Sofa surf around the world with Swatch on Instagram
The Swiss pop watch brand rallies its community spirit with a virtual global trip

Our world may have shrunk to the size of our living room, but this hasn’t deterred a host of brands who are finding inventive ways to beat the malaise whilst staying connected.
Swatch is the latest brand to offer a break from reality, creating a playful campaign centring round an Instagram hashtag. #SwatchTakesMePlaces invites residents from 30 international cities to share anything that takes their fancy – be it tips, recipes, knowing cultural references - inviting others into the secret echelons of their city, albeit virtually.
Each destination links to its own Instagram page illustrated by a poster, which depicts the tongue-in-cheek stereotypes in Swatch’s bold and familiar hues. In a shrewd move, a handy tool on its website lets you digitally translate these cityscapes onto the blank canvas of a watch. Tweak and zoom in on your favourite fragment of the cartoonish maps, and it will be circled around your wrist in the blink of an Instagram minute.
Paris, left, and Tokyo, right
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Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
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