VIDEO: Relive the 80s with the Swatch BIOCERAMIC 1984 Reloaded Collection

Zach Blass

The year 1984 was full of cultural impact. Fortunately for all of us, it was by no means what George Orwell predicted in his classic dystopian novel – in fact it was actually full of bright standout moments. Musically it was the year of Prince’s Purple Rain and Madonna’s Like a Virgin and in the world of video game entertainment it was the very year Tetris was introduced to the world. But it was not just a big year for mainstream culture, it was also a big year for the Swatch brand. Swatch entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1984 with their construction of a giant vibrant orange watch, weighing 13 tons and measuring 162 metres long, displayed along the side of the Commerzbank Bank HQ in Frankfurt – a statement sculpture that ushered in the era of their technicolor timepiece revolution. In honour of this moment in Swatch history, the brand has revisited five of their iconic designs – the Chrono-Tech, Grey Memphis, Black Divers, in 41mm cases along with the Yellow Racer, and White Memphis in 34mm cases – each of which make up the new Swatch BIOCERAMIC 1984 Reloaded Collection.

Chrono-Tech

The Chrono-Tech, inspired by the Greek word for time “chronos”, is a bit misleading in the sense that it is not a chronograph watch. But of all the five watches in the 1984 Reloaded collection it does have the most numerals on the dial. The black central medallion hosts a military display, translating each of the outer hour arabics in the white section of the dial into its corresponding afternoon and evening hour numeral on a 24 hour scale. The central three hands are rendered in primary colours, the hours hand in red, minutes hand in blue, and central seconds hand in yellow – their contrasting colour tones easy to discern against the white and black dial. For those who love a calendar complication, you’ll be glad to know a black on white date disc is hosted at the 3’ position. Its 41mm black BIOCERAMIC case is paired with a red integrated rubber strap for added flair to its aesthetic.

Black Divers

While by no means a dive watch, the Black Divers watch uses a familiar dive watch dial layout. The outermost white ring of the dial has black printed hashes at each hour, and each of the marks coincide with triangular, baton, or circular indices hosted within the black ring that follows it. The large inner white central medallion has a lot of empty real estate for a clean look, but there is, in fact, a day-date complication nestled in at the 3’ position. The 41mm BIOCERAMIC case and rubber strap are both executed in black to tie into the stealth Black Divers theme.

Yellow Racer

According to Swatch, the Yellow Racer dial is inspired by a speedometer. Personally, I find the checkered nature does fit the racing theme, but my first thought when I saw it was that it has more of a dartboard aesthetic. The outer ring is a patterned series of red and white squares, with the following ring beholden to a green, grey and red pattern. The innermost central medallion portion of the dial is black, with hour Arabics at 12’, 3’, 6, and 9’ and the remaining hours are represented by hashes. At 3’ you have a dial blending date disc rendered in white on black. Befitting of the name, the 34mm BIOCERAMIC case is yellow along with its integrated rubber strap in a case-matching tone.

Grey Memphis & White Memphis

The final grey and white duo both take inspiration from the Memphis design movement of the 80s and thus are known as the Grey and White Memphis. The Grey Memphis is 41mm in diameter, with a grey bioceramic case and rubber strap that allows the dial design to really pop and take centre stage. It’s green and pink hands add colour to an otherwise near monochromatic design, the backdrop consisting of black and white triangle-based shapes that form a seemingly random, yet definitely intentional, work of art. The 34mm White Memphis, with a white bioceramic case and rubber strap, follows suite – allowing the dial to be the star of the show. Here white central hands are used against and off-white dial, which has a backdrop that, unlike the Grey Memphis, gives red, yellow, and black color tones to its industrial themed artwork of shapes. While they can be purchased individually like the rest of the collection, the Grey and White Memphis can be purchased as a set as well. Perhaps a cheeky couple’s gift for watch-collecting partners in time for the holidays.

Each of the references, both the 34mm and 41mm configurations, are all 30 metres water-resistant and are powered by Swiss quartz movements for reliable timekeeping.

Swatch BIOCERAMIC 1984 Reloaded Collection pricing and availability:

The 34mm version is priced at $120AUD and the 41mm version starts from $135AUD.

For more information on these pieces head to Swatch.

Made in partnership with Swatch. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.