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Swatch Moonquake 1990 Collectable Black Strap Watch- GX404 - Z4307
Ref. GX404
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 32 Swatch watches in stock.The GX404 belongs to the Standards line that Swatch used in the late 1980s and early 1990s to demonstrate how much character a resin-cased quartz watch could carry. The copper-bronze dial with its exposed calendar wheel — the date disc sitting openly at three o'clock rather than glimpsed through a cut window — gives it an unusual transparency that was deliberate, almost playful, and is now precisely what makes it interesting to look at. Nearly four decades in storage means this one has never been worn, which for an acrylic-cased piece from this era is genuinely uncommon. The strap, as old silicone tends to, has aged in ways the images will show clearly; it is honest wear on an honest material, and a replacement changes nothing about the watch itself.
- Reference
- GX404
- Brand
- Swatch
- Collection
- Standards 1989
- Case size
- 34mm
- Case thickness
- 8.75mm
- Case material
- Resin
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Brown
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Quartz
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Silicone strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- 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.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,908), Watches Under 37mm (1,746), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (321) and Brown Dial Watches (100).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 34mm 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 comparedCheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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