Friday, January 7, 2011

Fashion [Re]wind: The Swatch Watch

à: Our first collaborate entry with Whatever... Eurotrash is here! For this month, we will be looking at some of the brands which have made their names in the 90s and 00s. Even though they still exist in the market right now, their fame is not as big as before. Now our question for you is: Do you remember these brands? Were you once a member of this trend movement? First up, we have SWATCH!

It's 1993, summertime, and Eurotrash is listening to Haddaway's number one hit, What is Love, on her dad's walkman. She's vacationing with her parents in Italy: gelato, beaches, crushes, 90210, painted toe nails and a Swatch watch. At such a tender age, 8 years old to be exact, eurotrash was well on her way to style supremacy. (à: yep, I was one of those kids too! Big swatch on one hand and a big pair of glasses just because the size of my glasses was not proportional to my body size.)

Various Swatches: Keith Haring (this baby is worth $1100 now, if you can find it), Garden Turf, Acquafun and Olympic Team Italy.

So whatever happened to Swatch? Just a few years after the company's inception in the mid 80s, these state of the art, streamlined, uber-trendy timepieces were on everybody's wrists. Including mine. (Anybody remember Swatch's kids line aka Flik Flak Swatches?) (à: Flik Flak, yes! I am just not a big fan of it, I prefer the adult swatch, especially Scuba!)

Swatch POP: Vivienne Westwood, Enjoy It, Letterhead, Soupe de Poisson


Swatch Scuba: Bay Breeze, Barrier Reef, Coming Tide, Sea Grapes 
(à: I think I have 3 out of 4 of the above styles. Those ones were the big hits back in the 90s)

There was a swatch for every day of the week: collector's club editions, olympic collections, artist collections, the scuba, the pop, the SOS. Collaborations with Salvador Dali, Akira Kurosawa, Keith Haring and Alessandro Mendini. What else? Fun packaging: egg cartons, a sushi plate, even a christmas edition complete with xmas lights.

Swatch: Masquerade, 1993.

My parents used to smuggle them back here for all their friends. I can still remember them swooning over the "Masquerade" Swatch that same summer and I'm sure if I snoop around long enough in my mom's closet I'll be sure to find the precious import. The question is - will they still change the battery on that thing? It's practically a relic! I was like, 4 feet tall when it was made. (à: Tell me about it! I remembered back in the 90s, Japanese were crazy over these collectable items! I still remembered one person told me his house had the whole wall dedicated to swathes. Imagine you have all the swatch styles all hanging on a wall... )

Swatches: Watch Hands, San Francis (rare piece), Mendini, Blue Pasta

A decade later, and a foot and 4 inches taller, I would be purchasing my own swatches on many a trips to Europe with my friends. And when we were all obsessed with The O.C., you can be sure my "Seth Cohen" got me a California Dreamin' themed Swatch because of course, Swatch would have made one.

So what's happened to Swatch since? They still make watches, they still sell them, too. Yet I'm sure we can all agree that they've lost their cult appeal. Looking back at some of the styles in preparation for this post I thought to myself, I'd wear most of these today. Maybe it's time to dig up the old masquerade after all... (à: I think the main reason why this brand lost its heat is because of the more commercial approach. I, personally would love to see the funky models rock the runways or streets again. I still consider this is one of the best accessories in the 90s!)


...or I could always purchase the new Ivan Navarro 'You Stop You Die' skull-faced Swatch. Maybe it's not too late for a Swatch watch revival.

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