Evolution of an idea

The spectacular success of the Swatch is the outcome of more than a century of research within the watchmaking industry. Since its launch, 75 million units have been sold and the 100 million mark will have been reached by the end of 1991, a performance practically unheard of in the world of industry, and certainly a first ever for the Swiss watchmaking sector.
In the event,the popularity of the Swatch has not only enabled Swiss watchmakers to reclaim their position in the lower cost section of the market but also - and perhaps more importantly - to regain self-confidence in a period of economic uncertainty, to the point where there now exists a "Swatch phenomenon".

The success of the watch stems from a combination of various elements-technical innovation,aesthetic creativity and unprecedented marketing concepts. So-called 'economical watches'have in the past customarily been designed for consumers with a low purchasing power; the Swatch has managed to reverse this trend, enthusing a clientele by tradition attracted almost exclusively to the prestigious brands. Such catch-phrases as "Men who preside over world destiny wear an R." certainly still apply, but the extraordinary fact is that they wear Swatches tool
The human element is probably as important as any, having played a major part in this phenomenal success. But in keeping with almost every example of progress achieved in the history of the economical watch - from the precursory Roskopf more than a century ago to the Swatch today - the work of the pioneers was at first seriously questioned by an industry traditionalist in the extreme, before being praised to the skies. In its beginnings, the Swatch saga is more the story of a few men than that of an entire industry, and the schedule of conditions drawn up by ETA's chief executive and marketing manager spelt out the course to be followed in no uncertain terms: "Forget all that has been done up until now, but retain a sense of the classical".

This account, itself a mere chapter inserted in the one hundred and thirty years of the history of Swiss economical watches, follows the same path. It first describes the birth and development of the Swatch idea, examining not only the revolutionary technical features of the watch and its aesthetic evolution,but also the contribution made by a group of young people who themselves embarked upon an adventure as unique as the watch, and often shrouded in secrecy.