Swatch’s Vintage Smartwatch Failure
In 2004, Swatch created this chunky thing - the Swatch Paparazzi - an interesting attempt at creating a smartwatch from yesteryear. A concept that wouldn’t be successfully implemented into the world for nearly 10 more years. Quite possibly, this was one of the earliest signs of a consumer-focused Smart Watch well before the Apple Watch was ever released. Today, we’re diving into what a smart watch from 20 years ago looked like, how it worked, and discussing what modern smartwatches copy from the Swatch Paparazzi.
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CNET Swatch Paparazzi Review: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/swatch-p...
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Chapters:
0:00 The Smartwatch from Yesteryear
1:14 The Swatch Paparazzi with Microsoft
2:14 Old Smartwatch Tech
2:35 Swatch Paparazzi Features
4:08 Benefits of the Swatch Paparazzi
5:24 The Fall of the Smartwatch
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About this video:
This wasn’t the first attempt at Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT WATCH for short). In 1993, Swatch introduced The Beep, which was a pager on the wrist, capable of receiving messages through radio waves.
The truth of the matter is, most people have never realized that smart watches have been part of the watch and tech world for decades before the Apple Watch was ever launched. Fun fact, Swatch and Apple worked together on a smart watch that was launched in 2000 called The Access. In the year 2000, it was capable of connecting to a computer and accessing email. Boring by today’s standard but for 20 years ago, it was insane.
It wasn’t until 2015 that the Smart Watch became popular with the Apple Watch - unless you count a Pebble, which has less functionality of the Paparazzi from 20 years prior. So let’s dive into this rather unique piece that still sells for the same price today that it did 20 years prior.
Skip forward a few years to 2004, though, and we see Swatch working with Microsoft’s technology to create The Paparazzi, a SPOT watch capable of some truly amazing things for both tech and watch enthusiasts. They weren’t the only ones doing it, and in fact TISSOT also had created a smart watch with similar functionality. But it was nearly $550 more expensive and didn’t have the same features of The Paparazzi.
Launched with 4 colors, Swatch unveiled the Paparazzi on October 20, 2004 as their flagship SPOT watch. And even by today’s standards, it boasts some truly amazing features including a 5-7 day battery life - something I can only dream about today.
The Paparazzi worked exclusively with the MSN Direct Service in the US and Canada for wireless internet connection. In fact, a CNET review from 2004 mentions being able to travel to Yosemite and still receive emails.
Speaking of receiving emails, the paparazzi could check sports scores, news, theater showtimes, IMs from MSN Messenger, stocks, weather, and horoscopes - how 2000s of it!
It did this all through the MSN Direct service, which cost consumers either $10/mo or $59/year.
Swatch City would provide you with entertainment information in your hometown through Time Out.
But tech features and gimmicks aside, this watch offered things that are still in smart watches to this day. The Paparazzi in 2004 had customizable watch faces (sound familiar, Apple?). Owners could choose from a variety of different faces with different functionalities. With that, the watch actually had utility as a watch as well.
It featured a chronograph that could memorize up to 99 times, two alarms, a perpetual calendar, secondary timezone, and a countdown timer. The watch itself was nearly every type of watch you could need to this day. From a GMT to a chrono and perpetual calendar, it featured everything that is great about watches and more. Just in a chunky boi format with some odd design.
Add to that, time was also set automatically through what is essentially GPS - something we still rely on to this day to automatically set times for our phones when traveling. ALL of this comes from a time when Facebook was being launched in a Harvard dorm room and Internet Explorer was the world’s most popular web browser.
It was meant to be the greatest movement forward in both tech and watches. By all means, this was one of the most monumental eras of watches. And I want to clarify - watches, not timepieces. There’s a massive difference.
And yet, it flopped. It took nearly 10 years for the concept to come alive again in a successful way when in truth, the tech has been there for decades, even going back to The Beep from the 90s. Just like you should go back and watch this video on the best watch I’ve ever bought for under $300.