When one thinks of Swatch, it's usually the timelessly fun, quirky and colourful plastic Swiss-made watches that come to mind. Yet earlier this year -- set against the minimalistic new headquarters of the Swatch Group in Biel, Switzerland -- the company's enigmatic CEO Nick Hayek and creative director Carlo Giordanetti launched their latest heavy-duty (and one can say revolutionary) timepiece -- the Swatch Flymagic.
The new Swatch Headquarters in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Swatch Ltd.
Looking much more grave and futuristic compared to any previous collection, the Swatch Flymagic offers a ton of visual intrigue with their completely see-through 45mm case that houses a reversed calibre. Running on their famed Sistem51 movement (with 15 added components to make it run properly in this uncommon orientation), Swatch Flymagic comes in three models made from either stainless steel or stainless steel PVD, each limited to 500 pieces.
However it's not the reversed calibre or even the second hand that runs backwards that makes this watch "revolutionary". The Flymagic is the first ever line to integrate the latest and long-awaited technology in the mechanical watch world -- the Nivachron balance spring.
Developed for over 10 years, the Nivachron balance spring, made from a newly developed titanium-based alloy, came out of a collaboration between the Swatch Group, Audemars Piguet and Swatch Group-owned Nivarox -- the main company that makes the vast majority of Swiss mechanical watch movements.
"Nivachron is 100% research and development of Nivarox, and we associated Audemars Piguet to it," said CEO Nick Hayek in an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post. "Because we have a good relationship in research and development and they participated in the development of it from their side. They're friends, and they were looking for something [other than silicone], and we were saying, 'OK, let's sit together'. We sat together with Nivarox and we said, 'OK, we'll try this together'."
The balance spring -- a critical component in maintaining the accuracy of a timepiece -- is often affected negatively by magnetic fields found in our everyday lives (phones, electronics, etc). According to Swatch, the Nivachron spiral reduces the detrimental influence of magnetic fields by a factor of over 10 -- rendering it antimagnetic.
Nivachron, however, wasn't just developed to be used in the Flymagic. The company will be rolling out this technology in their regular mechanical watch lines within two-three years, Hayek said.
"We must! It's a problem! You have so many people who magnetise their watches without knowing. Thirty percent of returns are only due to magnetisation and the consumer doesn't know. So we must be quick. As quick as possible to build this up," he said.
Swatch's mission, Hayek said in his presentation launch, is for the Swiss watch industry to be present in the lower market. Swatch, as a Swiss-made brand, is the only one in this market segment that produces innovations in their movements.
"And it's not about Swatch, it's about the Swiss watch industry. It's important that we show the people out there that we are innovative also in the lower market section … It's important that a Swatch brings the consumer a value of a Swiss made watch -- a mechanical watch that is antimagnetic … This is important as a message and as ambassador of the Swiss watch industry."
With their antimagnetic balance spring, Swatch Group now also has a competitive advantage with other brands who do not have this technology.
"And why don't they have [this technology]?" Hayek asked "Because they didn't want to invest themselves in making the movements."
And now that Swatch Group has created their revolutionary solution to the issues of magnetic fields, what's next?
"To diminish components further to make a mechanical watch work," said Hayek. "We now have Sistem51, with 51 parts [in the movement], but if you think of the assortment, if you have no friction anymore -- take most of the friction away of a mechanical movement, and no magnetism, then you are fantastic. No oil. No service. Precise. The shock [resistance] we have to see. This of course is the big objective and the big goal we have to achieve, and we will achieve it."
