches.
The Omega Speedmaster and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms both have mid-century roots, so if Glashütte Original were next in line for a bioceramic piece with Swatch, it’s likely the group will look towards the Seventies collection to add a cushion case to the collaboration series.
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However, we also feel that the Pano is the most prominent asymmetrical dial design in the Swatch Group portfolio, which would make a compelling dress piece in contrast to the tool-oriented nature of the MoonSwatch and Scuba Fifty Fathoms.
3. Longines
In terms of recognisability, Longines is Swatch Group’s most prominent brand for sports watches, particularly pilot’s pieces. Founded in 1832, the brand was known as a great racing and equestrian timer, a maker of iconic pilots watches such as the Spirit Zulu Time, and for being one of the first Swiss brands to embrace quartz movements, which powers its Dolce Vita today.
Any of the Spirit (such as the Zulu Time) or Conquest pieces would continue the theme of sports watches in these collaborations, but the Zulu Time would make a great GMT addition to the Swatch collection, especially after Longines released a very wearable 39mm version this year.
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4. Jaquet Droz
Easily the most visually oriented brand on this list, Jaquet Droz was founded by Pierre Jaquet-Droz in the 18th century. Both the brand and Jaquet-Droz himself were known for their automata, which is the focus of the brand’s signature pieces today.
In recent memory, the Bird Repeater 300th anniversary edition was released in 2021 to celebrate the founder’s 300th birthday, featuring singing birds that chime with the time.
It would be a bit of a stretch to ask Swatch to add a “bird repeater” chime to what is supposed to be an affordable novelty, but any dial with moving parts would be an extremely tasteful way for Swatch to pay tribute to Jaquet-Droz. What’s more, Swatch has been on a tear with its art-inspired timepieces – a perfect backdrop to add a little motion if Jaquet Droz were up next for collaboration.
5. Hamilton
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That being said, American-turned-Swiss brand Hamilton’s field watches are second to none, boasting such hits as the Khaki Field series, the dressier Jazzmaster collection and the triangular Ventura as popularised by Elvis Presley.If Hamilton is up next for a collaboration with Swatch, a bioceramic Khaki Field Automatic or Murph (popularised by Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar) are a near certainty.
However, the value proposition is the key question here. Part of the appeal for the MoonSwatch and Scuba Fifty Fathoms was being able to own a famous US$8,000-US$10,000 watch in bioceramic and for US$300-US$400. However, the Khaki Field Mechanical is already in that sub-US$500 territory, making a bioceramic version appealing, but not that much of a discount from the original.
6. Tissot
In almost the same boat as Hamilton is Tissot, considered a household name in affordable watch circles. Founded in 1880, Tissot’s claim to fame was the invention of the first non-magnetic wristwatch.
These days, Tissot has a wide range of beloved and accessible designs, from the vintage dress-inspired Le Locle and the do-it-all Gentleman, to the integrated sports icon the PRX Powermatic. Most recently, Tissot went 70s by reintroducing the Sideral.
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It’s likely that any bioceramic revamp with Swatch will use the PRX Powermatic, as it was released in 1978 and revived in 2021, and was likely inspired by other integrated sports watches such the Vacheron Constantin 222 (or Overseas) and Omega Seamaster ST 336.0801 from 1972.
However, like Hamilton, Tissot’s references are visually amazing, but are also very affordable, affecting the value proposition of a potential bioceramic PRX, which ranges from US$400-US$700 for the actual version.
