Swatches! | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[Music]. welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. [Music]. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. too and we're just getting totally. tubular here on stuff you should know. you joke about the 80s my friend but. swatches are still very very popular I I. I never joke about the ' 80s I'm quite. serious about the 80s.

that's right we're talking about. swatches uh if you don't know what a. Swatch is you may not be into. watches uh or fun you may not be a gen. xer although like I said they they're. still around um I have uh recently. gotten into watches uh for the first. time in my life really like I tried to. wear watch I remember when I was in like. seventh grade and uh cuz I thought it. kind of looked cool that was probably. during the the fake glasses period okay. was it a fake watch no it was a real.

watch um but it never really took and I. I've always kind of um said that I don't. want things on my wrist uh but I got a. watch I got a couple of watches uh about. four months ago I started just. researching watches and how they're made. and I was really just knocked out by the. the. craftsmanship uh and so I got a couple. of watches and I the other reason was. partially so I could look for the time.

and date without picking up my phone cuz. I feel like that uh then keeps me on the. phone right that's a great great idea. yeah so it really works and I love my. watch a lot and today I bought a Swatch. oh cool which which kind is it a newer. kind is it vintage is it um a throwback. well it's it's newer but you know they. they a lot of the Styles look like they. did back then um it's it's going to be a. good like kind of fun summer watch it's. not too wacky but it's blue and yellow. and oh cool um kind of has a big face.

and it's 120 bucks which is not not. nothing but uh a quality watch for you. know a little over $100 is a really good. deal these days watches are super. expensive yeah it really is and that's. one thing about swatches is they've kept. their prices down all these years yeah. it's about the same with inflation yeah. I yeah and you could get swatches that. are definitely what they sold them for. back in the 80s adjusted for inflation. they also have some that are like a. little more expensive and then I think.

the most expensive one Dave helped us. with this um he turned up one that was. like just over. $300 and they do have some like. collaborations with some higher-end. watch companies that are more expensive. than that but if you just get a Swatch. Swatch the most you're going to spend is. about 300 bucks so yeah yeah so um you. me and I when we went on our honeymoon. um we were walking around the mall as. you do on your honeymoon in Hawaii.

and we just popped in a Swatch store and. we got like his and her um the I guess. the jellyfish like she got pink and I. got blue swatches and even that's the. clear one right yeah even yeah a watch. having that level of sentimentality I. still can't just wear I just couldn't. wear it I I can't have something on my. wrist right um but over the years we. still kind of collected some swatches. here or there and now our collection. Chuck.

includes one of those giant um Swatch. wall clocks an original one and it's one. of the coolest things we own yeah I had. one of those but it was a knockoff of. course it was a switch because you and I. very famously uh were not allowed. basically any brand name right uh. because we couldn't afford it so I had I. had a knockoff uh whatever like the. Kmart version of that was hanging. hanging on my wall that's awesome what. did it look like uh it looked like a.

Swatch you know that's what yours looks. like right like it's got a the big band. and everything you just it's like. hanging a big watch yeah it ours is so. they they built like actual 7 foot tall. with the band stretched out wall clocks. called the Maxi that were like giant. versions of the actual kinds of swatches. you could buy on your wrist right and. the one we have is called I think the. white Memphis style um and it's from. like 1984 I think something like that. and then we went and got the actual. watch to match did you frame it next to.

it no we just have it somewhere so we. pick it up and look at it once in a. while we're like wow it really looks a. lot like our wall clock uh well I just. got to say I'm not going to try and talk. you in anything but as someone who also. did not like some something on their. wrist I really have gotten used to it. and it's to the point now where it feels. a little weird when I don't have it on. that was fast um yeah and it's uh it's a. good you know goodlooking watch it's. kind of nice to uh to be like an adult. and have a an actual watch and not a.

