Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Swatch automatic - my first Swatch - Silver Baron

I got my first Swatch not when I was in high school when it first came out or in college but many years after when I was already earning a decent salary. Back in the day, my classmates who were financially better off brandished their Swatches while I had a more humble Seiko quartz. They even had Swatch guards as the plastic watches were not scratch proof. I wondered then how they could tell the time when the guards practically covered the watch face.

My first Swatches were my first Swiss watches. The other one is my divers watch. This old watch's original strap was plastic. The plastic buckle already gave way but I have it stashed in the box. I replaced it many years ago with an authentic Swatch bracelet/strap shown in the photo. I learned that the name of this model is Silver Baron.
This watch came out in 1993 but I got it in 2005. It was brand new but an old model that I got for 1,980 yen (tax included). It is now 24 years old (12 years with me).
The automatic movement contains 21 jewels and is an ETA 2840 that was made exclusively for Swatch. At 21,600 beats/hour and power reserve of 48 hours, the watch still gives good time and is among my choices for everyday use. Water resistance is 3bar (30m).
There is another automatic Swatch that I bought in 2005. That still has its original strap and is occasionally used by the Clairvoyant when she's in casual wear mode. More on watches soon!
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