Best Swatch Watches

Swatch was founded by Swiss watchmaker Nicolas Hayek in 1983. The original design was a watch in a simple plastic case, with the traditional analog watch face. (It was an attempt to compete with the growing market of digital watches, which were increasing in functionality.) It was an inexpensive watch, usually in a price range from between $19.95 to $37.50. It combined a simple outer appearance with the Swiss tradition of accurate timepieces. The name “Swatch” was supposed to be a contraction of the words “Second watch”--portraying it as an affordable backup watch for casual use. You could afford wearing it and still engaging in all sorts of sports activities. 

But what is distinctive about Swatch is their innovation: They hold the record for the thinnest watch, using a minimal number of parts. And many of them have a clear case--which allows you to see the inner workings of the watch. They come in a wide range of color schemes--so that you could have an assortment of Swatch watches to match your wardrobe for that day! 

Almost four decades later, there are many lines of Swatch watches available. There is the “Flik Flak” line, which is great for school kids, being both affordable and coming in a wide variety of spectacular colors. There are elegant women’s Swatch watches with matching jewelry, and rugged Swatches for men, such as their “Skin” line. And their Sistem 51 line are watches that doesn’t even need to be wound or require a battery--it gets its energy from the user’s wrist!

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting the best Swatch watch for your needs. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of Swatch watch,

• See useful tips about that particular type of Swatch watch,

• Read reviews of different Swatch watches, and what customers are saying, 

• Select the right brand of Swatch watch, and 

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

The varieties of Swatches are practically innumerable--but we can survey some of their most popular offerings.

• Original: These are watches that Swatch has been marketing since the product launch in 1983, and they’ve never lost their popularity. Examples include their Gent series, Big Bold series, Lady series, Pop series, and more. 

• Skin: Swatch made the thinnest watch on the market in its Swatch Skin, earning it a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. It appeared in 1997, and measured only 3.9 mm thick! But Swatch didn’t stop there. They still have a product line of “Skin” watches, which are still very thin, albeit not 3.9 mm. For example, their Skinautique is 5.4 mm thin--which is almost half the thickness of most other Swatch watches.

• Digital and Smartwatches: Since wearable electronics and fitness trackers are all the craze nowadays, it’s no surprise that Swatch would have a line of digital watches and smartwatches as well (even though they always touted analog watches over digital ones). For example, their Veraozero2 is water-resistant and provides you with a step counter, chronograph, calorie counter, touchscreen, Bluetooth, and more.

Swatch Veraozero2 Fitness Tracker

• Flik Flak: As we mentioned in the Introduction, Flik Flak is a line of Swatch products geared for children. They are subdivided by age: the “Story Time” Series, for ages 3-5, the “Power Time” Series, for ages 6-9, and the “Friends and Heroes” line, featuring figures such as Darth Vader, Elsa & Anna from Disney’s “Frozen”, Spiderman, Batman, and more. You can also request to personalize the wristband by printing your child’s name on it!

Swatch’s Elsa & Anna from their Flik Flak series

• "Make your Swatch": The number of Swatch watches is literally endless--and that’s not an exaggeration! Swatch gives you the option of “Make your Swatch”, where you can choose from among a number of backgrounds for your Swatch’s watch face and wristband. There are nature backgrounds, street story backgrounds, geometrical patterns, seasonal options, and much more!

“Make your Swatch” with a Nature background

• Affordable: As we mentioned, since their inception, the designers of Swatch watches have always strived to make them affordable. As a result, even the fitness trackers and fashion Swatches are modestly priced. The most expensive line is their Sistem line, going at $150-$245, depending on the model. (This is due to the Sistem line’s advanced automatic electronics, where it doesn’t need winding or a battery.) But many are available for as little as $50.

• Simple to use: Many Swatches are traditional analog watches. That means that, for many models, it’s easy to set the time and date. You can pull out the watch’s knob halfway to position B to set the date, or fully, to position C, to set the time. 

Setting the date on a Swatch

Setting the time on a Swatch

• Water resistance: Most Swatch watches have a water resistance rating of 30 meters. This means that they can be submerged for short periods of time in the water as deep as 30 meters, or 3 bars of pressure--but just be sure not to try to change the date or time while underwater! In fact, Swatch watches can even be machine washed, as long as the water temperature doesn’t exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Some models are water-resistant to an even greater depth, such as the Swatch Peaceobello Unisex Watch. You can safely take it to a depth of 50 meters!

• Strap Materials: The strap material of a Swatch can vary from one model to another. Swatches are most famous for their plastic wristbands. But there are Swatches with a textile wristband, in their Flik Flak series. They can also employ a silicone wristband, such as the SkinAmour for women.

SkinAmour Swatch, with a silicone band

Other watches employ a stainless steel wristband, such as the Sky Icon chronograph. Or, if you want a leather wristband, you can choose something like the DarkMeBlue chronograph, with a blue leather strap. Besides telling the time, they can also serve as a tachymeter, to measure your speed, or as a stopwatch, to measure the passage of time.

Swatch Sky Icon Chronograph

Swatch DarkMeBlue Chronograph

• Battery: Swatches have a special battery that is unique to the Swatch watch. You need to remove the battery cover with a screwdriver to change the battery--but the assembly is quite easy.

Swatch was founded in 1983 by Nicolas Hayek in Biel, Switzerland. Their first offerings were meant to make stylish, yet affordable, analog watches. The first models had a see-through plastic case so that you could appreciate the watch’s inner mechanism. Their product lines include the Swatch Skin (which set the record as being the thinnest plastic watch available), Swatch Digital Touch, with a backlit touchscreen, and the Bijoux--a luxury jewelry line.