The new watches needed to be simpler and made from new and innovative materials that most traditional Swiss brands had not used up until then. To save the industry, the Swiss brands had to come up with something new and radical. It went from being a product that would serve you a lifetime to become a cheap and disposable product. It even changed the way the world looked at watches. The traditional approach to mechanical watchmaking was no competition for the cheap, mass-produced quartz watches from Asia that flooded the market. In the late 1970s, the Swiss watch industry was in deep crisis due to the quartz revolution. Most of you will know the story, but it is good to remind ourselves of the important first steps leading up to the creation of brands like Swatch. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s Swatch in the 1980s Little did I know how important Swatch became for the Swiss watch industry as a teenage onlooker. As someone that grew up in the eighties, I loved seeing this new brand creating waves. The brand created watches that were provocative, loud, colorful. But Swatch took watch design to a completely different level in the 1980s. Often perceived as a decade with a distinct lack of style or rather an abundance of tacky design, the ’80s were often frowned upon. When it comes to style and design, the eighties were a special time. Swatch is a brand that has its roots in the eighties and is a perfect example of the impact of the quartz revolution. In the 1980s, quartz was king, which is reflected with this week’s brand.
This is why a lot of Swiss brands ended up in trouble, often with disastrous results. When Seiko started the quartz revolution, most Swiss brands never predicted the enormous long-term effects on the industry. While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change in the watch industry, the 1980s showed the fruits of that change. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Swatch watches from the 1980s. Some of them are priceless, some of them still affordable.
SWATCH SWISS WATCH SERIES
It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands.
SWATCH SWISS WATCH FULL
It’s a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. The group last year closed 384 of its own stores, including 54 in Hong Kong, while adding 55 new units at prime locations in various cities.We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. As reported in January, the group’s performance was heavily affected by disruption to worldwide consumer spending amid the health crisis and store closures. Swatch’s watches and jewelry division generated net sales of 5.34 billion Swiss francs, down 33 percent from the year before. Greater China was Swatch’s largest market last year, accounting for 44.5 percent of sales. The group saw a quick recovery in countries no longer in lockdown, especially Mainland China, where its sales grew in the double digits over the year. The group’s home market has been hit hard by a lack of tourists, where it will be difficult to reach 2019 sales figures without visitors from abroad, said executives. The situation in Europe continues to be complicated, however, with a succession of openings and closings due to the pandemic, in countries like Germany and Switzerland, according to executives.
SWATCH SWISS WATCH PLUS
“The situation is good and it’s a big opportunity for us because we of course learned to handle a situation when stores are closed - e-commerce has been dynamized, also the habits of consumers to buy not only in stores has a bit changed - but if you add this together, when the situation gets normal again in the countries, it will be the famous one plus one is three, and not one plus one is two,” he said. “We have the experience now in some countries, in many countries in Asia but also the United States, and the situation is proving what we always hope - when there is a crisis, for whatever reason, the people want to compensate after the crisis is over, they want to spend,” said Nick Hayek, chief executive officer of Swatch Group, ticking off markets in Asia including Mainland China, Macao, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Swatch executives said they are seeing a robust return to business as markets reopen. market grew 8.8 percent in February, to 223.9 million Swiss francs, or $241.27 million, the first month of growth in nearly a year, and compared to a robust pre-pandemic comparison base, according to the latest figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Issey Miyake Dies at 84: A Look Back at the Designer’s Career
0 kommentar(er)
