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Swatch Rocking 1993 Collectable Orange Leather Strap Watch- GM117 - Z4322
Ref. GM117
Sits in Swatch’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Swatch watches we list, which start at £70.
Price range £70 to £170 across 16 Swatch watches in stock.The GM117 came out of Swatch's 1993 autumn-winter collection carrying something genuinely unusual for a Gent-format watch: a 24-hour movement in which the hour hand makes a single revolution each day rather than two. Morning hours occupy the right half of the dial, afternoon and evening the left — a layout that takes a moment to learn and then becomes second nature. At 34mm in a translucent charcoal resin case, it sits lightly on the wrist in every sense. The grey dial reads differently depending on the light: in shade the anthracite plastic case and dial form a near-monochrome whole, while the orange leather strap cuts against it sharply. That contrast was clearly the visual point of the thing. Three decades on, a surviving example in unissued condition is simply a relic of a period when Swatch was using its platform to run small formal experiments on how a dial can be read.
- Reference
- GM117
- Brand
- Swatch
- Case size
- 34mm
- Case thickness
- 8.75mm
- Lug width
- 17mm
- Case material
- Resin
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Grey
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Quartz
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Orange
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Vintage
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
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.
Manufacturer’s guarantee
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.
Will 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.
Does it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
What 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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as unisex, and at this size it suits any wrist that takes the dimensions.
Cheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are F.Hinds?
F.Hinds has been run by the same family since 1856 and is now in its fifth generation, with more than 115 shops across England and Wales. They are a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and an Authorised Diamond Dealer.
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