Swatch x Blancpain

[Lazydonkey]

At least the line is limited to a certain geography. If it's online then it's open to the whole country / world to grab them and use technology to help them.

[bigweb]

I have owned a 50 Fathoms (which I wish I hadn't sold) I will go against the thread narrative and say I think these look great.

I bought a Moonswatch (since sold) and these look like they took feedback on board and built something better.

I would ditch the Nato, I don't think it works on a plastic watch. I've seen a few moonswatches on rubber straps and they look great so will buy one of these and try that myself.

3 young people in my office have already mentioned them to me this week (1 wears a Moonswatch) and I don't think any of them would have had a clue what a Blancpain was before this so job done from a marketing point of view.

[amcneill]

Being offered on Ebay for £1250-1500 already. Think it's way overpriced as standard. You could get a nice steel seiko/microbrand for £340. Or an aliexpress addiesdive for under £100.

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[Matt M]

Being offered on Ebay for £1250-1500 already. Think it's way overpriced as standard. You could get a nice steel seiko/microbrand for £340. Or an aliexpress addiesdive for under £100.

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Agreed, you're creeping into SW200 territory, especially pre-owned.

I've got a couple of sistem51 Swatches. The movement is interesting and innovative but their timekeeping is outside of my annoyance threshold. If you were to wear them for a week you'd be multiple minutes out.

[funkstar]

Being offered on Ebay for £1250-1500 already. Think it's way overpriced as standard. You could get a nice steel seiko/microbrand for £340. Or an aliexpress addiesdive for under £100.

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You can ask any price. Isn't a sold price. Don't worry about the price, we had this with MoonSwatch and now they're readily available at retail.

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Give it time, the forum will soon be full of angry threads from forum members who wanted one but have to stand in a line full of pesky kids.

Oh I'm getting one as soon as the queues go down - happy to wait.

[uwtc]

When I think I've just ordered one of Eddie's baby Speedbird's for less than one of these I feel quite satisfied.

[chrisparker]

That's a lot of money for a plastic watch with an unserviceable movement.

Would you feel any better about it if the movement was serviceable? What would a service cost anyway - likely more than the cost of the watch.

I think they’ve just got the messaging wrong, call it serviceable and just replace the watch. And if it makes people feel better they could say they replaced the movement, the dial, hands, crown, crystal, case and strap all for £350 ‘service’.

[Slamdoor]

Leaving the Blancpain logo aside they don’t look too bad. But add the logo -wtf?
Suppose Blancpain are just following the money. Bad move imo.

[Lazydonkey]

Have they gone down for the moonswatch yet? Genuine question as I wanted to get one (not for me) but didn’t want to get trampled on by 100 pairs of trainers

You can pretty much walk in and get a moonswatch now, maybe the moon edition aside.

[sweets]

I have no doubt these will sell, and sell well.
I also think they do not look so bad, and that, given the concept they have developed, they have designed a pretty good set of products.

But...

The concept remains wrong to me.

In an age where the fashion industry has finally started to turn around from faster fashion and is now encouraging people to buy fewer items and buy better (so that it lasts longer), this goes totally against the ethos of what right-thinking watch ownership should be about.

Let us not forget that ETA (part of Swatch) specifically removed the 2824 from general sale because they wanted to concentrate their efforts on fewer, higher value watches. Where is that type of thinking in this?

I am certainly not buying one of these, I can get hundreds of much better made and specified watches for less than this. With better materials, better WR, better movement, better lume. A watch that can be maintained etc etc etc.

So this has Blancpain printed on it? So what? It means nothing. This is a Swatch, no more. Total waste of money.

[chrisparker]

I like a couple of them and pleased the chose oceans and not the Seas, otherwise we might have had a sewage brown North Sea edition.

[neuman356]

Would you feel any better about it if the movement was serviceable?

I probably would.

[chicaneuk]

You can pretty much walk in and get a moonswatch now, maybe the moon edition aside.

Well... except that you'll have to wait in a massive queue of people waiting to get a Swatch Frankenpain ;)

[Ruggertech]

I'll just throw this in the hat...

[Lazydonkey]

lol GPWM

[Ruggertech]

I like a couple of them and pleased the chose oceans and not the Seas, otherwise we might have had a sewage brown North Sea edition.

They could put this on the box.

[blackal]

Nope! Unless you already have a pair of Timmy Mallett glasses you want to complement…………….

[neuman356]

I'll just throw this in the hat...

EUR 214,00 for this one.

[dbrickashaw]

Loved the Moonswatch, but I'm not sold on this. Would like to see one in person, but I think the price is just too much for a "fun" watch (for me).

[barneygumble]

According to Ulrich Bez, AM made the Cygnet because they needed to have a more affordable car, it had to be able to be driven where the owners live - city centres in many cases, where a V12 supercar is a real PITA to drive - and it would also be a way to lower the overall emissions of the fleet.

