Reply With QuoteI hope not! If they do I kind of get what they will be doing (raising awareness of Blancpain)
Hopefully if it is that it’s not too similar to the FF and noticeable differences from afar
Looks like there is a new Swatch collaboration being released on the ninth of September.
There is a clue in an advert which shows the FF crown in profile, shown underwater.
https://reddit.com/r/Watches/s/KoZ5H6pQrz
There is speculation that it could be a mechanical movement. We will wait and see.
I hope not! If they do I kind of get what they will be doing (raising awareness of Blancpain)
Hopefully if it is that it’s not too similar to the FF and noticeable differences from afar
Last edited by strell; 2nd September 2023 at 07:55.
It looks like this might be a prelude to the launch of the Act 3 Anniversary model which is apparently due to be released on 29 September. There are lots of rumours about that: possibly another Ocean Commitment model, maybe a general release of the FF on 42mm or 40mm, maybe a Bathyscaphe.
It's going to be interesting to see how this works out - I don't think many people beyond the watch enthusiast community will have heard of the Fifty Fathoms or even BP. I'm also not sure there will be too much benefit in terms of raising awareness given the high price of the FF; whilst it might increase brand awareness I doubt that will translate to a dramatic increase in sales. It'll also be interesting to see the watch itself - presumably a water resistant system 51 based model?
An article below on the same rumoured Fathoms Swatch thing. Whatever the watch ends up being, it will be another hypefest building up over the next week.
https://oracleoftime.com/swatch-teas...ion-blancpain/
Riding the back of the success/hype of the Moonswatch I think this will sell a boat load, plus it’ll increase brand awareness on both sides. It has a better chance of introducing WhiteBread to a new generation rather than the other way around IMO. Quite a clever move using the Swatch brand to secure future sales for your bigger hitters.
I was hoping for a colourful range of Seamasters, not sure how excited the world is for Blancpain.
No one wants a plastic Blancpain but everyone will want the new plastic Swatch and for 99% it will be their introduction to Blancpain.
Ugh I hope not, what I love about my FF is how it (currently) flies under the radar. Only 1 person has ever commented/known what it is
All we have to look forward to is the endless queues and 95% of them being listed on e-bay within an hour or two.
The key to a BPFF is the superb build quality, not sure that can be replacated in plastic…
5 versions, one for each ocean.
Quite a bit more detail here:
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/articl...tease-2023/amp
New colours of bioceramic, sold in exactly the same way as the Moonswatch.
I wonder if this means that the Omega x Swatch things will now become available on t' Internet?
It will be interesting to see how far these collaborations will go. Lots of people talked about swatch x blancpain FF.
What’s next? Swatch x Hamilton field mechanical? Swatch x breguet classique?
The moonswatch was inspired, from a marketing and hype POV. This one is a bit of a stretch. I’m not sure there are many more Swatch group icons, though I can see a return to Omega for a seamaster collab.
From the article it suggests that it won't be in quartz.............Is a quartz Blancpain on the cards?Originally Posted by TH14TH14
We’ll just leave the words of watchmaking legend Jean-Claude Biver here, from when he acquired Blancpain back in 1982: “There has never been a quartz Blancpain watch and there never will be.”
Maybe it’s a Sistem51? Or maybe it’s a Swatch and not a Blancpain? Won’t be sold in Blancpain stores, merely exhibited.
Sistem51 Fathoms has been suggested elsewhere. The name works well so I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be true.
I think it sullies the name of Blancpain……………
They might as well make them from melted-down Peli-cases
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Interesting.
I'll look forward to seeing how this pans out.
Good luck to anyone planning to secure one on Saturday.
Hope it's not as frantic as the MoonSwatch launch.
Thanks to the OP for starting this thread =)
‘Moonswatch’ sounds ok.
‘Swancpaitch’ doesn’t have the same ring to it.
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This pic has been doing the rounds -
How about the ‘Swatch Backpain’ to be caused by standing in line for 12 hours watching the flipper gangs jump the queue in front of you?
If it is real, they've based the case and bezel of a Bathyscape and the dial and hands from a 50 fathoms which seems kind of odd. Hope it's a mock-up as it does nothing for the Blancpain brand. Remove the Blancpain logo and you've got a very generic plastic Diver.This pic has been doing the rounds -
Will it be sold in stores that currently sell the moonswatch or are they limiting it more as they did previously? How many available for purchase on launch day as well? I hope they have learned since the moonswatch launch but I kind of doubt it. The irony is that true enthusiast's will be put off and wait whilst the flippers queue and put it straight onto ebay for a profit. Blancpain is a bit left field compared to omega - it could backfire long term. If they use the auto movement then I expect the price to be £200-250....
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That’s the Hodinkee special edition more or less.
https://limited.hodinkee.com/blancpain/
That’s a great watch.
I agree, it’s pretty much perfect.
Very good.