Apple watch or something right so one. other thing about um swatches that drove. me crazy there's a distinct ticking. sound that I couldn't not hear and I. came to find that it was. actually I guess kind of a a trait of. swatches I saw that from researching. this that swatches make a ticking sound. and it's because of the design the very. unique design they have which it will.

we'll get to that eventually and when we. do it's going to be eye popping do you. just keep waiting for 60 minutes to come. on TV yeah I do and then I just bury my. head under pillows till it's over all. right should we get into this thing yeah. let's because what's interesting to me. Chuck is that swatches were born out of. a mega crisis in Switzerland in the. beginning of the 70s yes absolutely uh. everyone well maybe not everyone if. you've never don't know anything about. watches you may not know that swi. swiland is renowned for their watches if.

you've ever heard the term runs like a. Swiss watch uh that's not cuz they're. cruddy and that they're they break down. and that they don't keep good time it's. because they have long been a country. that um just has amazing craftsmanship. with not only you know putting watches. together but uh manufacturing the tiny. little parts and everything uh that's. you know if you've heard of Rolex and. cardier and Omega like all these really. nice watch brands they're coming out of. Switzerland and they always have been.

yeah and one of the reasons why they're. so ridiculously high priced is that. craftsmanship yeah um and that's just. how it was like if you wanted a nice. watch you bought a Swiss watch and you. paid through the nose for it um and. that's that was life until the Japanese. came along and they said we we've got a. we have an idea here the Japanese are. famous Chuck famous for improving upon. other people's inventions just taking. them and making them just amazing this. is a really good example of that Seiko.

introduced a watch called the Astron on. Christmas Day. 1969 and it completely shook the watch. world because the Astron was the world's. first quartz watch and that that just. changed the whole the whole game because. you can make a courtz watch for very. cheap and they keep much better time. than a traditional movement yeah I mean. it's interesting they're they're cheaper. they last. longer um I guess there isn't the you.

know the um the the fame that attaches. itself to you know a Swiss watch that's. made from all tiny little Parts but you. can't argue with courts as a as an. improvement um I'm hesitant to almost. say it's like clearly better because you. know a great mechanical watch is still a. Wonder to behold and keeps really good. time but courts came along and it was. very disruptive to the industry uh we. talked a little about about courts what.

was that in it was semi atomic clocks it. felt even more recent than that though. no no that was pretty recent it was only. a few months ago oh was it is that nuts. yeah it seems like a few years uh and in. the best way possible by the way uh but. quartz uh oscillates at. 32,768 times per second and when you. have quartz as a part of your watch uh. well not circuitry but just as a yeah it. is circuitry oh is it okay great mhm um.

then you can cut back on a lot of those. other little tiny parts and you can make. a thinner watch like beyond the fact. that it just runs better and lasts. longer uh they can be smaller and you. don't have as many tiny little parts. that eventually could maybe break no. because in a traditional mechanical. watch when you wind it you're you're. tensing you're adding tension to a. spring and then that spring slowly. unwinds and it drives all these gears. and everything and that's how it keeps. track of the time and that's why if you.

look at a traditional mechanical watch. the second hand that keeps track of the. seconds goes in a sweeping motion an. unbroken sweeping motion all around the. face uh a quartz watch just ticks off. one second at a time the second hand. moves every second and the reason why is. because that circuitry has counted. 32,768 pulses and now it's time to. advance 1 second um so that's a huge. difference but yeah just the like you. were saying like yes quartz is is. obviously better but in the way that.

like an advancement te in technology is. better that doesn't mean that the. craftsmanship that it's competing with. is any worse and in some ways it makes. that craftsmanship you know that much. more desirable down the road yeah for. sure uh but these quartz watches came in. from Japan in the 1970s uh after that. debut in ' 69 that you mentioned well I. guess that was Christmas 69 so the. summer of love the Christmas of love. just a handful of days before the 70s. uh I think right before Oh no I guess.

that was 70s into the 80s in Boogie. Nights yeah that was that was like mid. to late 70s yeah well but that famous. New Year's Eve scene when uh oh yeah. what's his name you know man what a. bummer yeah it was a big. pummer uh anyway um quartz watches come. along they really disrupt the industry. and all of a sudden Switzerland found. itself in a sort of a watch crisis uh. before this broke out before courts came.

along they controlled 50% of the whole. watch Market in the world uh and then by. 1977 a mere seven years after the debut. of these uh Japanese quartz watches. Seiko became the largest watch maker by. Revenue in the world and Switzerland saw. their industry fall off from uh I. believe between 77 and 83 from 43% to. less than 15% which is a like a real. real financial crisis yeah it's you.

