Reimagining six masterpieces as bright timepieces

SWATCH JOINS FORCES WITH CENTRE POMPIDOU FOR AN ART-FILLED WATCH COLLECTION

Swatch presents us one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art. The collection named “Swatch X Centre Pompidou“. Six iconic masterpieces from the Parisian landmark are reimagined as statement watches. It includes works by Frida Kahlo, Amedeo Modigliani, Robert Delauray, Vassily Kardinsky and Piet Mondrian.

Since 1985, the brand has issued a long line of exclusive Swatch Art Special watches. And in 2018, the brand took it to the next level with its Museum Journey series. Where museums grant Swatch access to their masterpieces to make the most iconic artworks in the world attainable for everybody. So far, the greatest museums of the world opened their doors to Swatch. Like Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the Musee du Louvre,The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and now the Centre Pompidou.

The synergies between Swatch and Centre Pompidou are clear. Both are on a mission to make art accessible for all. They are revolutionary. Swatch for bringing art to wrists and the Centre Pompidou for bringing art to the masses. Vibrant colors and transparent details are the signature of the Swiss watch brand.

The Swatch X Centre Pompidou Collection collaboration started in 1985. That time the unveiling of the first Swatch Art Special watch with Kiki Picasso at the museum. In 1999, one of the building’s architects, Renzo Piano, translated the architectural signature into the JELLY PIANO watch. That same year, during the renovation of the Centre Pompidou, Swatch created the world’s biggest outdoor billboard. The iconic statement was “Vous aussi, vous etes notre musee”. Translated as ‘You too, you are our museum” and made the Guinness World Records.

Swatch X Pompidou timepieces

Swatch reimagines six masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, complete with its signature hallmarks and unexpected details. The result? A collection of wearable artworks that bring splash of colors and culture to every day.

PORTRAIT OF DEDIE, BY AMEDEO MODIGLIANI, THE WATCH, celebrates the Italian artist whose iconic portraits captured the face of early twentieth-century Paris. Swatch includes the artist’s signature on the Gent strap, a metallic finish on the dial, and an unexpected pop of solid pink on the case, buckle, loop and hands.

CAROUSEL, BY ROBERT DELAUNAY, THE WATCH takes inspiration from the artist’s third version of the painting after he destroyed the first two versions. Delaunay sought to depict movement through color; something Swatch was adamant about capturing. The special cut-out dial with different colors printed on the calendar wheel ensures a dynamic element to the design of this Gent watch.

EIFFEL TOWER, BY ROBERT DELAUNAY, THE WATCH reimagines the artist’s famous corner angle depiction of the Paris landmark in all its glory. The proportions of the Gent watch remain true Delaunay’s original, while the dial, strap and hands feature vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and blues.

THE FRAME, BY FRIDA KAHLO, ThE WATCH, sees Swatch reimagine one of the artist’s most famous self-portraits as a mirror imagine perfectly split between the six and twelve hours of the dial. The Frame’s bright festive colors feature on the NEW Gent watch front, perfectly offset by the pink base and underside of the strap.

RED, BLUE, AND WHITE BY PIET MONDRIAN, THE WATCH pays tribute to the founding father of geometric abstraction, whose influence is most notable in the realms of fashion, architecture and design. Swatch has ensured that the exact tonalities of the original artwork are depicted on the New Gent, complete with a matt black dial and oversized hands.

BLUE SKY, BY VASSILY KANDINSKY, THE WATCH, continues the artist’s fascination with the color blue. Swatch reproduces Kardinsky’s deep and textural painting technique to the New Gent design and features many intriguing characters that inhabit the original painting.

ABOUT CENTRE POMPIDOU

Since 1977, the Centre Pompidou has presented a rich programme at the crossroads between different art forms and audiences. Its iconic building is home to Europe’s richest and one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art, in addition to exhibitions, symposiums, festivals, shows, projections, and workshops for young people, making it an unrivalled institution deeply rooted in the city of Paris and open to the world and to innovation.