Art in the Swatch: more a canvas for creativity than a collector's asset

They are, however, undoubtedly a fun and iconic object that can become a gateway to major collectibles,' says Domenico Cecconi, a specialist in the watch department of Cambi Aste, which organised an online sale in May 2022 dedicated precisely to artist Swatch watches.

Quotations, the expert continues, rarely exceed EUR 250-500, but these must be lots in impeccable condition, still packaged and never opened.

Then, there can be peaks such as the €1,100 paid in December 2023 for a Swatch Saz 101 Tresor Magic OC, also at Cambi Auction.

However, for Cecconi, it is the 'aesthetic aspect of the watch that counts, in sales success, not whether it is part of a particular artistic collaboration rather than another.

Esemplare degli otto Royal Pop Swatch - Audemars Piguet

Of 'Swatch as a canvas for creativity' speaks Alessio Coccioli of Finarte, who in no way wants to count it among the great collector's watches. Of the same opinion are the experts at Il Ponte, which to date has never treated them in its auctions. Yet the brand has also been paid tribute on several occasions by the major auction houses.

In 2019, Phillips held the 200-piece 'Swatch, The All It Takes Is The Will To Do It Exhibition' in London. Among the most coveted pieces were the Tresor Magique Platinum Automatic, various limited editions such as Magic Spell and C-Monsta on the Beach. And then pieces by Tachibana, Kurosawa and Troxler, with incursions from the fashion world (Vivienne Westwood).

Before that, a fabulous auction of Swatch memorabilia from the collection of Marlyse Schmid and Bernard Muller, designers of the original team that created such objects of desire, was held at Sotheby's in 2015.

There were a thousand clocks, including 380 prototypes, plus original sketches and drawings. The plastic-paper treasure cashed in at $1.3 million.

This included the highly coveted 'Swatch Art Special' series. Sotheby's at the time paid tribute to the house founded by Nicolas George Hayek by acknowledging that it had "completely transformed a delicate market situation for the entire industry".

In coda a Milano

Ressa davanti al negozio Swatch di corso Vittorio Emanuele a Milano dove dalla mattina alle 10 del 16 maggio 2026 è iniziata la vendita di Royal Pop, il nuovo orologio da taschino creato da Swatch in collaborazione con Audemars Piguet. ANSA/MATTEO CORNER

Fully Millennial - having been born in 1983 - the Swatch indeed saved Swiss watchmaking from the famous 'Quartz Crisis' that gripped it in the 1970s and 1980s, following Seiko's technological revolution.

Two of its trump cards: low price and originality. Despite being an undeniably mass-produced product, in fact, the success of the Swatch thrived on hyper-creative limited editions.

The same ones that today make swarms of would-be buyers gather outside his boutiques.

 Buyers, not collectors: all the experts surveyed refuse to speak of collectors in relation to phenomena such as the Royal Pop launched on 16 May 2026, highlighting only the social hype and the riskiness in terms of the positioning of the luxury brand involved.

If I may be so bold, the operation could also be seen as a tribute from the Swiss watchmaking industry to its 'saviour'.