For decades, Swatch has been a watch brand with wide appeal, particularly with a younger market wanting to express their individuality and uniqueness. And now at Swatch’s brand new Pop-Up shop at Galaxy Macau, you can customize your watches with more flexibility and originality than ever before, as well as choosing from a range of beautiful designs by six talented local artists.
The local artists joining this first-ever collaboration include graffiti artist PIBG 2038, multimedia artist Vitorino Vong, illustrator Tramy Lui, graphic designer Kay Tun, multi-disciplinary artist MCZ_Thomas, and visual artist Kun Lam. All were approached by Swatch earlier last year to create a range of original artworks related to the theme of ‘Time’, to be featured on bespoke watch bands as part of the Swatch X You initiative.
The process is highly interactive, and not simply a matter of just choosing your favourite watch. Using a touch screen terminal, customers first pick the artwork they like the most. Then they can move the image in any direction or orientation, and zoom in and out, to highlight particular details that they want feature on the watch band, creating an entirely one-of-a-kind timepiece. There is even a choice of indexes and mechanism designs, and you can add a personal 15-character message on the back of the dial.
Once the creative process is complete, you have a chance to view your final design, before it is printed and assembled in just 20 minutes, ready for you to put on your wrist and wear immediately – not only a very personal edition, but also a watch with a distinctly Macau flavour.
The first eight innovative canvases were released at the Swatch Galaxy Macau Pop-Up store in January, and more designs will become available at The Venetian Swatch flagship store on March 10.
“When you have my watch on your wrist, you can have my very own art creation moment for you,” says PIBG 2038 who has been creating graffiti art in Macau since the late 1990’s. For his canvass entitled ‘HOURGLAS5’, he created a little girl holding a timer, with a ferry floating inside, representing everyone having their own control over time.
Vitorino Vong’s canvass ‘Rambling in Macau’ takes its inspiration from nature, featuring flowers and birds and framed by the typical blue and white design of Macau’s street signs. Meanwhile, the colourful striped ribbons represent casino tokens. “I hope that everyone can notice the beauty of the little things around us,” he comments.
“My illustration is a window to my little world where my imagination can be released, integrating all people and things around me,” explains Tramy Lui. Her design, ‘Starry Journey’ takes you to a fantastic dream world of planets and stars. She hopes it will remind us that we are only very small in this vast and brilliant universe, but as long as we keep on seizing every moment, our dreams will come true one day.
Graphic Designer Kay Tung uses simple, bold colours and designs in his canvass ‘Only You in My Eyes’, featuring illustrations of 42 unique couples and 84 unique characters with a diversity of races and ages. The image shows sweet moments between lovers, and represents the notion that feelings of love are ubiquitous to all people.
“Time seems to be constantly reminding us that it’s flying by, but for me it’s more like holding onto my own dreams and not being obliterated by them, and this is how I often remind myself,” notes graffiti artist MCZ_Thomas. His artwork ‘Starry Generator’ features different versions of his yellow smiley character “HAPPY ZAI” delivering happiness from the ocean of art to everyone, and glowing like a generator to brighten up Macau and illuminate the world.
In his very colourful design, ‘The Creators of Time’ Kun Lam has constructed an imaginary space full of humour and joy and also a world of unlimited possibilities, with different spaces and people colliding together.
“The collision between time and the world that I have imagined and created for Swatch can allow the viewers to experience what is real and not real in life,” he explains.
Swatch Galaxy Macau Pop-up Store (Jan 7 to Mar 6, 2021)
East Promenade Casino Entrance,
“The Promenade Shops”
Swatch Venetian Store (Mar 10 to Apr 6, 2021)
Shop 802, Level 3, The Grand Canal Shoppes