Clearly it was a total failure - under 300 were built.

Funny thing is that the Cygnets held their value incredibly well, while 4-door AMs from that time can be had for 30k.

[UKMike]

I don't believe I could be less excited about this Swatch if I tried.

It may increase public awareness of Blancpain but I don't see the general appeal of the association.

[watchcollector1]

As with the Swatch Speedmaster (but more so), the fact that these are being made and successfully sold is symptomatic of a ludicrous belief in brand value (on behalf of buyer and seller).
They are an exercise in using that value to sell what is self-evidently cheap tat, despite the core brand value being all about quality without compromise.

I think it is pointless to own one, because the dial print saying it's an Omega or a Blancpain is simply a lie. There is nothing of that name in the watch, other than that printed logo.

For me, it is almost more honest go buy and a fake (that at least pretends to be as good as the original) than it is to buy one of these cracker toys, just because the company that printed the lie on the dial has a legal right to do so.

It devalues the core brand, and it fleeces gullible customers into thinking that they are buying into the better brand, when they're actually only buying an expensive Swatch.

Lose lose.

I shan't be buying, perhaps you can tell.

Isn't it the same "brand values" that makes us buy massively overpriced "luxury" Stainless Steel watches with huge margins and marketing support?

I don't see that it's any worse than Omega or Blancpain selling a bit of leather attached to a stainless steel buckle for hundreds of pounds.

I love that the Swatch group are releasing watches like these. It's a big middle finger to Brand Hierarchies and the watches themselves look great.

They're a bit of fun and no-one would mistake them for the real thing, and they will raise awareness of the more expensive watches they're based on. My interest in Speedmasters has been raised after owning a Moonswatch.

And the best thing about these is that they will wind up the brand snobs no end.

[MartynJC (UK)]

It’s disposable. The iWatch wearing generation are used to this, but I’m not cool with it.

D


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any coincidence it’s for sale same day as the next Apple event ?

[Passenger]

Marketing, shmarketing.

[J J Carter]

Now Swatch Group has shown they can do a chronograph with the Moonswatch and the Blancpain x Swatch that'll go to Fifty Fathoms, surely a Breguet x Swatch Marine Chronograph has to be next? The Breguet brand certainly needs a reboot.

[alex]

any coincidence it’s for sale same day as the next Apple event ?

Apple event is the 12th.

[Idontgram]

Like others, I like the white and the blue. Not sure I like them at the price and I can’t see them being cheaper in the used market. They’re also quite big, not sure if anyone’s commented on that already.

[Montello]

They will sell like hot cakes and there will be an almighty scrum at the stores, then the scalpers will have a field day.

If people wish to get involved in all that good luck to them. They look a bit of fun but incredibly overpriced. Poor value proposition.

[Ruggertech]

EUR 214,00 for this one.

That is excellent value, I had this here on sc for £220, about the same price as a blancswatch new full rrp. Citizen build quality is superb.

[snowman]

That is excellent value, I had this here on sc for £220, about the same price as a blancswatch new full rrp. Citizen build quality is superb.

Irrelevant though. .

We all know you can better watches for the price.

M

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[Ruggertech]

Irrelevant though. .

We all know you can better watches for the price.

M

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Very true, and that doesn't just go for blancswatches.

[burton]

Some supposedly leaked images being circulated on Reddit and Twitter. No idea if they’re genuine. A price of around £330 being rumoured.

Is it wrong I like this one... Now official on the Swatch site, looks like again no online sales, also not limited numbers!

[Danstone]

Plenty of strange and snobbish comments on here. There are cheaper and probably better options available but that’s the case with all watches. There are plenty of makers out there that put a generic movement in a case and sell for ten times the amount that these cost. Yes, they are serviceable, but that service costs costs twice the price of this watch. The mark-up on these is probably much less than that on many of the most popular watches and of course it’s going to be priced at higher amount than the standard Swatch when it has Blancpain on the dial. Naming is everything, that’s what turns a £500 watch into an £8000 Rolex/Omega/Breitling. Personally I think they look good and if they can attract more people into watches that can only be a good thing, not just for Swatch brands but for the whole industry.

[sweets]

Isn't it the same "brand values" that makes us buy massively overpriced "luxury" Stainless Steel watches with huge margins and marketing support?

I don't see that it's any worse than Omega or Blancpain selling a bit of leather attached to a stainless steel buckle for hundreds of pounds.

I love that the Swatch group are releasing watches like these. It's a big middle finger to Brand Hierarchies and the watches themselves look great.

They're a bit of fun and no-one would mistake them for the real thing, and they will raise awareness of the more expensive watches they're based on. My interest in Speedmasters has been raised after owning a Moonswatch.

And the best thing about these is that they will wind up the brand snobs no end.

