Iconic Swiss watchmakers Swatch and Japanese streetwear brand A BATHING APE® (a.k.a. BAPE®) have finally unveiled their long-awaited collaboration. Since announcing their team up on Instagram late May, streetwear aficionados all over the world have been anticipating the powerhouses’ collaboration and it’s finally fully here.
The two brands have teamed up to create a limited and numbered collection comprised of six exclusive watches to celebrate the intersection of street culture and Swiss watchmaking. As part of Swatch’s ongoing BIG BOLD line, Swatch and BAPE®’s collaboration decided to pay homage to our globalized world and the brands’ own legacies with the limited offer.
Displaying an instant classic 47mm watchcase and with quantities limited to either 983 or 1993 — paying tribute to both brands’ birth years—, all six models honour the Swiss watchmaker’s and BAPE®’s favourite cities around the world: Bern, London, New York City, Paris, Tokyo and, last but not least, the whole world itself.
Continuing Swatch’s commitment to culture and art, this will mark the brand’s first venture with streetwear. Since its genesis in 1993 in Japan, Tomoaki Nagao-led BAPE® has become a pioneer in street culture not only in Japan but worldwide; and this collaboration is the perfect embodiment of that.
Reflecting BAPE®’s revolutionary and disruptive nature, the legendary brands’ joint offering is undoubtedly a must-have for those who dare to be bold.
Focusing on street culture and its merging with innovative Swiss watchmaking, this collaboration brings forth six statement pieces with a new spin on BAPE®’s iconic camo pattern. The models also feature the classic Ape Head logo as well as an enhanced Swatch logo with a nod to the brand’s debut in the 1980s.
Swatch x BAPE®’s collaborative collection, which launched this past weekend in Japan, will be released globally on June 15. Discover more about it on Swatch’s website.
words. Sara Delgado
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