Right now, the three-ring circus known as Baseworld is going on, and the folks over at ABlogToWatch are checking out more watches in an hour that we probably all see (hands-on) in a year. One very intriguing one popped on their pages, and I wanted to point it out to you.
Of all the brands who are getting reported on, Swatch wasn’t really one I was anticipating having anything coming out that would really make me stand up and take attention – but wow, was I ever wrong. They’re introducing something new, the Sistem51 that, on the surface, looks like just about any other analog swatch you’ve seen – simple case, basic three-hander readout, bold colors, etc.
This one is much, much different though – it’s actually housing an automatic movement that has a 90 (!) hour power reserve, and one that only has 51 pieces comprising it (how’s that for serviceability?). One quibble you may (or may not) have with automatics is that often times, the rotor will obscure large portions of the movement, so you can’t necessarily see as much as you’d like to see.
Well, here, Swatch has actually gone with a transparent disc, rather than the more common wedge of metal. Aside from the “gee whiz” factor, this allows you to see the whole movement at work, much like you would with a manually-wound movement.
Just on the specs and design alone, this watch had me taking notice. But the kicker on this thing is that Swatch is pegging the price right at 100 Swiss Francs – aka just over $100. That’s an unheard of price (at least to me) for an automatic carrying the Swiss label on it. It all adds up to a very intriguing entry point for someone who’s looking for an automatic.
You can read AB2W’s full article right here.
