Iconic watch art prints. Made in Switzerland, lifetime guarantee

The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

I've owned this Swatch Irony "Body and Soul" (YAS100G) since the early 2000s, and I still wear it regularly today.

It has a compact and well-balanced design, comfortable enough for everyday wear without being bulky on the wrist.

What's impressive about this watch is the durability of the skeletonized steel case: after more than twenty years of regular wear, it hasn't lost any of its strength.

Always a unique feature on the wrist, the openworked dial reveals the mechanism in action, and it's a real pleasure to watch every day.

It was love at first sight in a Swatch store, and I've never tired of it.

What amuses me today is the "Wow!" reaction from those who don't know it, or the curiosity of friends who own truly exceptional pieces and grab my wrist to get a closer look...

A faithful companion since the early 2000s

A purchase I couldn't resist and don't regret.

The colors are magnificent: the bronze is already developing a beautiful patina, and it blends perfectly with the dial and my skin tone. The initial blinginess, with its new rose gold look, is already much toned down.

The case lives up to all its promises with a vibrant, unique, and uncommon finish that no steel watch can offer me.

As for the size, the 42mm is perfectly calibrated for a 17.5cm wrist: neither too imposing nor too discreet. It sits comfortably without being too bulky, with balanced proportions between the case and the lugs.

And then there's the limited edition aspect (only 600 pieces) which gives the watch a real sense of exclusivity; I know I won't see anyone else wearing the same one.

From a technical standpoint, this is a true dive watch, and not just in appearance: screw-down crown, scratch-resistant unidirectional bezel, screw-down case back, and double-domed sapphire crystal. Everything is there to reassure you about its water resistance and everyday robustness. It's worth noting, however, as mentioned in a previous review, that the movement isn't COSC-certified—it's still a well-made Sellita SW200-1, but without the official chronograph function.

I wore it all summer, including at the beach and pool, without the slightest problem: it handles salt water and chlorine very well, exactly what you'd expect from a true dive watch.

A very welcome feature: the watch comes with two straps and a beautiful case, which isn't so common at this price point. You can tell the brand has paid attention to the presentation and the overall buying experience.

Two minor drawbacks, though: the original strap, while good quality, is a bit too thick and stiff for my liking—I've since switched to a blue NATO strap with a khaki stripe, which is much more comfortable for everyday wear. And the luminescence, while not bad, is a little weak compared to other dive watches on the market.

Despite these minor flaws, it's a beautiful, distinctive piece for anyone looking for a vintage dive watch with a real identity. A superb watch from a brand that deserves more recognition.