don't even have to know what a number is. to know that that's a massive financial. crisis right and this is not just a. couple companies this is the entire. Swiss watchmaking industry which was a. huge part of the Swiss economy for. centuries right so it was a really it. was a national crisis in Switzerland and. so these companies that make up the. Swiss Swiss watch making industry were. just dropping like. flies uh and it came down to a couple ma. like really major compan companies that. own Brands like Omega and Lin and tiso.

um like just really highend Swiss watch. brands the two companies were alamain. swier urin. industry AG yeah my apologies to our. German listeners who we know are out. there and then the other one is the uh. so ssport lustry orer SAA and I said. that with a weird Spanish accent but. that's it in French and these two. companies were like Mega companies and.

they were like goliaths failing falling. over essentially they were in mid-fall. yeah in mid freef fall uh and so what. usually would happen in a case like this. with these big corporations is you would. take uh the assets that each company has. like you know these individual brands. that they own sell them off uh hopefully. make some money doing that and then. that's basically it but uh a guy named. Nicholas and this is just I love this. kind of story I got when someone comes.

along and just says no we're not doing. that and that was the case with Nicholas. G hyek uh who if you ask people in. Switzerland in fact that was an actual. survey of like who were the best the. best Swiss people of all time and they. said Albert Einstein uh HRI dunant who. created the Red Cross in the Geneva. Convention and then Nicholas Hayek who. put his foot down and said no we're not. selling these things off we're going to.

merge together these two big companies. and we're going to start making quartz. watches yeah he he was a the head of a. marketing consulting firm essentially. business consulting firm and they were. like just come in and figure out the. best way to sell these companies off for. parts to the highest bidder and like you. said he said no I've got a much better. idea and it wasn't like they were just. like oh okay go do that we don't care. we're eating Metar Roi over here so who. who who cares um they were very much.

involved in this and he had to convince. the entire Swiss watchmaking industry. yeah and all the Swiss banks that were. backing the industry and that would. eventually back this merger like guys we. need to merge these two companies like. Chuck will eventually say on this. podcast called stuff you should know. years from now and we need to make our. we need to like start making money. Handover fist really quick and we're not. going to do that with these luxury. Brands we need to figure out how to make.

a very cheap very Swiss watch and get it. to Market ASAP yeah but that's the key. there that you mentioned like they. weren't saying hey let's get uh parts. from Japan and just kind of build from. there they were like we're going to make. these things in Switzerland we're going. to put our Swiss you know our country's. name Behind These. basically uh which had so much pride in. their you know watch craftsmanship and. we're going to make them all here and. that's going to be the difference and uh. he did not invent or design the Swatch.

he came up with this idea for this. merger there had been prototypes of the. Swatch a couple of years before I think. uh. 1981 um two full years before this. merger there was one called the uh. popularis uh which was a courts watch. it's you know not my style it is very of. the time uh in ' 81 but it's it was thin. and kind of groovy looking don't you. think sure yeah and that was it that was. the first one uh but it was not a Swatch. uh when ha took over an 83 he was like.

we got to make these low-end watches and. we got to start making them like stylish. we want someone to be able to go out and. buy a cheap watch maybe who's never. owned a watch before because they were. expensive uh luckily he had some really. good employees under his um well. employee in these two merged companies. um one of them was a guy named Ernest. Tom key he's considered one of the other. fathers of Swat watch he had a couple of.

designers jacqu Müller and elar mock. working under him and between these. three together you had some amazing. designers but also just really smart. watch engineers and Tomy in particular. had been working for a good decade or so. trying to make the world's thinnest. watch yeah and eventually did it was a. watch called the delirium it was less. than 2 mm thick that's 564 of an inch. thick a watch with all of the movements.

and it it wasn't a mechanical watch it. was quartz but it was still super duper. thin even for a quartz watch and in fact. if you watch Scarface Tony Montana's. wearing one of these it was just a big. big deal it was a very expensive watch. just because it was so thin and also it. was Swiss so if you put these guys who. are really good at designing and really. good at engineering with fewer and fewer. Parts in smaller and smaller spaces. together you've got the uh the basis for. creating a brand new kind of watch that. Switzerland had never produced before.

which is cheap Swiss and Innovative and. stylish yeah it's funny it was very of. the time like thin thin thin watches was. a big thing back then I kind of even. remember that yeah I feel like and I you. know I've done a little bit of research. since I've gotten into watches a little. bit but it seems like seems like chunky. watches are kind of the thing now and. that very sort of thin even maybe uh. rectangular uh bezel kind of watch is uh. and the bezel is just the you know the. little glass piece that sits over the.

