I know, the title’s not exactly financially correct – but I had to! With current events becoming harder to ignore, the Swiss powerhouse has elected to poke a bit of fun at the circumstances.
The watch industry is so often upheld by senses of luxury, tradition, prestige, and seriousness. Playful watches do exist, of course, but their humour usually stays locked within horological in-jokes. Rarely do they step outside the bubble and comment on broader global events. But times are changing; Rapidly evolving politics overseas have begun to reshape the outlook for modern watchmaking, and a few brands — Swatch chief among them — have felt compelled to poke fun at the situation.
Meet the new Swatch WHAT IF… TARIFFS?, also known as the Swatch 39%. Unless you’ve avoided the news for the past year, the reference is obvious: United States President Donald Trump’s imposed 39% tariff on Switzerland. While the Trump administration insists these tariffs will boost domestic manufacturing, protect national security, and substitute for income taxes, it remains to be seen whether demand for American-made watches will really surge — especially against the longstanding reputation of Swiss, German, and Japanese manufacturers.
The 39% takes that political context and distils it into satire. Measuring 41.8mm wide, 33.25mm long, and 10.5mm thick, its sharp square case is made from off-white Bioceramic paired with a matching silicone strap. The material, now familiar to Swatch fans, combines two-thirds zirconium oxide ceramic powder with one-third biosourced material from castor oil. First showcased in collaborations with Omega and Blancpain, Bioceramic delivers surprising strength, smoothness, and colour versatility — making it the perfect medium for playful statements like this.
The dial, a rich blue, echoes the wider WHAT IF… line, but with a twist. The Arabic numerals at three and nine o’clock are flipped, a cheeky visual nod to the tariffs themselves. Flip the watch over and the quartz battery cover carries the same blue treatment, this time emblazoned with a bold percent sign — closing the loop on the design joke.
Swatch complete the satire with the edition size and price. Only 39 examples exist, priced at CHF 139 each, and sold exclusively in Switzerland. As Swatch themselves put it, the 39% is “hopefully just a limited edition.”
My Thoughts
While little beyond subtle aesthetic tweaks is technically new in the Swatch 39%, the very concept it represents feels novel. Satirical watchmaking — particularly when directed at global politics — is still largely uncharted territory. And while the subject of tariffs certainly matters within the industry (Swiss watches will now become markedly more expensive for American buyers), the topic resonates far beyond horology.
Swatch isn’t alone in tackling the issue head-on. Raymond Weil, for instance, released a special 39-piece limited edition of the Millésime, cheekily applying a 39% discount at checkout. Rolex, meanwhile, found itself under scrutiny for what some interpreted as an attempt to sidestep the tariff altogether.
Senator Elizabeth Warren even wrote to Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour to raise concerns following his meeting with Donald Trump at the U.S. Open. Dufour, in his reply, downplayed any agenda, noting that Trump’s presence was tied only to their shared love of tennis.
“President Trump, never one to miss a rhetorical opportunity, did ask in jest whether he would have been invited had it not been for the tariffs — a moment that brought a round of laughter all around and, as you can imagine, a swift return of attention to the unfolding excitement on court.”
rolex ceo Jean-Frédéric Dufour in a letter to sen. elizabeth warren
Now, at Watch Advice we’re watch journalists, not policy advisors. We encourage readers to explore the wider political implications themselves. But from a horological standpoint, the Swatch 39% (and its contemporaries) opens up a fascinating new design language.
The ability to satirise current events and translate them into physical, wearable art could inject fresh creative energy into modern watchmaking. It proves that beyond their function, watches remain a canvas — a medium capable of giving shape to issues otherwise intangible to most.
Reference: SO34Z106
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 41.8mm case diameter x 33.25mm lug-to-lug x 10.5mm thickness
- Case Material: Off-white bioceramic
- Dial: Blue with white accents & flipped three/nine o’clock Arabic numerals
- Movement: Quartz
- Water Resistance: 20m (2bar)
- Strap: Colour-matched silicone strap with polymer pin buckle