I certainly agree a lot of branded stuff is too expensive, but what they have always done is try to persuade you that you are paying for quality, and justifying the cost that way.
With releases like this they are openly scamming people by doubling the price for a little bit of printing that suggests a link to a watch that it shares not one piece of.
It is sticking a middle finger up to its own brand.
I would gladly buy a better-built hommage for less money than I would ever hand over for one of these throwaway fakes.

[verv]

I love them and will definitely get the white when the stromash has died down.
Cant see the point in wittering about "brand value" - they're good fun and if they pitch to a new market that would aspire to the real deal in future - GOOD.
Also cant see the point in offering up similarly priced steel seikos and citizens. Thats great but the Swatch demographic isnt interested in them, and in fairness neither am i.

[Middo]

So t mind the blue or the white. But a bit meh

[Stuno1]

Quite like them. When they are readily available I’ll likely buy one. Like others the blue or white are the ones I like the most. Much nicer looking and seemingly better made than the omega ones.

[sweets]

I love them and will definitely get the white when the stromash has died down.
Cant see the point in wittering about "brand value" - they're good fun and if they pitch to a new market that would aspire to the real deal in future - GOOD.
Also cant see the point in offering up similarly priced steel seikos and citizens. Thats great but the Swatch demographic isnt interested in them, and in fairness neither am i.

But you make my point for me.
You are willing to buy one because of brand value. And nothing else.
If it were a Seiko or Citizen you would not be interested. In the slightest.
There is an argument that if it were just a Swatch, no-one would care.
But because it has the vague association with BP, limited to some print and the share structure of the company, you're willing to go for it.
I may be wittering about brand value, but you willing to waste money on it as well.
That makes no sense to me at all.

[abraxas]

This is running on the coat-tails of the MoonSwatch. If it was released before the MoonSwatch... no one would give a monkey's.

[verv]

But you make my point for me.
You are willing to buy one because of brand value. And nothing else.
If it were a Seiko or Citizen you would not be interested. In the slightest.
There is an argument that if it were just a Swatch, no-one would care.
But because it has the vague association with BP, limited to some print and the share structure of the company, you're willing to go for it.
I may be wittering about brand value, but you willing to waste money on it as well.
That makes no sense to me at all.

Ummm.. no, actually I'm not anywhere near making your point for you because you have completely misinterpreted my motivation for owning one.

[100thmonkey]

I’d buy one, got a mention in April that this was proposed, a few laughed, but here we are and a mechanical movement. Cool

[100thmonkey]

Arctic or Antarctic for me are cool as cool

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Arctic or Antarctic for me are cool as cool

[burton]

I’d buy one, got a mention in April that this was proposed, a few laughed, but here we are and a mechanical movement. Cool

Agree, I am liking it/them, so will put a WTD out now haha

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Arctic or Antarctic for me are cool as cool

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Arctic or Antarctic for me are cool as cool

Latter for me for sure!

[burton]

Swatch have done it, we have a thread discussing their latest creation and so the buzz/hype etc is already going, look elsewhere the talk is the same.

Think their marketing has done it, many other brands do the same with hyping limiting how to purchase and let people create the hype etc

[boring_sandwich]

I have seen lots of young people wearing a Moonswatch so I think its a great move from Swatch. Get them interested in the brand at a young age and eventually they may progress to the real deal.

Also think that new Blancpain x Swatch looks like a fun watch for £340, I do not see why there is so many against them.

It's very clever marketing from the Swatch group.

[Qatar-wol]

So, should we call them Iffy Fathoms? Or Filthy Fathoms? Or (as someone on another forum suggested) the Thrift Fathoms?

[Wallasey Runner]

It's very clever marketing from the Swatch group.

Agreed, a great bit of business, there will be queues and they will sell out quickly. Swatch and BP will make their profits no doubt. It’s what happens next that causes the discussions amongst the grumpy old gits on watch forums. Should they be built in the first place, most will end up on e-bay within an hour of purchase and no doubt loads will end up on SC as well.

[neuman356]

They could introduce waiting lists to better emulate the "luxury" buying experience.
"Just got the call! Should I pull the trigger?"

[robert75]

They could introduce waiting lists to better emulate the "luxury" buying experience.
"Just got the call! Should I pull the trigger?"

I don’t think there is a waiting list for a BP hence the Swatch marketing

[Wallasey Runner]

I’ve owned three genuine BPFF, the very shiny Black, the titanium Blue and the Blue Guilloche dial in steel. I can’t decide if this release is a good or bad thing. Like most I was unaware of the brand before joining watch forums, so I’m guessing it will promote the brand to a wider audience. I also can’t help but think it cheapens the brand a little, perhaps that’s unfair but it is how it feels to me.

The brand was always those who know, know, but some of that mystique will be lost with this mass commercialisation of their watches.

On probability, I am now less likely to own another than I was before the announcement.