top of everything to protect it um you. have been doing your research well. there's only a handful of watch parts. and you got to know what they are okay. uh but that doesn't seem to be very in. as in style anymore uh but they would. get those parts down you know even for a. quarts watch I think a typical quarts. watch had about 91 Parts they got that. down all the way to 51 um they called it. within the company Revolution 51 and it. was a it was a big deal like it was it I.

mean they're still around in still a. huge company for all these reasons yeah. and okay so that's going on you've got. Tom key creating um watches with fewer. and fewer Parts at the same time um elar. mock he had this dream to um start using. plastic injection molding yeah to make. watches and rather than get approval to. buy a plastic injection molding machine. which is like half a million marks I. think at the time um he just ordered it.

and so luckily they had this plastic. injection molding machine and they used. it to create the first swatches and that. helped them reduce the number of. movements even more because a lot of the. movement parts are what Mount the actual. moving parts to the watch and what they. did was they built in all of those parts. that mount the the movement to the watch. into the case itself so it was all one. solid part and that even further dro the. the number of moving parts needed that.

much more uh in the original swatches. that came out look at you you said. case what did uh that's a watch part oh. thanks I thought I'd been saying like. Casi this whole time you're finally. you're like you finally got it Josh all. right uh shall we take a break yeah. let's all right let's take our first. break here and we come back we'll talk a. little bit more about the early days of. the swatch.

[Music]. okay so we're back with swatches uh. Switzerland has this great idea but they. had a little bit of a just sort of an. early Challenge on their hands uh you. know they found how to reduce the parts. and make everything cheaper which was. great but they eventually looked around. their Factory and said here's the deal.

we want to make these all here but. everyone here makes a ton of money like. Switzerland just for regular old jobs. has the highest you know some of the. highest wages in the world at least uh. and has for a long time so you know they. could have outsourced they could have. gotten some parts from different you. know uh countries in the world and had. them brought in and maybe just assembled. in Switzerland uh but they they held. firm and they said no we're not going to. do it we need to just innovate and get. Manufacturing Technologies uh that are.

so Advanced that we can get these things. down to like you know 30 to 50 bucks and. they were able to do it yeah that that's. one of the reasons why Heek or Hayek is. so revered not only did he challenge the. watch makers in Switzerland to make a. cheap Swiss Swiss watch um he also was. like now you have to redesign how we. make watches from the ground up and they. were successful and they ended up coming. up with with the Swatch um and as much.

as that is a um like The Innovation to. the whole thing is impressive the. marketing piece to swatches was um I. mean it was just as just as much a part. of Swatch as this new way of making. watches because um hyek was he saw. watches a little differently he was an. outsider and up to that point if you. made watches you you considered watches. jewelry high-end jewelry essentially. yeah and and he was like no this is.

you're overthinking watches or at least. you're overthinking this watch that. we're making these are not jewelry we're. going to make them fashion statements. like fashion items and just like say. ties or shoes and you have more than one. tie and you have more than one pair of. shoes we're going to make it so these. people who are buying our watches want. more than one watch it's going to be. amazing guys yeah and they they went in. I mean it was a huge risk um but you. know he he painted a picture of like uh.

imagine a world where uh teenagers want. four and five of these uh and all of a. sudden they're you know over the course. of a few years they're investing you. know $200 or $300 in their watch. collection and that's a good start um. you know it could be a second watch for. people and that was in fact uh if you've. always thought that swatch was Swiss. plus watch um you're probably right but. other people including Hayek have said. it was actually a mashup of second watch.

um but you know they had uh marketing. people that came in there was a guy a. consultant named fron shreer uh he. supposedly coined the name Swatch and he. officially said no it was Swiss plus. watch um other people in the company did. say second watch so either way you get. Swatch my money is on officially. probably Swiss watch me too that's what. I'm going with but who cares it's a. Swatch yeah and the first uh 12 swatches.

came out in 1983 March 1st they debuted. in Switzerland Germany and the UK and if. you go look back at the original 12. swatches you'd be like those are. swatches you can tell it's got some. Swatch quality to it but it just is so. boring and stayed in middle of the road. as far as its design goes and it turns. out that was a deliberate decision. because as they were about to go to. Market with these things apparently.