A true aesthetic delight

Launched in Switzerland in 1983, Swatch transformed the watch into an accessible, colorful, changeable object, conceived as a &ldquo;second watch&rdquo; worn by desire, mood, or design taste, rather than as a single solemn lifetime purchase.
<h3>1983: the &ldquo;second watch&rdquo; that revived the Swiss imagination</h3>
Swatch was born in a period of watchmaking crisis, when the Swiss industry had to respond to quartz competition and the rise of affordable watches from Asia. The answer was not only technical: it was cultural. Swatch offered an accessible Swiss watch, industrially produced, with an emotional, young, immediate design that turned the watch into a style signal.
The idea of a &ldquo;second watch&rdquo; is central: the watch does not necessarily replace the classic piece; it accompanies it. You can own several, change according to clothes, seasons, travels, or memories. This logic deeply changed the public&rsquo;s relationship with watches: instead of being a rare object kept for life without variation, the watch became a living accessory, almost an extension of personality.
This revolution also relies on great industrial simplicity, with a construction designed to reduce component count, ease assembly, and keep prices contained. This choice is not incidental: it explains how Swatch could combine Swiss Made, global distribution, renewed design, and accessibility while becoming one of the symbols of the Swiss watchmaking revival of the 1980s.
<h3>Plastic, color, and pop culture: the watch as mood</h3>
Plastic becomes a material of expression at Swatch, not merely an economic choice. It enables color, lightness, graphic freedom, transparency, patterns, themed editions, and more spontaneous forms. While many brands associate seriousness with steel or gold, Swatch embraces another idea: value can come from creativity, freshness, and immediate pleasure.
The dial and strap work like a canvas, which explains the richness of the collections and the historical place of artists, illustrators, designers, and cultural collaborations in the brand universe. A Swatch can be monochrome, humorous, graphic, sporty, minimalist, or deliberately extravagant. That diversity is part of its DNA: the brand does not seek one dominant aesthetic, but a permanent energy of renewal.
This freedom makes Swatch very different from a classic watch brand. You do not choose a reference only for its specifications, but for the visual emotion it triggers. The watch can recall an era, a trip, an exhibition, a specific collection, or a fashion moment. This also explains the strength of the community: some Swatches become personal memories, others sought-after collectibles.
<h3>Originals, Skin, Irony: three entry points into the Swatch universe</h3>
The major Swatch families read like a wardrobe, with very different intentions depending on the level of presence you want. Originals embodies the most iconic spirit, Skin focuses on thinness and lightness, while Irony brings a more metallic, urban feel. This structure keeps the brand highly accessible: the buyer chooses an attitude first, then a color, size, or finish.
<ul>
<li>Swatch Originals &mdash; The brand&rsquo;s historical spirit: color, graphics, lightness, and collecting energy.</li>
<li>Swatch Skin &mdash; An ultra-thin line designed for comfort and an almost imperceptible wrist presence.</li>
<li>Swatch Irony &mdash; A more urban proposition, often more metallic, with a stronger &ldquo;watch&rdquo; feel on the wrist.</li>
<li>Swatch Sistem51 &mdash; An accessible automatic watch designed to democratize mechanical pleasure.</li>
<li>Swatch Big Bold &mdash; A more expressive line, with larger cases and an openly graphic presence.</li>
</ul>
This family logic prevents Swatch from being reduced to a single image. The brand can be playful, minimalist, automatic, sporty, or more fashion-driven depending on the collection. To choose well, start from real use: a very thin watch to forget it on the wrist, an Originals for graphic pleasure, an Irony for a more urban result, or a Big Bold to embrace stronger presence.
<h3>Sistem51: making automatic watchmaking accessible without losing the Swatch spirit</h3>
Swatch Sistem51 marked an important step, because the brand translated its democratizing ambition into the world of automatic mechanical watches. The idea is simple: offer contemporary mechanics, industrially produced, with accessible positioning and an aesthetic that remains faithful to the Swatch spirit.
The pleasure here is not decorative high horology, but that of an automatic watch that is easy to understand, playful, and coherent with the brand&rsquo;s historic promise. Sistem51 speaks to people who want to discover mechanics without entering an intimidating universe, or accepting the prices and very serious codes of traditional houses.
This proposition also has symbolic value: it reminds us that Swatch is not only a brand of colorful quartz watches, but a brand capable of changing public perception. By making automatic watchmaking more affordable and more fun, Swatch extends its original mission: opening watchmaking to a broader audience.
<h3>BioCeramic, MoonSwatch, and Scuba Fifty Fathoms: the halo effect of collaborations</h3>
BioCeramic has become a key material in the recent period, notably because it gives a denser, more contemporary feel than traditional plastic while keeping the lightness and freedom of color that belong to Swatch. The material therefore participates in the story: it modernizes touch, enriches object perception, and supports the most visible collaborations.
The MoonSwatch changed the scale of the phenomenon, taking the codes of OMEGA&rsquo;s Speedmaster Moonwatch into an accessible, colorful Swatch version built around BioCeramic. Its success comes from a powerful mix: an instantly recognizable watch icon, a popular brand able to make it playful, and a distribution model that turned buying into an event.
The collaboration with Blancpain extends this strategy, with the Scuba Fifty Fathoms revisiting another major watchmaking myth in a more relaxed, more colorful, more accessible register. These projects are not simple derivative products: they reinforce the idea that Swatch can be a bridge between the wider public and historical references within the group, creating desire without requiring the same budgets.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/swatch/moonswatch">Swatch MoonSwatch</a> &mdash; Collaboration with <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/omega">Omega</a> around the codes of the Speedmaster Moonwatch.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/swatch/bioceramic_scuba_fifty_fathoms">Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms</a> &mdash; Collaboration with <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/blancpain">Blancpain</a> inspired by the Fifty Fathoms universe and diving.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/swatch/royal_pop_x_audemars_piguet">Swatch Royal Pop</a> &mdash; Announced collaboration with <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/audemars_piguet">Audemars Piguet</a> around a highly pop, wearable reading of iconic codes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Collecting Swatch: pleasure, rarity, and reasonable buying</h3>
Swatch holds a special place in watch collecting, because it combines accessibility, creative abundance, and occasional rarity. Some editions become highly sought after, not because they are luxurious in the traditional sense, but because they capture an era, a collaboration, a motif, or a cultural moment. Swatch collecting is therefore less about complications than about visual memory.
The risk is confusing pleasure with hype. A watch bought because it is buzzing can lose interest if it does not fit your style or comfort. Conversely, a simpler Swatch chosen for a color or graphic idea that truly speaks to you can become a watch you wear very often. The right purchase is the one that keeps its power to make you smile after the event.
To choose calmly, stay concrete: case comfort, perceived size, legibility, strap type, expected resistance, and real availability. Swatch is a pleasure brand, but daily satisfaction depends on the same criteria as any watch: desire to wear it, ease of use, and coherence with your life.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Swatch is for people who want an accessible, expressive, easy-to-live watch, able to move from colorful accessory to collectible object or event collaboration. Its identity rests on one strong idea: the watch can be joyful, renewable, cultural, and Swiss at the same time. To choose well, start from your use case &mdash; daily fun, discreet thinness, a more metallic feel, accessible automatic mechanics, or iconic collaboration &mdash; then validate comfort and real wrist pleasure.
To compare that desire with concrete owner experiences, consult&nbsp;Dialicious customer reviews.
(Updated May 2026)

