Celebrate a technological breakthrough: Swatch Sistem51

MANILA, Philippines - The ubiquitous Swatch is known the world over for creating iconic and trendsetting wristwatches, timepieces that end up becoming collectibles and conversation pieces, but there’s more to its history than fabulous design and a fun, quirky aesthetic.

In 1983, the brand sparked a revolution in the Swiss watch industry when it used 51 parts and a fully automated assembly line to create a quartz wristwatch, allowing high-quality timepieces to become affordable.

Thirty years later, Swatch is once again at the forefront of another groundbreaking industry innovation with Sistem51, an automatic (self-winding/no batteries needed) mechanical movement made from a total of 51 parts. Sistem51, which was unveiled at Basel World, has parts that form five separate modules, which are welded into a single unit centered on a single screw. Conventional mechanical watch movements have at least twice as many parts; some of the more complicated, high-end models have more than 600, painstakingly assembled by hand. Sistem51 is the first and only mechanical movement with fully automated assembly.

Like most automatic watches, the Sistem51 uses your natural movements instead of a battery to power itself; what makes it different is that it won’t require any manual adjustments. It is the first affordable mechanical watch that will not require any long-term maintenance — in fact, Sistem51’s parts are hermetically sealed, not only to keep out dust, moisture and other foreign particles that can interfere with its performance, but also to assure you that you own an automatic watch that will keep time accurately, a winner that will keep on ticking seamlessly. The proprietary blend of copper, nickel, and zinc alloy in the case provides exceptional anti-magnetic qualities that will ensure that the movement inside will never need adjusting of any kind.

Unlike other automatic watches that are only able to power itself for a day and a half, the Sistem51 has an unbeatable 90-hour power reserve, which means you can leave it at home to put on a different Swatch, and you can wear it again after three days without needing to adjust the time.

The first Sistem51 collection consists of four models: the pristine and playful Sistem White, the elegant and stark Sistem Black, and the interstellar constellation-inspired Sistem Blue and Sistem Red.

To celebrate the launch of Sistem51 in the Philippines, watch collectors from different groups — Philippine Watch Club, Timepiece Discussion Group, Shangri-La Group, and Unique Bisyo — got together for the Swatch Happy Hour at the new Swatch & Swatch in Makati led by brand ambassadors Luis Manzano (a collector himself), Matteo Guidicelli, and Chris Tiu.

The building’s façade was turned into a Sistem51 billboard. An oversized blue screw was the center of attention at the event area, highlighting Sistem51’s unique single central screw feature. All of the key features of Sistem51 were displayed on this big blue screw where guests could try on the different models. Psychedelic black and white stripes burst forth from the floor beneath the eye-catching Sistem51 display extending to the corners of the venue. Guests posed playfully at the 2D photo spot resembling the colorful back of Sistem White.

Those who bought a Sistem51 that evening were given a special gift to commemorate the moment: varsity jackets emblazoned with Sistem51’s trademark images. There were also fun games like darts, with two giant dartboards set up to resemble the mechanical movement of Sistem51, and oversized dice which participants had to throw against a wall to get the numbers 5 and 1. Funnily enough, Swatch creative director Rowell Santiago won both games even without trying — he even bested Chris Tiu, who is widely known for his shooting accuracy. To match the fun vibe of the party, Chef Gilbert of Kai served dishes popularized in food trucks across LA and New York with a distinct Japanese twist matched with free-flowing drinks and beats by DJ Katsy Lee.

Luis, the evening’s host, was sporting the Sistem Red. “This is something very new. You get precision craftsmanship at a very affordable price,” says Luis about Sistem51.

Matteo, who was wearing the playful and colorful Sistem White loves the 90-hour power reserve the Sistem51 provides. Chris, also a watch collector since college, wore the Sistem Black but had his eye on getting the Sistem Blue, representing his favorite color.

“Sistem 51 is one of the most important watches in the last decade; it represents so much technology — it’s literally a new movement in the industry,” says watch expert Noel dela Merced. “It’s a 51-piece movement spread across different modules linked together by one screw; it’s a game-changer and a trendsetting innovation which will usher in a new technology for the watch industry,” he adds. He also predicts, “This is an engineering feat that everyone will copy sooner or later.”

Sistem51 is available at Swatch Shops in SM Megamall, Glorietta 1, Greenbelt 5, TriNoma, Alabang Town Center, MarQuee Mall, Pampanga, SM Mall of Asia, SM City North EDSA, Greenhills V-Mall, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Festival Mall, Ayala Center, Cebu, and SM City Cebu.

Like SwatchPH on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SwatchPH. Show off your Sistem51 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with hashtags #Swatch #Sistem51.