everybody including Hayak got cold feet. and was like what what happens if this. doesn't work yeah so they decided to go. with um the colors that the Swiss um. army uses in their uniforms so if it was. a flop they could turn around to the. Swiss Army and be like why don't you buy. all these Surplus watches so we can at. least try to break even here yeah like. he did you guys said great with your. knives so imagine what you could do with. a watch yeah have you seen Swiss army.

man yes I have okay have you yes did you. like it I did in a lot of ways yeah yeah. it's a crazy movie and the the the. directors of everything everywhere all. at once right oh that makes sense I. didn't know that that definitely makes. sense now yeah yeah they were always. sort of on the outside there with those. wacky ideas yeah for sure uh all right. so they were selling these first ones. for for about 50 lbs in the UK uh those.

12 watches sold even though they were. people had no idea what they were in for. with the Swatch based on these 12 but. they still loved them uh they they sold. very well um summer of 83 comes along. and they had another brilliant you know. one of the most brilliant marketing. marketed companies of all time probably. was the swatch for sure uh but they said. hey um I don't even think people are. saying the the term drops yet it maybe. they were I'm kind of curious when that. started it was a great time a shoe drop.

or a jersey drop or something or a hat. drop but they had a Swatch drop uh. called the jellyfish my brother had one. of these and I was texting him yesterday. I was like did you have the original. 1983 jellyfish that was the clear one. and he said he sold it a little while. ago for a little bit of money and he. said I don't think it was one of the. first years and he said why is that a. big deal or he didn't know it was the. first year he said why was the 83 a big. deal I was like well that was the first. one M um if I remember he got it a.

couple years later and you can still. they still make like versions of the. jellyfish now but it took off once the. jellyfish hit and the idea of these. drops these special releases uh they. would release collections in the fall. and the spring and then one-off specials. once a year and they were huge yeah I. think they even did seasonal special so. a few times a year but the the fact that. these were just you know they come and. go pretty quickly like they'd make a.

limited amount it would sell out really. quickly um people started collecting. swatches there was a a um I can't. remember in deliberate scarcity I guess. created by the the the seasonal one-offs. right and um that helped Propel Swatch. like from watchmaker to this is this is. exactly what hyek was going for these. are fashion items they're fashion. statements they desirable things that. people can buy multiple ones of. and show you know who they are inside by.

wearing something on the outside. essentially yeah I ironically maybe. wearing a Swatch with your uh muscle. shirt of the Japanese. flag cuz those were big don't forget the. headband the matching headband had to. have the matching headband uh we played. a 80s set our band did at the porchfest. in our neighborhood a few years ago and. M I wore like an MTV shirt and these. like neon glasses and stuff and I had. the headband I was like jeez cuz is that. even something you can do these days.

like wear a headband of a Japanese flag. I don't I'm not even sure if I feel good. about it uh but I didn't do it in the. end okay yeah that's probably good. because you know those hipsters will. throw beer bottles at you on stage like. The Blues Brothers yeah well but we have. a a chicken wire protecting us so it's. fine luckily I mean you got to if you're. going to wear a Japanese headband in. 2023 yeah let's see where were we well I. guess we can go to 85 cuz that's when um. uh that's when things really changed.

right yeah so um I guess the whole thing. was kind of uh like you said they start. they sold pretty well initially and then. when they started to add the one-offs. like that that became like a really big. deal but 1985 was when Swatch expanded. even further out and actually I think 84. yeah is when they started to expand um. they were kind of they like the Red Bull. model of like oh that's a crazy sport. let's let's sponsor or that swatch. looked around was like this is super.

cool and the kids are into this let's. sponsor this or that or this and what. they came up with first was the Swatch. watch New York City. freshfest which is um considered the. first hip-hop concert tour ever yeah it. was Houdini and Curtis blow and rund DMC. Fat Boys I saw I think they did it for a. few years cuz I saw where like the. Beasty Boys opened up but that had to. have been like the maybe second or third. year but. it was a big deal and they were on the.

on the Leading Edge of kind of. everything that was cool in the early to. mid 80s um so of course what you're. going to have is people trying to get in. on that and they had like the cheap. cheap knockoffs uh like literally some. of them were named M mw a TCH and things. like that uh but like legitimate Brands. um like guest jeans guest started making. watches and some other big 80s Brands. started getting in there on the Watch. scene like clearly ripping off swatches.

