Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Geneva, Nov 11, 2012
LOT 565
SWATCH ? ?ZAUGG PROTOTYPE - BIG S? Swatch, Quartz, Swiss, ?Zaugg Prototype?. Made circa 1982. Very rare, black plastic, quartz prototype wristwatch designed by Zaugg, one of the very first versions of the ?Swatch? wristwatch with prototype ?big S? logo and a black plastic strap and buckle.
CHF 10,000 - 15,000
USD 11,000 - 16,000 / EUR 8,500 - 12,000
C. Three-body, circular molded black plastic, hooded lugs, metal battery cover, plastic crystal. D. White with baton hour indexes and minute/seconds divisions, Swatch logo with big ?S?. Black baton hands. M. With quartz standardization. Dial signed. Diam. 33 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: A |
Good |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3** |
Good Repair required, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
The present watch is a rare survival of
one of the ?Zaugg? early prototypes of
the Swatch Watch which later was to
become a commercial phenomenon.
The very fi rst prototypes were made
in 1981and 1982 and were created by
a designer named Zaugg conforming
to the original idea for the product :
an integral backplate, assembly from
above, the number of parts reduced
to a inimum by means of simple,
multi-function components. It also
incorporated elements of the second
phase : modular construction.
This example is likely to date from the 1982 series because it also has an experimental logo known as the ?big S?, none of the ?big S? logos were ever used in fi nal production and are only known from prototypes such as this. Naturally there were many teething problems with the early Swatch watches including the form of the lugs which in the early models was prone to snap and distort. This was remedied by the addition of bridges in the lugs which function as a hinge. The Swatch prototypes are discussed in : ?Swatchissimo?, Roland Carrera, 1991, p.50-52.
This example is likely to date from the 1982 series because it also has an experimental logo known as the ?big S?, none of the ?big S? logos were ever used in fi nal production and are only known from prototypes such as this. Naturally there were many teething problems with the early Swatch watches including the form of the lugs which in the early models was prone to snap and distort. This was remedied by the addition of bridges in the lugs which function as a hinge. The Swatch prototypes are discussed in : ?Swatchissimo?, Roland Carrera, 1991, p.50-52.