Design

The Swatch (1x3)

Air date: Dec 10, 1999

The Swatch is an ideal subject for a deconstruction of the phenomenon of contemporary design. It was technical innovation - a reduction in the number of internal moving parts from 100 to 51 - that enabled the makers to slash production costs and manufacture the Swatch in greater quantities. But it owed its almost instant success to a carefully-thought-out look and clever advertising slogans that tuned into the mood of the design-conscious, "greed is good", consumerist Eighties. The Swatch was presented as an expression of individual identity, personalised time and the fast lifestyles typical of the decade.