yeah um one brand was armatron a watch. um I I don't know what that is but I. went back and looked at them and I was. like these are actually kind of cool. they were they were all cool they. actually pushed the envelope a little. further like Swatch came along and and. like laid the groundwork for other. people to go even more crazy with their. watches and aitron was one of them and. so there's nothing wrong with some. friendly competition Swatch had no. problems with that what swatch a problem. with was the counterfeits that were.

flooding the market about as fast as. genuine swatches were selling yeah. watches seem to be one of the most uh. counterfeited sort of high-end items and. I guess in this case not as high-end but. uh you know fake Rolexes there's always. been a market for counterfeit watches. and swatches was no different uh they. were selling 11,000 legitimate watches a. day a day in 1984 and they estimated. that 10,000 fakes were being imported.

every day man that's crazy yeah uh you. said that they were kind of trying to. get their fingers into every cool thing. that was emerging at the time another. thing I saw was that they um sponsored. the impact skateboarding tour oh yeah. starting in 1988 that was a big one too. uh and then also one of the other things. Swatch became really famous for was. collaborating with artists like the. hottest artists of the day uh and the. big one the one that really kind of to. put it all over the top was one of the.

early ones in 1986 they um they had. Keith Herring designed four different. watches and they are today I think the. most coveted swatches like ever by. collectors yeah for sure uh I mean. they're cool looking it's Keith Herring. and it's on a watch face so what more do. you need to know uh they went to Andy. Warhol first and he said no I don't have. time for this he said but you should get. this guy Keith Herring um I think if you. have an entire. like Primo collection of those four you.

can get you know up to 100 grand for. those four watches at auction yeah and. the way that you tell their Primo is you. take your pinky and you dab it on the. watch bezel yeah and stick it to your. tongue or maybe your gum and you're like. yeah that's a Primo watch man this is. pure pure. bezel um so they they also uh aside from. Herring they collaborated with a bunch. of other artists Yoko Ono she delivered. a bunch of butts naked bottoms that's a.

super Yoko own thing to do pigo the pig. that paints oh yeah I can't believe that. they didn't clean up the art that they. used from him it's just too it's too. appealing there's it's not there's no. mess ups in it you know what I mean yeah. agree I just I think they may have done. that um and then Alfred H H hun. hunst What would did you say Mr laffy.

uh Alfred I would probably say. hofun I'm pretty sure I said that in one. of the five times I tried it I'm sure. you did well anyway he had another. legendary um release in 1991 he designed. three swatches that were basically food. or looked like food one was bacon and. eggs MH one's a disturbing looking. cucumber puffy cucumber another's a. tomato and then the Big Marketing thing. they came up with for this is that in. Europe you bought them in the grocery.

aisles of a supermarket that's where you. could get those swatches which is kind. of cool yeah I feel like you could get. swatches in a lot of different. places uh like maybe if you lived in a. big enough City you had an actual Swatch. store MH but didn't they just sell them. at like you know the the poster head. shops and places like that too yeah that. was another thing too you could also get. them at like department stores like you. could get them all over the place right. yeah um and they figured that out I read.

after they tried the traditional route. which is sending them to jewelry stores. and in the US they did not catch on. immediately because their the main the. main stores that they tried to sell. swatches through to the United States. first were jewelry stores in San Antonio. Texas and they didn't sell very well. they went back to the drawing board. they're like let's try this a different. way and then they started to sell them. all over the place and then they they. took off very quickly in the US after. that and they're like Middle America.

doesn't want these so we're going to go. to the coasts and the coast supported. swatch for a very long time until they. called on in the midwest they couldn't. even sell their uh there's no basement. in the Alamos watch there that's right. so you know those trouble mhm I lived in. the midwest I grew up in the Midwest and. I don't think I got my first watch until. 1986. probably you my first Swatch is coming. in the mail in the next week I've never. owned one yeah I can't wait to see that. one when it arrives yeah part of it was.

it like I said I didn't wear watches. back then but I don't know I think the. other thing is just like uh I mean. you're lucky you got one because you. kind of grew up how I did which was like. Hey if it's cool and cost money you're. not getting it yeah no for sure I did. too I wore nights of the Round Table. shirts I I'm I've said more than once. but good for you you got that swatch you. know I worked worked myself to the Bone. yeah uh cutting Lawns what you doing. walking the dog cutting Lawns taking out. the trash so your then it wasn't like a. Christmas gift no I I my parents still.

got it for me okay I didn't make that. much money but I think it's still it. were only like3 or $40 but yeah back. then that was a lot of dough though it. was but it was still most people with a. job could afford a Swatch no problem. essentially I was just 10 you know yeah. I was too busy spending you know 8 to go. to concerts and Arenas when I was 12. years old for my bus boy wages that's. awesome I wait 12 you started working at.

