SISTEM51
Automatic and amagnetic movement, powered by your movement, with only 51 pieces and 1 central screw, and a 90-hour power reserve. Welcome to the Mechanical Revolution.
All about SISTEM51
In 2013, SISTEM51 transformed the world of automatic watches – the front tells the time, the back tells the story. Relive the revolution now.
A Swatch revolution
The year 1983 marked the very first Swatch revolution. In honour of our 30th anniversary in 2013, we opened a new chapter and sparked a new revolution to celebrate it: SISTEM51.
This ground-breaking automatic (self-winding, i.e. battery-free) mechanical movement made from 51 components (like the original Swatch) was made possible thanks to a simplified and more efficient design. Most mechanical movements have at least twice as many parts, and some have more than 600!
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90 hours of power reserve for long running time
16 registered patents
51 mechanical movement components only
1 central screw uniting the mechanics
The ins and outs of innovation
SISTEM51 houses an automatic mechanical watch movement, meaning it is powered by the energy of your wrist’s motion, and not by a battery as with quartz watches. Most mechanical movements are made of 100 different components, but our engineers rethought its design from A to Z: SISTEM51’s 51 components are welded together to form a single assembly centered on a single screw.
The high-tech escapement has no regulator, and the rate is set at the factory with a laser, making the manual rate adjustments normally required by a mechanical watch unnecessary. The movement also features a 90-hour power reserve.
No fewer than 16 patents were filed by our development team, which were then granted by the WIPO to protect and preserve this engineering marvel.
Assembling this watch also requires advanced technology: SISTEM51 is the only mechanical watch ever manufactured on a 100% automated production line.
An entire production facility was built in the Swiss Jura Mountains to meet the high standards required for optimally carrying out every step of the manufacturing process.
Telling the story of SISTEM51
Every great product deserves their story to be told. So for the launch of the watch, we dove deep into the watch's history and showed its Swiss watchmaking roots.
Metal for next-level style
Truly a watch for everyone, SISTEM51 IRONY is an automatic timepiece for anyone who appreciates classic design blended with contemporary Swatch style.
Built for the boardroom, an art exhibition or a weekend adventure, SISTEM51 IRONY is equipped with the same features as other automatic watches, but is more evolved in its look and feel, and comes without the hefty price tag.
There’s magic in the air
SISTEM51 Flymagic was one of those seemingly crazy projects that surprised everyone. The idea behind it was to present a newly patented material developed by Swatch Group: Nivachron™. This incredible metallic alloy was invented to replace silicon in the creation of the spiral: it offered similar non-magnetic performance for a much more attractive price. We found it fitting then to debut this technical innovation with the launch of SISTEM51.
In order to do this, we completely redesigned the movement and turned it upside down for a watch that is whimsical and visually stunning.
Swatch X HODINKEE
HODINKEE is every watch collector and enthusiast's favorite online home for all things horology. Swatch has proudly collaborated six times with the watch connoisseurs to create special edition SISTEM51 watches.
The revelation at Baselworld
In 2013, Swatch made a sensational debut at Baselworld, taking over a gigantic space at the show to exhibit 30 years of creativity and provocation.
There was so much to share that we created 'Planet Swatch', which highlighted a new theme for visitors to explore on each day of the show.
The theme of the first day was 'Planet Innovation', and SISTEM51 was featured in the spotlight as the most recent chapter in the 'Revolution 51'.