Baselworld 2013: Swatch Sistem51

Baselworld 2013: Swatch Sistem51

• World premiere: fully automated assembly of a mechanical movement
• 51 components – Swatch’s lucky number
• 1 central screw
• 90 hour power reserve
• Swatch – 100% Swiss made

Thirty years ago Swatch turned the watch world upside down. Today, Swatch Sistem51 presents a new point of view, sets new standards and celebrates the Swatch credo: simplify and innovate. Never before has simplicity been made so intriguing and surprising.

Sistem51 is an automated (self-winding) mechanical movement made from 51 components – no more, no less – made possible by a simplified and more efficient design. Most mechanical movements have at least twice as many parts; some have more than 600! 51 is the magic number (and Swatch’s lucky number, too).

Sistem51’s components are welded together to form a single assembly centred on a single screw. When Copernicus put the sun at the centre of the solar system, he changed the whole way we perceive and understand life. Sistem51 is a Copernican idea in contemporary terms!

Sistem51 is a world first: it is the only mechanical movement ever made whose assembly is 100% automated. The high-tech escapement has no regulator; the rate is set at the factory with a laser, making the manual rate adjustments normally required by a mechanical watch unnecessary. The movement features a 90 hour power reserve.

Sistem51’s movement is made entirely of ARCAP, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with exceptional anti-magnetic qualities. And since all movement components are hermetically sealed within the case, no moisture, dust or foreign objects can interfere with its operation. The resulting inner peace guarantees the movement a long, serene life and enduring performance.

Sistem51 offers one last surprise – transparency. A distinguishing feature of Swatch, the transparency of Sistem51 creates a unique look, distinct from any other Swatch. Automatic movements are driven by an oscillating rotor; the rotor in Sistem51 is a transparent disc that rotates in both directions around the central screw. This signature feature opens up fascinating views of the movement beneath it, a movement whose visible surfaces are printable. The design reaches beyond appearances to reveal the innovative depth of the watch itself.

Finally, and this is no surprise, Sistem51 is 100% Swiss made – a guarantee of quality, end to end.