Swatch collaborates with French art museum – the Centre Pompidou to create 6 new art themed watches.
Press Release information with commentary in italics and additional photographs of the Swatch Boutique in Ion Orchard, Singapore.
Commentary
Swatch is no stranger in incorporating art of the masters into their watches. Their Swatch Art Special watches has been around almost as long as the brand, and they have worked a series of pieces with many museums. Six artists are chosen for this initial release. Though Swatch does not communicate other pieces are being worked on, we speculate that there will be more coming from this collaboration. And many other interesting pieces of art housed in Centre Pompidou will be explored and incorporated in new Swatches.
The artworks chosen are the Portrait de Dédie, by Amedeo Modigliani, Eiffeld Tower by Robert Delaunay, Carousel by Robert Delaunay which is re-interpreted into 36mm case size of the Swatch Gent watch. And The Frame by Frida Kahlo, Blue Sky by Vasily Kadinsky, Red Blue and White by Piet Mondrain in 42mm case size of the Swatch New Gent watch.
Each is a veritable portable piece of art right on your wrist. As usual, the Swatch pricing is unbeatable – at SGD 119 and SGD 149 for the 36mm and 42mm versions. Of course, the watches are in plastic, and the movements are quartz, as the watches are part of the Gents and New Gents collections. But part of the appeal of these Swatches, or for that matter any Swatch watch is that they are economically democratic. The fun and playful nature of the brand lends itself easily to be a canvas for art to be re-interpreted, re-created and enjoyed.
More information and order from the Swatch website here.
New: Swatch x Centre Pompidou
The new Swatch x Centre Pompidou collection is now available as 6 models in two sizes. The 36mm models have a retail price of SGD 119, and the 42mm models have a retail price of SGD 149. Prices are inclusive of GST.
Swatch opens the doors to one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art with the Swatch X Centre Pompidou Collection. Six iconic masterpieces from the Parisian landmark are reimagined as statement watches, including works by Frida Kahlo, Amedeo Modigliani, Robert Delaunay, Vassily Kandinsky, and Piet Mondrian.
Time is what you make of it, and Swatch believes there should be more time for art in people’s everyday lives. Since 1985, the brand has issued a long line of exclusive Swatch Art Special watches. And in 2018, the brand took it to the next level with its Museum Journey series, where museums grant Swatch access to their masterpieces to make the most iconic artworks in the world attainable for everybody. So far, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and now the Centre Pompidou have opened their doors to Swatch.
The synergies between Swatch and Centre Pompidou are clear. Both are on a mission to make art accessible for all. They are revolutionary, Swatch for bringing art to wrists and the Centre Pompidou for bringing art to the masses. Vibrant colors and transparent details are the signature hallmarks of the Swiss watch brand and the inside-out building made of steel, primary-colored tubing, and the renowned “caterpillar” glass-enclosed escalators snaking up the side that enable passers-by to view the art inside.
The Swatch X Centre Pompidou Collection is the latest in a long line of collaborations that started in 1985 with the unveiling of the first Swatch Art Special watch with Kiki Picasso at the museum. In 1999, one of the building’s architects, Renzo Piano, translated the architectural signature into the JELLY PIANO watch. That same year, during the renovation of the Centre Pompidou, Swatch created the world’s biggest outdoor billboard. It featured the iconic statement “Vous aussi, vous êtes notre musée,” which translates to “You too, you are our museum” and made the Guinness World Records.
Swatch reimagines six masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, complete with its signature hallmarks and unexpected details. The result? A collection of wearable artworks that bring a splash of color and culture to every day.