My first automatic mechanical watch, given to me in the 1990s, would be my entry point into the world of watchmaking. Unfortunately, after more than ten years of service, it stopped working permanently. So, I decided to treat myself to the same one in the early 2010s.

A true all-rounder, it seems magnificent, comfortable, and timeless. I've often read that the caliber is an ETA 2824-2, whose accuracy remains decent.
Its only flaws are its limited readability, its mineral glass, and the proprietary Swatch strap attachment system, which limits the choice of strap.

A watch that allows you to take the subway without worry, excellent value for money, but it is no longer produced.

a pretty and very inexpensive automatic watch

This Swatch Body and soul from the irony collection was my first mechanical watch. A truly beautiful birthday present that was given to me at the time and which allows me to discover watchmaking mechanics. It has the classic advantages and disadvantages of Swatches. On the positive side, we note an affordable price for a watch that we will therefore not hesitate to wear in all circumstances (except in water because it is not very waterproof: 3 bar). Its diameter of just under 38mm is perfect for a go-anywhere watch. As for the small criticisms, inherent to the brand, I regret that it is impossible to repair it. The mechanism still works just as well after about fifteen years. On the other hand, the case back has not appreciated aging (photo in support). I had tried to contact Swatch who still sent the watch to the workshop without being able to change the part. For a few years now I have worn this watch very little and here I am coming across two bracelets that I had bought and that I had the pleasure of fitting in addition to its original steel bracelet.

