Tap the image to enlarge
Swatch Sandy Mountains 1990 Collectable Black Strap Watch- GG105 - Z4328
Ref. GG105
Sits in Swatch’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Swatch watches we list, which start at £60.
Price range £60 to £170 across 20 Swatch watches in stock.Released in 1989 as part of Swatch's Dream Waves collection, the Sandy Mountains arrived at the peak of the brand's pop-art period, when Swiss watchmaking and graphic design were genuinely competing for the same wrist. The dial is the whole point: a landscape of stylised mountains and geometric waves rendered in neon yellow and hot pink against black, the kind of colour vocabulary that felt radical then and reads as a precise document of its moment now. At 33mm and 9mm deep, the Gent case was always compact, and a deadstock example wearing its original neon-green strap and buckle is the complete object as it left the factory — the proprietary three-prong lug system means the strap has stayed exactly where Swatch intended it. The acrylic crystal and resin case are light enough that the watch barely registers on the wrist, which is part of why the format worked: it was never about presence, always about the graphic. Stored unworn for decades, this one carries the risk that any serious collector already knows — the original rubber can become brittle with age, and the strap here is as much an artefact as the dial. It comes in its original box with paperwork, which for a piece in this condition is the difference between a collectable and simply an old watch.
- Reference
- GG105
- Brand
- Swatch
- Collection
- Gent
- Case size
- 33mm
- Case thickness
- 9mm
- Lug width
- 17mm
- Case material
- Resin
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Quartz
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Green
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Vintage
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 39mm
- Strap
- Interchangeable
Learn more about Swatch
Swatch was the Swiss industry's answer to its own near-death. By the early 1980s Japanese quartz had reduced Swiss watch exports catastrophically and employment had collapsed. Nicolas Hayek, brought in as a consultant to advise on liquidating the ASUAG and SSIH conglomerates, recommended the opposite: merge them and attack the low end.
The engineering that made it possible was radical. Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller designed a watch with fifty-one components instead of the usual ninety-odd, with the movement assembled directly into the injection-moulded case so the watch could not be opened or repaired. It could be made in Switzerland, by robots, for less than the Asian competition.
The first Swatches went on sale in 1983. They were cheap, plastic, colourful, and — critically — sold as fashion rather than as timekeeping. Buyers owned several. Artists including Keith Haring, Kiki Picasso, and later Vivienne Westwood designed editions, and some early models now trade for thousands.
Swatch sold over a hundred million watches within its first decade and financed the rescue of the entire Swiss industry. The Swatch Group that resulted owns Breguet, Blancpain, Omega, Longines, Tissot, Hamilton, and Glashütte Original, and remains the largest watch company in the world.
The MoonSwatch collaboration with Omega in 2022 caused queues around the world.
- 1983
- The first Swatch launches with a 51-component movement.
- 1985
- Keith Haring designs the first artist editions.
- 1992
- Cumulative sales pass 100 million watches.
- 2022
- The MoonSwatch collaboration with Omega sells out globally.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in the Swatch Gent range (9), Back in Stock (3,734), Watches Under 37mm (1,369) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (333).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 33mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Swatch's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
- Acrylic crystal marks easily, though it polishes out
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Yes, but it polishes out. Acrylic marks easily and a scratch can be buffed away at home, which is why vintage-style watches still use it.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
17mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 39mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristCheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
More Swatch watches like the Sandy Mountains 1990 Collectable
In stock, and close on style and price
