smart car Swatch watches

[Da Woz]

Looking for a gift or a "toy" for yourself?

I prepared the following information for a forum member who asked if there were any watches made specifically for the smart car. I'm passing it on for all of you.

While waiting for our smart car, I spent some time on smartcarofamerica to gather information on what we could expect when our car came in. And, I was extremely disappointed that I wasn't the winner of the "Official" Swatch smart car watch given away.

Being denied the "free" one, I started looking for info on the watch and its availability. I got help from a few watch sellers and from the great folks at the Squiggly forum -- a group of devoted Swatch folks. The forum is run and sponsored by Squiggly -- a seller of new and old Swatches in The Netherlands. This is what I discovered.

Swatch made 2 models of watches in honor of the smart car. The first was actually sold in 1997/8 in recognition of the plant opening, before the first car was built. It is model #GZ154 and was the one given away on this forum. I recently bought one. The same vendor (who was great to deal with, btw) has raised the price of his last remaining watch to $250 -- a huge increase since I bought mine -- supply and demand, eh. It comes in a "collectors'" box and will only appreciate as the car becomes more known in the US. It's very cool with the little smart car logo on the band. It is battery driven.

Here's the vendor's URL for the watch:
PopFlash.Photo

There was a second Swatch model produced for the smart -- at the start-up of production. The model name is Generator and the numbers are:
STZ100C -- Black & white band
STZ100D -- Red & black band
STZ100E -- Yellow & black band
STZ100F -- White & silver (gray) band.

There are apparently other "Generator" models but they are not smart car related. Check for the multi-colored bands. The Generator requires no battery and winds by virtue of your movement. Very nice design.

There are several of the red & black version available here in the US. I just Googled "Swatch Generator" and "Swatch STZ100" to find them and ordered one from a dealer in NY.

I saved big bucks over the others I've seen at collectable Swatch sites. The dealer is jjj in NY. I believe he has more of the red & black (only). Here's his eBay store site:
eBay

Both the yellow & black and red & black are also available at Swatch and Beyond (Long Island, I believe) at about $20 more. Here's the URL:
http://www.swatchandbeyond.com/index...tegory=Find%21

In addition, if you look around, there are (very) occasionally Generators on eBay or other sites. I have not seen the white & silver nor the black & white anywhere in the US.

The best place in the entire world to get old Swatches is squiggley.com in The Netherlands. They are not always the cheapest (when you include shipping) but they do have almost everything, and unless there is a note, they are all "new" -- even if they are 10 years old. I have ordered from them and used the cheaper but slower mail option. Everything was perfect and as advertised.

They had all 4 Generator watches in stock, but I believe the black & white might now be sold out. If you'll look, there are also "PACK" versions of the STZ watches. This means they come with a plastic case and the box. The case means more to collectors than wearers. I didn't think the $15 to $18 difference was worth it for a plastic case. BTW, I got a really pleasant surprise when my purchases came in -- the red & black from jjj and the ones from Squiggly all came with the cases I did not pay for!

PLEASE NOTE! There are also just the watch bands for sale -- so don't get confused.
This URL is for US prices (in dollars). We do not pay VAT.

http://www.squiggly.com/us/en/search...hvar=generator

FINALLY! Good news on the original (GZ154). Squiggly's has that watch with and without the collector box. With the box it's $223.58 and without it's just $72.34 -- both plus shipping.

All "new" Swatch watches come in their original plastic box with papers.

Here's the URL:
Squiggly Swatch Watches and Straps - Online Watch Store || Swatch Originals / Skin / Irony / Flik Flak

They take all major credit cars and you can save with the slower shipping.

Or you can Google by: Swatch (fill in model number from above) to see if any others have come up.

None are really cheap but they will only get rarer now that the smart has hit American shores.

Until Rolex or TAG-Heuer produces a smart car watch, these are the only "official" smart watches.

Hope this helps!

Joe

[yuckmoon]

Thanks for all the info. I might actually have to buy one.

[ShoshTrvls]

Thanks much ... I just ordered the white from the squiggly site.

[letsgoskatepool]

If anyone is interested in one cheaper and stateside for sale, check it out here SMART! Swatch SPECIAL 1st A.I. SMART CARS! Get GREEN! - eBay (item 150271729582 end time Jul-23-08 03:54:43 PDT)

[Da Woz]

If anyone is interested in one cheaper and stateside for sale, check it out here SMART! Swatch SPECIAL 1st A.I. SMART CARS! Get GREEN! - eBay (item 150271729582 end time Jul-23-08 03:54:43 PDT)

In some respects, it's not cheaper. It does not include the original papers and is $90 plus $8.50 shipping -- $18 more than the one on Squiggly -- and shipping should be equal or less than the $8.50 -- very high for sending a small watch domestically. The rarer boxed version is in line with the Squiggly price but it's not clear if it includes all the papers. I suppose an email or call can straighten that out.

Joe

[Da Woz]

Thanks much ... I just ordered the white from the squiggly site.

Congratulations! I'll have a Philly cheese steak from Steve's some day in your name!

A hint! When the watch comes in, do not set the time right away. Start wearing the watch when you have the time (no pun intended) to keep it on for a few hours. After an hour or so, tap it a few times to get it started if it hasn't started on its own. After it starts, you can set the time. There might be a small plastic piece on the winder to keep it from closing -- just remove it. You'll notice that the second hand skips 4 seconds at a time -- that means it is still charging but keeping the correct time. After a few hours, it will revert to one-second-at-a time operation. The longer you wear it the better the charge. You'll find that the band is a little stiff. It will mold to your wrist shape after a few wearings.

Wear it in good health and make sure you introduce it to your smart!

Joe

[ShaneXman]

Nice grab! How much were you able to pick your boxed version up for? Does it come with the papers?

[letsgoskatepool]

I already have the smart watch (the original one) but I just got one of these to put it in

I can't wait to put this on my wall!

[ShoshTrvls]

Originally Posted by ShoshTrvls

Thanks much ... I just ordered the white from the squiggly site.

My Swatch generator arrived today ... perfect condition. That being said, there's really nothing about the watch that makes it a "smart car" watch. Still, I do like it. Thanks for all the info.

[rawlus®]

just got one of the ltd edition GZ154's from squiggly. the ones with the smart headlights on the dial face and the silhouette on the watch band.