Swatch Body & Soul: a good introduction to watchmaking

ZRC est une maison horlog&egrave;re fond&eacute;e en 1904 &agrave; Gen&egrave;ve (Suisse) par Edmond Zuccolo et Joseph Rochet. N&eacute;e dans l&rsquo;univers des cha&icirc;nes de gousset puis des bracelets m&eacute;talliques extensibles, la marque s&rsquo;adresse aujourd&rsquo;hui aux amateurs de plongeuses-outils iconiques, rendue c&eacute;l&egrave;bre par sa Grands Fonds d&eacute;velopp&eacute;e pour la Marine nationale &agrave; partir des ann&eacute;es 1960.
<h3>Couronne &agrave; 6 h, bo&icirc;tier monobloc et esprit Marine nationale</h3>
Con&ccedil;ue pour r&eacute;pondre aux contraintes op&eacute;rationnelles des plongeurs-d&eacute;mineurs fran&ccedil;ais, la Grands Fonds adopte la couronne &agrave; 6 h, un bo&icirc;tier monobloc et des solutions maison comme l&rsquo;ECS (Easy Clean System) et le CPS (Crown Protection System). Dans la pratique, la couronne &agrave; 6 h et le CPS emp&ecirc;chent de porter la montre si la couronne n&rsquo;est pas parfaitement viss&eacute;e, limitant ainsi les risques d&rsquo;erreur avant immersion ; l&rsquo;ECS facilite le rin&ccedil;age pour &eacute;viter la cristallisation du sel sous la lunette.
<h3>Grands Fonds et d&eacute;clinaisons contemporaines</h3>
La collection actuelle d&eacute;cline l&rsquo;ADN historique (lisibilit&eacute;, ergonomie de terrain, silhouette &laquo; outil &raquo;) en plusieurs tailles et niveaux de performance. Quel que soit le mod&egrave;le, l&rsquo;architecture et la signature &agrave; 6 h rendent la lecture imm&eacute;diate et l&rsquo;identit&eacute; instantan&eacute;ment reconnaissable.
<ul>
<li>ZRC Grands Fonds MN64 &mdash; Hommage aux sp&eacute;cifications Marine nationale, codes historiques de cadran et de lunette.</li>
<li>ZRC Grands Fonds Heritage&nbsp;&mdash; Gabarit plus contenu (38 mm) conservant la signature de couronne &agrave; 6 h pour les poignets fins.</li>
<li>ZRC Securicode &mdash; R&eacute;interpr&eacute;tation d&rsquo;un th&egrave;me de la fin des ann&eacute;es 1950/1960, avec &eacute;l&eacute;ments de style historiques.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Positionnement : outil pro, prix et distribution</h3>
La marque revendique un positionnement &laquo; instrument de plong&eacute;e &raquo; au sein de l&rsquo;horlogerie ind&eacute;pendante suisse, avec volumes de production non communiqu&eacute; et diffusion s&eacute;lective (d&eacute;taillants sp&eacute;cialis&eacute;s et vente directe). &Agrave; titre indicatif, de nombreuses r&eacute;f&eacute;rences acier se situent autour de 2 500&ndash;3 000 &euro;, tandis que des versions techniques en titane d&eacute;passent 4 000 &euro; ; certaines &eacute;ditions sp&eacute;ciales ou m&eacute;taux nobles s&rsquo;&eacute;tablissent nettement au-del&agrave;. Pr&eacute;sence confirm&eacute;e en France avec des &eacute;taillants comme <a href="https://www.bijouterie-clouzeau.fr/fr/marques/zrc-1904">Clouzeau</a> ou <a href="https://www.berenger.fr/fr/horlogerie-berenger/marques/zrc-1904">Berenger</a>, et sur quelques march&eacute;s Asie/Moyen-Orient via un r&eacute;seau resserr&eacute;.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
ZRC s&rsquo;adresse aux amateurs de montres-outils au style imm&eacute;diatement identifiable, qui privil&eacute;gient la fonctionnalit&eacute;, la lisibilit&eacute; et une signature de design forte. Le choix se fera entre un usage polyvalent quotidien (Grands Fonds 300/38), une filiation historique appuy&eacute;e (MN64, Securicode) ou une approche plus technique et extr&ecirc;me (Grands Fonds 3000 Titanium). Les acheteurs sensibles &agrave; l&rsquo;ergonomie appr&eacute;cieront la couronne &agrave; 6 h et la s&eacute;curit&eacute; du CPS ; les puristes salueront la coh&eacute;rence d&rsquo;ensemble. Pour &eacute;clairer votre d&eacute;cision au-del&agrave; de la fiche technique, fiez-vous&nbsp;aux avis clients Dialicious, utiles pour comprendre confort, lisibilit&eacute; r&eacute;elle et ressenti au port&eacute;.
(Mise &agrave; jour Ao&ucirc;t 2025)

