The vice president of Apple's design department, Jony Ive, was very graphic last September when he said what the Apple Watch would mean for Switzerland - the watches of the "old forge" are doomed. Even if we take the bragging out of the equation, Ive has a point. The Swiss industry must be aware of what wrist computers mean for their business. Smart watches do not necessarily mean the decline of classic wristwatches, but their golden days are definitely over. But there is a product on the market that keeps up with the tech toys, even if it's not as high-tech as Apple's revolutionary model. It is a Sistem51 watch from the Swiss brand Swatch.
Who doesn't know Swiss watches Swatches? It is one of the most recognizable and successful watch brands, and the Biel-based company is today (still) the largest manufacturer and distributor of watches. And although it seems that the brand has been with us forever, it produced its first watch "only" in 1983. Now, when high-tech companies with smart watches they eat away the market share like termites wood, prepares a "defense" with hour System51.
Unlike her other watches, this one is mechanical. It is named after the automatic mechanical mechanism, which counts only 51 parts, which is twice less than the "bones" of this type of watch usually have (between 100 and even more than 300 parts). Is also the first clock mechanism to be completely assembled by machine, as no human hand assists in production (everything happens on a 20-meter conveyor belt). He also cannot adjust the watch manually, because shortly before it is picked up from the "operating table", they calibrate laser. And while there is a lot of talk about battery autonomy in smartwatches, the Sistem51 does not rely on it, as it is quartz watch (Quartz), which can boast of 90-hour winding reserve (usually the range of such watches is 40 autonomy), which is almost four days per winding.
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The appearance of the dials is different, but the one that fascinates the most with the Copernican heliocentric system. The image is not a coincidence, because as with Copernicus, who placed the sun at the center of the system, Swatch in Sistem51 is betting on one male screw. This is held together by a mechanism made of "metal minestrone". from nickel, copper and zinc and other parts that are welded together. The watches are covered in high-quality plastic and hermetically sealed, so dust, moisture and dirt have to find another host. Hermeticity also means that it cannot be repaired once assembled. Although you probably got the feeling (especially since it is a 100 percent Swiss watch and they are similar watches dear as saffron), that it will hit your pocket fairly, but it is for sale for less than 140 euros. Therefore, it seems that Sistem51 will change the rules of the game in the world of Swiss watches, which live in a bubble of customers who are not concerned about the price.
Time will tell whether the "provocation", as Swatch initially described the watch, will succeed, but the fact is that it is much more than just a provocation, as the brand is seriously committed to the project. Only this year, they added four hours to the original design from 2013 eight new models, and the second generation of dials and "covers" is surprisingly more conservative than the first four. Swatch promises many years of operation, yet you are buying a piece that you will leave in your will (for the sake of a one-bolt structure). Anyway, Swatch is probably the only reason Switzerland is still making watches and making a profit in the process.
More information:
swatch.com