12 Josh I was a bus boy at a barbecue. restaurant when I was 12 years old no I. know that's where the guy put his foot. in the Brunswick stew that's legendary. but I never caught on that it was 12 it. was 12 it was totally illegal and under. the table uh yeah and it's it what's so. funny is I'm trying to imagine everyone. who doesn't know that brunix 2 story. wondering what in the world you're. talking about uh you can go listen to. restaurant Health INSP sections is the. story where that dat oh okay yeah and.

it's it's popped up weirdly several. times well it's kind of an important. story it's funny it just came up last. night we were watching an episode of the. bear which by the way I don't like this. new season I'm not sure if you're into. it or not I couldn't get into I watched. the first episode or two and I just it. wasn't for me of the whole show or the. new season the whole show oh okay yeah. first two seasons good I'm not liking. this one uh anyway there was a scene in. the walk-in cooler where the the guy's. just sitting in there and I was like oh.

God I used to love the walk-in cooler. because it always get so hot and I would. be working over the dishwasher and just. sweating with all that Steam and I would. go in the someone asked me to go to the. walk-in to get something and I would. always take twice as long just so I. could be there in the coolness and watch. Randy put his foot in the BR stew man. that is so gross dude like I could throw. up now if I really stopped and thought. about it for a while know I think I. think we need a break all right let's. take a break. [Music].

so Chuck Swatch watches weren't the only. things that swatch made if you were live. in the. 80s almost anything that swatch made in. the first five years was super cool just. landed there was the uh phone Swatch.

which was just like the jellyfish it was. a see-through phone so you could see all. the parts and they use very colorful. Parts yeah to make the phone one of the. cooler phones of all time uh there was. that Maxi Swatch the wall clock that I. was talking about totally um there was. this was one of my favorites I can still. almost smell one of them the granita def. fruta line the Italian Ice Line it. smelled right yeah the pink one was. raspberry and that's the one I can. remember smelling the yellow one smelled.

like banana the green one smelled like. mint how long though like after being. that rubber band on your sweaty wrist in. the summertime what did that thing smell. like after a month I mean not good but. when you first got it it was amazing I. can remember that smell and I can. remember the smell of Strawberry. Shortcake do you remember how she. smelled uh no I I didn't play with. strawberry shortcake for my for my money. one of the best smelling dolls of all. time oh okay. but so anyway not everything that swatch.

put out especially after the first few. years was a hit um there were some flops. there were some middle of the road ones. and then there were some others that. were like hey this is pretty good yeah. and this is mainly through the 90s uh. they tried to Branch into um you know. like the cell phone market and stuff. like that when that became a thing um I. think 93 was when they teamed up with uh. Nokia uh to make a a Swatch looking cell. phone um so you know that didn't sell so.

great uh they had some other ideas that. kind of came and went again not selling. so great were none of these were like. bonafit hits right uh the twin phone. from 1989 was it was like Memphis design. um and like the had a handset and then. the base also doubled as a second. handset so you your friend could talk on. the phone other people at the same time. yeah and it looked cool too but then. there was stuff like the Swatch beat. which was from 1998 where they.

essentially tried to recreate how we um. Track Time by dividing the day up into. 1,000 beats um so 000000 beats was. midnight 999 beats was 11:59 p.m. and. each beat was 86.4 seconds and everybody. said Swatch yeah we've been using 60. seconds for a really long time and we're. all pretty comfortable with it we're. just going to stick with that uh uh yeah. exactly uh make your swatches and make.

them like we love them uh although in. the 90s is when they started um they. started making mechanical watches again. under the Swatch Banner uh and started. making sort of higher end stuff uh. watches with metal. cases um partnering with um some of. their other you know luxury Brands uh to. make you know sort of hybrid luxury. swatches and like you said early on you. can still you know get like a $300. Swatch these days it's mechanical and.

metal um yeah which is you know it's. cool to diversify a little bit I guess. and those seem to be selling okay yeah. and I mean they definitely did diversify. they had a digital touch screen watch. years before the the Apple watch like. they they really have done some. Innovative stuff it's just a lot of it. hasn't caught on but one that one thing. that they kind of branched off into that. I wasn't aware it was Swatch but it was. the Smart car it was a collaboration. with Mercedes and smart stands for.

