Swatch Goes Luxe With Limited Edition Mechanical Watch Collection

The new Flymagic is way more fly than anything Swatch made back in the ’80s.

For some Swatch is the quintessential 1980s watchmaker. The Swiss company dominated Reagan-era fashion with reliable timepieces in a huge variety of colorways—it seemed like everyone had a Swatch in waiting, ready to pair with just the right shade of parachute pants. 

Swatch didn’t go anywhere, of course, and now they’re expanding beyond their rep for blending affordability with reliability with the new Flymagic line: gorgeous mechanically-driven steel watches clocking in around $1,500.

The Flymagic’s unique design peels away the old-fashioned watch face and exposes the inner workings of the watch. The balance wheel and gear train are visible, and rather than feeling skeletal, the movement makes it feel more vibrant and alive.

In a release, the company said the Flymagic’s exposed look is “high-end watchmaking with a revolutionary twist, and the first time such a reversal has been performed with a Swatch.”

More interesting to watch collectors with a nerd-level interest in design is the watch’s Nivachron hairspring. It’s a paramagnetic titanium alloy and resists magnetic fields, meaning that the Flymagic keeps more accurate time than other mechanical models.

Swatch has also built in heat and shock resistance and one element that really makes it stand out: the second hand runs in reverse. 

Flymagic models are a substantial 45mm with steel construction and a choice of leather or silicon straps. Be ready to pounce once they’re available: Swatch is only making 1500 at $1,500 each, and they’ll be available beginning April 2019.