How did a fledgling Swiss watch company and a rising New York City street artist kick-start a breakdance revolution?
Forty years ago, in a time prior to mumble rap, when Raygun was yet to be conceived, a revolution was brewing. Deep in the heart of New York’s bustling Bronx borough, break dancing was slowly extending out from the stereo and into the street, but for the cultural phenomenon to truly catch on, it needed a helping hand. It would come from an unlikely source.
Swiss watch producer Swatch, at that time just a year into operation, recognised the burgeoning movement’s global appeal. Diving head-first into new-wave music, art and dance culture, Swatch unleashed a festival of creativity on New York City, launching the first-ever World Breakdance Championship. An homage to the underground, Swatch’s goal was to give people the freedom to express themselves; a sentiment that scored the approval of NYC street art’s most influential figure.
In a move that would help cement the event’s place in history, renowned artist Keith Haring lent his talents to the Championship, creating a bespoke event poster that was distributed across the inner city. The instantly recognisable animated imagery spoke to Haring’s unique ability to draw inspiration from the everyday and it was through his design language that Swatch found a new legion of fans. Such was Haring’s enthusiasm for the event that the New York native would even appear as a judge for the competition, helping select the eventual winners.
For Swatch, then a fledgling business with a model that rejected tradition and embraced modernity, the event marked a defining moment. A pioneer in the quartz watch space, the Zürich-based producer’s fresh and vibrant approach opposed the rigid structures that for centuries had directed the industry. As Swatch creative director Carlo Giordanetti explains, teaming up with an emerging street artist to bring a new cultural movement to the world, as crazy as it sounds, just made sense.
“How crazy was it in 1984 for the newly launched Swatch to partner with the first World Breakdance Championship – and ask the young, up-and-coming street artist Keith Haring to design the poster for the event?” Giordanetti ponders. “What is great is that the same energy has been transported throughout the years into the Swatch organisation, and still today, the brand vibrates according to the same concepts: positive provocation, joy of life, love for innovation and a passion for surprising.”
Four decades on from that pivotal moment, Swatch is reviving the spirit of the ‘80s in a bold new way. The brand has launched a new BREAK FREE collection that celebrates Haring’s unique contribution to the Swatch story, complete with a refreshed case that arrives straight out of 2024. Three new watches—BREAKS OFF, BREAK LOOSE and BREAK TIME—feature Haring’s recognisable figures dancing across the dials in a visual buffet of vibrant neons. As Giordanetti explains, the latest collection bridges the gap between heritage and modernity in a way that feels entirely Swatch.
“I think “break free” has always been Swatch’s unspoken motto: the whole evolution of the brand has been inspired by celebrating freedom of expression: on one side encouraging designers and artists to take Swatch as a blank canvas to express their creativity, and on the other making Swatch a very personal style signifier, allowing everyone to express their mood and personality.”
“We all know that history and fashion come in cycles, and now it’s time to revisit the energy of the ‘80s, the sense of lightness, freedom, and crazy “over the top” attitudes: for sure, a great antidote to the less fun times we are living.”
Giordanetti would know. The Swatch creative director has been with the brand on and off since 1988, contributing to some of the industry’s most transcendent products. His work in the Milan-based design lab through the 1990s continued the brand’s meteoric rise and in recent years, Giordanetti has been influential in the development of Swatch’s BIOCERAMIC designs. It seems only fitting that in 2024, he leads the launch of BREAK FREE. After all, Giordanetti witnessed firsthand the cultural impact of creatives like Keith Haring.
“We always felt a special bond with Keith Haring because his vision of bringing art to the streets, to provoke and inspire with his designs and iconic characters has always been very close to Swatch’s,” he tells me.
“Also, Keith Haring was the first artist to collaborate with Swatch for an art collection (it happened right after he designed the poster for the World Breakdance Championship), becoming a pillar of our brand history. Working with his designs years later is evoking emotions and – as always when we deal with artists – deep and sincere respect. We feel happy, proud and privileged to be part of those who keep his legacy alive.”
Taking a trademark progressive approach, the new BREAK FREE collection fuses Haring’s heritage illustrations with the maison’s modern BIOCERAMIC WHAT IF? design. Here, the unique square case and dial provide a pseudo frame for the designs, while the construction ensures wearability, comfort and the option of personal expression. As with all BIOCERAMIC WHAT IF? watches, there is a hidden design element on the battery cover on the case back and this time, it’s a masterpiece.
“Since we started to implement Swatch BIOCERAMIC designs, new battery covers have been developed thanks to the specifications of this new revolutionary material – allowing us to extend Swatch creative ground: the battery covers thus become “the unexpected”, the little twist, the surprising element that adds one more layer of storytelling to the design,” Giordanetti explains. “The idea to reimagine an iconic product through the “other possible option” is very much appreciated, as it brings again an unexpected twist to the image of Swatch. In the case of BREAK FREE, they carry the swatch logo as designed by Keith Haring – a world premiere!”
Never one to pass up a surprise, Swatch has also unveiled a vibrant circular addition to the collection. FROM THE ARCHIVE is a new timepiece that features an original Haring pencil and ink sketch gifted to Swatch by the artist and used to create the colourful MODELE AVEC PERSONNAGES from 1986. At the time, the watch proved extremely popular with its instantly recognisable, hand-drawn figures and a bright, primary colour scheme that made it ‘pure Swatch’. From there, the original drawing was placed in the Swatch archive, where it has been carefully preserved ever since.
With FROM THE ARCHIVE, Swatch has faithfully recreated the artwork on the dial of this 41 mm NEW GENT BIOSOURCED model. While the figures are picked out in ink, the original pencil drawings and artist’s notes are clearly visible. Even the important addition of the words Swatch and Swiss–signifying that the watch is Swiss-made today as it was in 1986–are clearly visible in Haring’s own handwriting. It’s a fitting nod to the late artist’s indelible legacy and what’s more, it speaks to Swatch’s respect for the craft.
On the surface, the latest BREAK FREE collection commemorates the 40th anniversary of Swatch’s ground-breaking New York event, but when you dig a little deeper, there is so much more on offer. With this release, the brand not only pays homage to a great contributor and reaffirms its position as the champion of personal expression, but it also alludes to a future where innovation remains paramount. As Giordanetti reveals, the brand is entering its next chapter in much the same way it has for the past four decades.
“Eyes wide open, ears wide open, a very open heart and a lot of curiosity,” he says. “And the amazing possibility of being close to many artists and creative minds. Ideas become reality through the hands of gifted designers when one can communicate them efficiently.”
The Swatch BREAK FREE collection was officially released on October 3 and is available in Swatch stores and online now. The FROM THE ARCHIVE piece is priced at AUD$175, while the BREAKS OFF, BREAK LOOSE and BREAK TIME pieces are priced at $210 each.
