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
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
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.
-
Meet the Palestinian artist putting a candy-coloured twist on traditional glassmaking
With her company Ornamental by Lameice, designer Lameice Abu Aker is bringing joy and optimism to a time-honoured craft
-
Messika’s fluid jewellery is given a textural twist
The Parisian brand borrows a textural finish previously reserved for high jewellery with its new collection, ‘Move Ciselé’
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Watch this space: Omega and Swatch’s collaboration is out of this world
Omega and Swatch have united to create the Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection of 11, planet-themed watches
-
Buying time: Swatch makes paying with your watch a breeze
The SwatchPay! lets you pay with a single flick of the wrist
-
Swatch and the Keith Haring Studio take the Mickey
Three new watches make up the Disney Mickey Mouse x Keith Haring collection
-
Spotted! Swatch and Damien Hirst take the Mickey
-
Chain gang: jeweller Veronika Fabian’s Swatch Artwork Prize links
-
Fashion-driven watch brands chime in on London Collections: Men