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.
https://youtu.be/SEezvX-pVzk?si=G_yMf6K_SSy1ce2R
Alleged leaked info on the new BLANCPAIN x SWATCH
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.
So basically Swatch are saving the Swiss watch industry (again)
I don't like the Sistem51, I feel they made it unserviceable on purpose.
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?
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.”
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.
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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I'm hoping they're fake and the watch will be more like those featured in the Escapement video posted earlier.
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 -
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 -
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.
Oh that's disappointing then. If beige were a dive watch.
And there in lies the great WIS con.
Someone somewhere will be buying the real version of this generic stainless steel watch and ‘happily’ pay £10k+ for it because……
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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?
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.
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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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.
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.
Please god no Swatch Datejust!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
A great idea and I really like the blue one...
The only shame is that you would not be able to open and service the watch, something that a Mechanical movt will need a few years down the line. A pity if you ask me.
Oh the service front, surely a service would cost the same as the actual watch itself? Unless you can service your self!
More wear it until break or slows down then by a new one
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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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.
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.
"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.
A watch is never just a watch. ~ WOE
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.
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.
I agree about the price of a new Speedy, but for me any Pro made after the moon landings is irrelevant anyway, from what I understand Omega were going to stop producing it until that happened.
"A man of little significance"
Personally I think the rot set in when they twisted the lugs
Omega was already trying (very hard) to replace it with the Mk2 (which was a better watch) but NASA was refusing to go through all the expensive testing when (as far as they were concerned) they already had a watch that was qualified for the job.
The Mk1 was never built for space. The Mk2 was.
A watch is never just a watch. ~ WOE
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