1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: I'm Gabelusier, and in this episode, we're looking at the colorful, 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: lightweight time piece that revolutionized the watch industry and helped 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: define nineteen eighties fashion in all its tacky day glow glory. 7 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: The day was March first, nineteen eighty three, the Swatch 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: Group released its first collection of watches in Zurich, Switzerland. 9 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: In a drastic break from Swiss watchmaking tradition, the Swatch 10 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: was inexpensive, battery powered and quartz regulated, with no need 11 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: for winding. It was also designed to be casual rather 12 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: than luxurious, and it sported a plastic case and ban 13 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: that was available in a variety of eye catching designs 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: and colors. The Swatch was made to appeal to customers 15 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: of all ages, and with a low price of about 16 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: thirty dollars US, the hope was that many people would 17 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: want to buy more than one. That accessibility in the 18 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: ever growing line up of different styles on offer helped 19 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: the Swatch seem more like a fashion accessory than a 20 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: piece of jewelry. Many customers amassed a wardrobe of swatches 21 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: and then rotated through them, pairing them with different outfits 22 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: like they did with shoes, purses, scarves, or neckties. More 23 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: than just a way to tell time, the swatch became 24 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: a fashion statement in its own right, and for some people, 25 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: even a form of self expression. Most importantly, though, it 26 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: helped save the Swiss watch industry during the dark days 27 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: of the so called quartz crisis. For centuries, Swiss watches 28 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: had been held up as the gold standard of time key, 29 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: but in the late nineteen seventies, a new, more affordable 30 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: contender emerged, the quartz powered digital watch, popularized by Japan's 31 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: Seiko Watch company. The cheap, mass produced watches became the 32 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 1: go to choice for consumers all across the world. By 33 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,399 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven, Seiko was out selling every Swiss watchmaker 34 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: in the business, prompting some serious soul searching within the industry. 35 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: Over the next few years, Swiss watch sales continued to 36 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: decline as the quartz crisis took full effect. There were 37 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: factory closures and mass layoffs, and it soon became clear 38 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: that if the industry and its heritage were going to survive, 39 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: it would have to branch out from mechanical clocks and 40 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: change with the times. In nineteen eighty two, that realization 41 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: led a watch company called Eta Essay to start designing 42 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: a radical new kind of Swiss watch. The goal was 43 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: to take advantage of modern materials and mesas in order 44 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: to recapture the entry level market that had been lost 45 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: to Japanese imports. The project was headed up by company 46 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: CEO Ernst Tomka, who had recently invested in an injection 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: molding machine. His team of engineers, including el Mar Mack 48 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: and Jacques Miller, spent the next fifteen months crafting a 49 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: plastic prototype watch that would be suitable for mass production. 50 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 1: What they came up with was a sleek, economical quartz 51 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: watch with an analog display. Impressively, it required only fifty 52 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: one parts instead of the typical ninety one found in 53 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: most models of the time, and it could be sold 54 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: for as little as forty to fifty Swiss francs. Tomka, 55 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: Mack and Mueller had succeeded in making a watch that 56 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: was both durable and affordable, but it still lacked a 57 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: true selling point. The concept of a Swiss watch did 58 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: still carry some weight with the public, but beyond that, 59 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: there was little reason to choose their watch over a 60 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: digital Japanese model. The problem was compounded by the switch 61 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: to automated production. Since the watches were no longer made 62 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: by hand, their faces and bands were almost identical in 63 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: size and shape, so while they were indeed Swiss watches, 64 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: there was no way to tell that just by looking 65 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: at them. The right branding would have helped to make 66 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: that connection more clear, but at the time the names 67 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: and consideration were Popularis and Delirium Vulgar, neither of which 68 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 1: was likely to stick in the public's mind. The team 69 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: finally made a breakthrough on that front with the help 70 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: of marketing consultant Franz Sprecker. They told him that they 71 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: viewed the product as an ideal secondary watch, one that 72 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: could be purchased in addition to a luxury watch and 73 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: worn in more casual settings. The concept of a second 74 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: watch led Sprecker to wonder why stop there, Why not 75 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: a third or fourth watch. In fact, since plastic is 76 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: more abundant and versatile than the precious metals used in 77 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: traditional watches, why not create an entire fashion line of 78 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: watches with bold patterns and vivid colors. That way, the 79 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: product would stand out from other mass produced quartz watches 80 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: while also encouraging repeat sales. Sprecker and his colleagues also 81 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: helped solve the team's name problem. The product was a 82 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: Swiss watch and also a second watch, that meant that 83 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: on two counts, it was an s watch or you 84 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: guessed it a Swatch. Once the brand's identity was clearly defined, 85 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: the Swatch was introduced to the world on March first, 86 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:44,920 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three. The initial collection featured twelve different styles, 87 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: representing a range of colors, sizes, and patterned clock faces. 88 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: There were solid bands in white, gray, dark gray, black, yellow, 89 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: and red, as well as several two tone combinations. The 90 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: company sold more than a million's watches in the first year, 91 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: but that was just the beginning. One of the major 92 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: benefits of the Swatch's automated production was the ability to 93 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: produce limited edition, small batch runs for items. Throughout the 94 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, the Swatch brand would release about two dozen 95 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: regular models that would remain in production for one or 96 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: two years, but it also took a page from other 97 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: fashion brands and began releasing seasonal collections of twenty four 98 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: additional models that changed every few months. Finally, in nineteen 99 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: eighty five, the company launched the Swatch Art Specials, a 100 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 1: line of limited edition watches designed in collaboration with famous 101 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: artists such as Kiki Picasso, Keith Herring, and Vivian Westwood. 102 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: Thanks to brash in your face advertising, striking color choices, 103 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: and clever campaigns like the Art Special Series, Swatch sales 104 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: rose from three million dollars in nineteen eighty four to 105 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: one hundred and five million nineteen eighty five. These days 106 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,359 Speaker 1: producing smaller runs and partnering with well known artists or 107 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: common sales tactics with which sneakerheads and other collectors are 108 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: well acquainted. But Swatch was ahead of the curve in 109 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen eighties, and its forward thinking was rewarded 110 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: by fervent fans who snapped up each new release. The 111 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: second did hits store shelves. As a result, the company 112 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: produced its one hundred millionth Swatch in the spring of 113 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety two, less than a decade after the watch's introduction. Remarkably, 114 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: it would produce twice as many in the following decade, 115 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: hitting the three hundred million mark in two thousand and three. 116 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: And while swatches are no longer the hot fashion trend 117 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: they were in the nineteen eighties and nineties, the company 118 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: now known as the Swatch Group still releases new styles 119 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: to this day. Over the years, it's even circled back 120 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: to producing more sophisticated watches with mechanical movements, as well 121 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: as a wide range of eco friendly watches made from 122 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: sustainable materials, though of course, inexpensive, colorful quartz watches are 123 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: still the brand's biggest claim to fame. In an age 124 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: when most people use their smartphone to check the time, 125 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: the watch industry isn't on the firmest of footing, But 126 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: I wouldn't worry too much about the Swatch brand or 127 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: about Swiss watchmakers in general. If they could weather the 128 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: quartz crisis of the nineteen seventies, they can survive the 129 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: iPhone too. I'm Gay blues Ya and hopefully you now 130 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,719 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 131 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 132 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI HC Show, And 133 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: if you have any feedback to share, feel free to 134 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: pass it along by writing to this day at iHeartMedia 135 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 136 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 137 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: again soon for another day in history class.