Back to the 1980s - Walkmen and Watches

Photo Credit: cottonbro studio

W is for Walkman, and if you know, you know ;-)

I've been looking forward to this post, because frankly, it doesn't get any more 80s than this. 

Today’s kids use their earbuds and listen to something they stream off their cell phone. Think internet, bluetooth, cell data, logins, passwords, subscriptions, apps, cloud storage, software updates, streaming accounts, chargers, power banks.

Us? Not unlike owning trendy sneakers, listening to music on the bus to school required saving money for a long time. And while we were waiting, we were busy creating the perfect mixtapes.

But once you finally had your Walkman, life was beautifully simple. Pop in a cassette. Insert a couple of AA batteries that would last for hours, sometimes even days. Press play. That was it.

No updates. No passwords. No low battery panic halfway through your favorite song.

Photo Credit: cottonbro studio

And you know what? Once you had your Walkman, it was already time to start saving for the next gadget.

Again, let’s compare.

Today’s kids “need” a smartwatch. It tracks your heart rate, your sleep, your workouts, your steps, your route. It shows messages, calls, weather, navigation, and probably your hockey team’s score in real time.

Us? We wanted a plastic watch that showed the time ;-))))

Photo by Meizhi Lang on Unsplash

Living where I do, the whole Swatch story always felt a little closer to home.

The Swatch success story is closely tied to the Nicolas G. Hayek family, who lived just about twenty minutes from here in Meisterschwanden. Hayek is often credited with saving the Swiss watch industry at a time when it was struggling to compete with cheaper, battery powered watches from abroad.

Swatch was the answer. Affordable, colorful, a little playful, and suddenly watches were not just about telling time anymore. They became accessories.

The name itself comes from “second watch”, the idea being that you would not just own one, but several. And people did exactly that. Some wore two or three at once. Some collected them. Some hunted down limited editions.

As far as I remember, every Swatch had a name. And when new models dropped, people showed up.

Sound familiar?

We’ve all seen people lining up for the latest phone release. Back then, in Switzerland, they lined up at places like Globus or Jelmoli, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes with folding chairs and snacks, just to get their hands on the newest design.

Swatch started with simple plastic watches, but quickly moved into more elaborate designs. Artist collaborations, like those with Keith Haring, turned watches into wearable art. And much later, collaborations like the MoonSwatch brought that playful spirit into a new generation.

Before I let you go, let me tell you about the Swatch drive in we have here in Switzerland.

Yes, a drive in. For watches.

You pull up just like at a fast food place. There are menu boards on either side. You place your order into a microphone.

You drive up to the window, pay, and receive your Swatch in a little bag.

Unbox, put it on, done.

How fun is that?

So tell me, what were you listening to on your Walkman back then? And were you part of the Swatch crowd?