Awkward but true: Swiss watch company Swatch has enlisted the help of a very talented pig for a new watch design. Dubbed ‘Pigcasso,’ this little pig is not your average farm-dwelling swine, but instead a very talented painter. Living just outside Cape Town, South Africa, Pigcasso is already quite famous in the art realm, having sold paintings that have fetched thousands of dollars (it’s unclear how much of a cut Pigcasso the pig gets of the sales).
“For some reason, she took a knack to the paintbrushes and it wasn’t long before she was dancing the brush across the canvas and selling artworks all over the world,” said Pigcasso’s owner Joanne Lefson to CBS. The collaboration is said to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Pig, and what better way could anyone think of than letting this painting porky loose with a brush and canvas.
Clearly then, Swatch liked what it saw in Pigcasso’s work, and asked for a design for a new special edition watch. We have to assume that Swatch wasn’t disappointed in what it got, as the watch face features broad and dashing strokes of a deep pink and nightshade purple. The watch strap contains brilliant grass greens and sky blues, and quite frankly, the outcome does look striking. Whether Pigcasso actually knows what it’s doing, or this is just random luck, the colors are easy on the eye and the design is carefree, yet bold.
It would be fair to say that Swatch has always been the black sheep (or is that black pig?) of the Swiss watch companies. Daring to go against the ‘luxury’ tag that’s ingrained in our understanding of timepiece brands hailing from the land of cheese and chocolate – you need only to think of Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, IWC, Breitling, etc. – Swatch is generally a breath of fresh air coming from those pretty Alps.
We know how much most Swiss brands fetch online (spoiler alert: it’s a lot), but one has to love Swatch’s refusal to take part in anything resembling serious watchmaking. Of course, that’s not to say that the watches are poorly made – on the contrary – but here’s a company which relishes making colorful, playful watches that are actually affordable (most retail for around $65). Don’t forget, this is a brand that asked a pig to make a design, not hire a well-known musician, sports star, or Hollywood actor to help endorse the products, as is commonplace in other Swiss companies. Even Swatch’s supposedly high-end ‘Glam’ collection feels a bit tongue-in-cheek, with glitter, gold, and gems strewn about randomly as a way to appease those folk who are rather well off.
The Swatch is a watch for the everyman. It’s something to wear when doing normal tasks like shopping, grabbing a coffee, or doing the gardening. The products aren’t all-singing and all-dancing like the so-hot-right-now Apple Watch, but they are trustworthy and simply look like a reliable watch – even if it was designed by a pig.