If it removes / delays some of my potential buying rivals whenever BP ever do release a 42mm FF, then I'm all for it.
P.S. Could be worn alongside some Area 51 merch for the complete look.
Aye ... apart from the price ...
Oh that's disappointing then. If beige were a dive watch.
I doubt it will look like the Hodinkee one; just pointing out the above render just looks like a minor photoshop job on the Hodinkee x Blancpain ...
I liked that watch; great proportions, 100 h power reserve, 300m, only 10.6mm thick ... classic design.
Some more mock-ups here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwvLXMmM...RlODBiNWFlZA==
IMHO the black dial version looks much nicer than the Bathyscape!
Honestly the equivalent of a designer plastic carrier bag. Worryingly the attitude of swatch is one who cares about the enthusiasts but let’s sell volume. It’s a win for the swatch as if it’s popular brand awareness rises but if not the brand enthusiasts will not care as it’s so far removed from BP that it has no impact.
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If done well improving any brand's awareness is good in the long term. I expect Swatch know that Omega's perception to the general public is that the brand sits a tier below Rolex. However Blancpain sits above Omega and some might argue alongside, or above Rolex. But, the general public don't know what Blancpain is about, so Swatch have a big job on their hands telling that story.
Ultimately if more people know about Blancpain, the more desirable they become. Used prices will hold up better meaning more us us would be inclined to buy them.
I think the WIS world has gone mad. These are just plastic trinket, the legitimate version of walking round with a fake Speedmaster on your wrist. But probably not as well-made.
"A man of little significance"
Agree totally, it’s just adding a name to something so far removed from the original that it’s literally just a joke
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There is only one thing that the Swatch Group care about, like all businesses - making money. They know people will be climbing over themselves and others to buy whatever collab they care to punt out.
I used to think that until I got one. Makes for a good holiday watch. I now view it in reverse, that is to say the MoonSwatch makes the current full fat Speedmaster seem vastly over priced. A steel tool watch that should be more more like £2K rather than the £6-7K they are now charging.
That's the world we live in now, remember when Aston Martin stuck their badge on a Smart Car.
The reality is, if we want brands to survive they'll do what they have to, to remain relevant. Swatch could bin Blancpain and virtually no-one would notice. Knocking out another £10k+ diver isn't going to get more than a columns press attention any longer unfortunately.
I thought the Aston Martin x Toyota iQ was because a certain percentage of the cars they sold had to be below an emissions level?
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.
Would the product stand up on its own without the omega branding, the answer is yes but not at that price point so it’s an easy answer as to why they are doing it.
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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.
"Stealing" is also a way of making money (until getting one gets caught, that is). Swatch is stealing from their future by denigrating their brands... which is exactly the opposite of what Rolex is doing.
Branding is everything, especially where it concerns the non-essential.
I work on a razor blade between gimmickry and amazement. – Richard Mille
They haven't depreciated mind you - apparently getting a bit of cult following with hardcore owners.
One would imagine that this decision was carefully considered, designed, and implemented by the boffins at Swatch Group. They wouldn't have done it if it would cannibalise their future.
What you do get, however, is the silhouette of a Speedmaster / Blancpain etc.. Something that in many companies copyright.
In my office a couple of the juniors have bought the Swatch Speedmaster and they're chuffed. They can't afford the real deal, and it certainly has brought them closer to Omega as a brand.
Not a product for everyone - but has proved very engaging for a lot of people.
Perhaps the lie is any watch displaying the Omega or Blancpain logo, after all, they're all Swatch Group products. However that's another discussion for another day.
Oh I get that, but what about when it fails after 2 weeks/months/years?
As they have been, and will continue to do so.
What kind of engagement does that create with the brand?
The ethos of having a quality brand is to offer a quality product, that acts as its own advertisement on the wrist of the owner. That doesn't happen when the worn cases, missing pushers, disappeared planets and dog-eared straps detract from the brand rather than advertising it.
And your average millenial, engaging with Omega for the first time, may never bother moving into "true" Omega ownership because their Swatch Speedmaster was a steaming pile. They might just decide to opt for a brand that hasn't cheapened itself instead. Or just not bother with a wristwatch at all.
I firmly believe this will end up being an exercise in cashing in, rather than one of "engaging with new types of owner", and in the long run it will not profit them as much as they want it to.
Especially as the two cases in point, Omega and Blancpain, are now yawning gulfs away from the Swatch ownership cost. Speedie - £6.4k. That is a big jump from the Swatch-made-fakey, and the Blancpain alternative will be even more miles away.
Couldn't agree more.
Cheap plastic toy watch that bears no relation to the name/s on the dial.
The general public has absolutely zero idea Blancpain even exists let alone what the company is about.
They only know of Omega basically because of 007, but now many more do now because of press coverage of moonswatch queues and 'mini riots'? So this is possibly the only way the mother company can draw attention to Blancpain as a brand.
Last edited by Ruggertech; 5th September 2023 at 13:52.
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