ZRC is a watch brand founded in 1904 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Edmond Zuccolo and Joseph Rochet. Born in the field of pocket-watch chains and later expandable metal bracelets, the brand now caters to enthusiasts of iconic tool divers, made famous by its Grands Fonds developed for the French Navy from the 1960s onward.
<h3>6 o&rsquo;clock crown, monobloc case and French Navy spirit</h3>
Engineered to meet the operational demands of French Navy mine-clearance divers, the Grands Fonds features a 6 o&rsquo;clock crown, a monobloc case and in-house solutions such as ECS (Easy Clean System) and CPS (Crown Protection System). In practice, the 6 o&rsquo;clock crown and CPS prevent the watch from being worn unless the crown is fully screwed down, reducing user error prior to immersion; ECS helps flush out salt to prevent crystallization under the bezel.
<h3>Grands Fonds and contemporary variants</h3>
The current collection translates the historical DNA (legibility, field ergonomics, tool-watch silhouette) into multiple sizes and performance levels. Whichever the model, the 6 o&rsquo;clock signature ensures instant readability and an immediately recognisable identity.
<ul>
<li>ZRC Grands Fonds MN64 &mdash; Core diver inspired by 1964, 300 m, bold legibility for versatile daily wear.</li>
<li>ZRC Grands Fonds Hertiage &mdash; Smaller 38 mm option retaining the 6 o&rsquo;clock crown signature for slimmer wrists.</li>
<li>ZRC Securicode &mdash; Reinterpretation of a late-1950s/1960s theme with historical design elements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Positioning: pro tool, pricing and distribution</h3>
The brand&rsquo;s stance is that of an independent Swiss &ldquo;diving instrument,&rdquo; with production volumes not disclosed and selective distribution (specialist retailers and direct sales). As a guide, many steel references sit around &euro;2,500&ndash;3,000, while technical titanium pieces exceed &euro;4,000; special editions or precious-metal variants are significantly higher. Presence is established in Europe such as <a href="https://www.soprana.com/zrc-1904/?lang=en">Soprana</a> in Italy or <a href="https://junod-lausanne.ch/fr/collections/zrc">Junod</a> in Switzerland, and selected Asian/Middle-Eastern markets through a tight retail network.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
ZRC speaks to those who value immediately recognisable tool-watch design with functional clarity and a strong signature. Your choice will likely fall between versatile daily wear (Grands Fonds 300/38), an emphatic historical link (MN64, Securicode), or a more technical, extreme approach (Grands Fonds 3000 Titanium). Ergonomics benefit from the 6 o&rsquo;clock crown and CPS safety; purists will appreciate the overall coherence. To refine your decision beyond the spec sheet, rely on Dialicious customer reviews to understand comfort, real-world legibility and on-wrist feel.
(Updated August 2025)

Fredeust's review on his Swatch Body & Soul

A faithful companion since the early 2000s

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Fredeust's review on his Swatch Body & Soul

A faithful companion since the early 2000s

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Swatch?

YOU ARE :

Other reviews published by Fredeust

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