Swatch Mercedes Art Car who knew did you. know that of course not nobody knows. that yeah but I thought that was pretty. cool it was originally going to be. called the Swatch. mobile it would have never sold but I. think it would have been a pretty cool. secondary Market collector's item for. sure second car the scar that's right. hey you know what uh Scott aurman friend. of the show he actually I was on Comedy. Bang Bang as a guest and he told me. can't remember how it came up but he. told me that factoid about the Swatch.

car oh really that it stood for Swatch. Mercedes art car had no idea yeah and I. didn't know this was before we had. covered swatches so I didn't know at the. time and he wasn't sure and I told them. that if that uh well we found out it was. true and I told them that I would shout. him out on the show but yeah if you want. to check out that episode of Comedy Bang. Bang uh I was on it with Scott and the. Gang and it was a lot of fun very cool. uh so like we said Swatch came along and. they it saved the watch industry in.

Switzerland so much so that all of those. amazing luxury Brands like toso and omga. and long jeans they're all owned by the. Swatch group that's how that's how. important Swatch was to the Swiss market. that it was like yeah it's Swatch we're. all Swatch um and that's how you can. find those Brands still today um and to. kind of give you an idea of how much of. a hit watch was in 1983 they sold 1.1.

million swatches around the world 3. years later they were selling 12 million. a year that's pretty impressive as far. as the whole thing goes yeah if you want. a dollar figure for the companies uh. when they merged they were losing $124. million a year 10 years later after this. watch comes along they were posting. profits of $286 million a year not and. as of last year in. 2023 uh the Swatch group is reporting.

profits of more than a billion. dollars uh which is amazing what a. success story uh I think they're selling. like close to Six Million actual. swatches a year Still Still yeah and I. mean part of that is because they. release so many there's so many swatches. and people just love them and they're. cheap enough but I mean it's still. impressive however you slice it it's. incredible there's one other fact that I. love that I wanted to throw in um so. because those parts were sealed into the.

case when the case was built or injected. you couldn't repair a Swatch I think you. still can't an original plastic Swatch. you couldn't repair and when Swatch. first came out everybody was up in arms. about that so Swatch conducted a study. to figure out how long a Swatch would. last and they came up with 30 years so. if you're exactly if your $40 watch is. going to last you 30 years you can shut. your mouth about whether you can repair. it or not it I think that was in their. official press statement that's right.

you shut your mouth uh you got anything. else I got nothing else this is a fun. little trip down memory lane I can't. wait for my swatch to get here I will. post that on uh Chuck the podcaster uh. and I I'll throw it up on the stuff you. should know Instagram as well very nice. and since Chuck mentioned that he is at. Chuck the podcaster on Instagram that. means it's time for listener. mail would you post the his and hers. sure yeah I will I now that I've talked. about it I feel bad I'm going to start.

trying to wear it again just see see. what happens yeah uh you know what in. Lou of listener mail this week we're. going to do something we haven't done in. a long long time uh we are here in your. 17 still trying to grow this show. everybody so this is a special call to. go and uh rate and review us on iTunes. uh or anywhere that you can rate and. review stuff you should know that stuff. really helps us and kind of like the old. days like tell tell your friends and. family and co-workers like how much you. enjoy the show if you do and uh that.

that helps us out we're still looking to. grow the show after all these years and. the way we did it from day one was very. much organically through word of mouth. so we're we're asking you again for a. nudge yeah thanks in advance for any. nudge you can give us. everybody uh in the meantime before you. give us a nudge or while you're giving. us a nudge at any point if you want to. get in touch with us and say hi or. whatever you or send us photos of your. swatches that's great you can send it. off to stuff podcast at iheartradio.com.

[Music]. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart radio for more podcasts iHeart. Radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple. podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows. [Music].