Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The colorful Swatch watches you should get before the Paris Olympics 2024

Swatch debuts 4 new watches for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Swatch Blue Heelflip
Swatch

Swatch, our beloved budget-friendly watchmaker who is somewhat like a rambunctious younger brother that you keep around for his funny antics, has just debuted four new timepieces. In the run-up to the Paris Summer Olympics, every brand has been coming up with its own products to sell, and Swatch may have come up with the best one. Three of the new watches take inspiration from a specific sport while the fourth is part of the Flik Flak range that is made for children.

Swatch Green Backside Wave

Swatch Green Backside Wave
Swatch

Inspired by the Olympic sport of surfing, the Swatch Green Backside Wave will have you saying “cowabunga dude!” This model has a 41mm case with a thickness of 9.85mm, meaning it can easily fit under your shirt sleeves and won’t cause a nuisance on your wrist. Keeping it environmentally friendly, Swatch has constructed the case from dark green bio-sourced resin with a domed crystal made of bio-sourced plastic. Additionally, it has 30 meters of water resistance so you can still sport it in the rain, and is powered by an ETA quartz movement. As for surf aesthetics, this Swatch has a silicone strap with a green gradient design with pink underneath and features a surfboard printed on the loop.

Recommended Videos

Swatch Blue Heelflip

Swatch Blue Heelflip
Swatch

The Swatch Blue Heelflip is part of the chronograph line and celebrates the Olympic sport of skateboarding. It’s crafted from a dark blue resin case with domed plastic crystal and measures slightly bigger than the Green Backside Wave at 42mm across with a thickness of 14.03mm. The dial is certainly the most complicated of the four, with dark blue gradient colors accented with a gold second-hand and pink, white, and light blue detailing as well as a date display at 4:30. Like the surf-inspired Swatch, it also has 30 meters of water resistance, but it’s powered by an ETA quartz chronograph movement. It also comes with light blue pushers and a pink crown on the left side, with a dark blue silicone strap and pink underneath. To seal it as a representative of skateboarding, it’s adorned with a colorful little skateboard design.

Swatch Purple Rollshot

Swatch Purple Rollshot
Swatch

Rounding out the 3 adult Swatch watches for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is the Purple Rollshot that represents volleyball. This Swatch has a very slim case of 34mm with a thickness of 8.75mm, meaning it’s the perfect companion for someone who wants a watch but doesn’t want the extra weight on their wrist. It’s crafted from eco-friendly purple resin, and like the others in the collection, it has a water resistance of 30 meters as well as an ETA quartz movement. This Swatch has a dark purple dial with pink and white accents and includes a dual day/date display at 3 o’clock. The silicone strap is a purple gradient with pink underneath, and like the others, its logo is that of the sport it represents, a volleyball.

Swatch Olympics collection: How much is it?

Swatch Green Backside Wave
Swatch

While an Omega Olympics watch is a substantial investment and caters to die-hard fans, the Swatch Olympic Games Paris 2024 collection is the perfect budget-friendly alternative for those who want a memento without an empty bank account. The Blue Heelflip costs the most at $130, while the Green Backside Wave is $85, and the Purple Rollshot is $75. The children’s watch from Flik Flak is $40.

Topics
Sarah Veldman
Sarah has been a freelance writer for over 7 years now, having started while she was living out of a suitcase and traveling…
Junghans Mega Futura reimagines the first radio-controlled watch with modern style
The future is here
Junghas Mega Futura

Everything old is new again. More than 30 years ago, Junghans released the Mega 1, the first-ever radio-controlled watch in the world. Now, the company has released the Junghans Mega Futura, a modern interpretation of an iconic watch featuring clean cuts and an asymmetrical shape.

The watch has a storied history. Released in the 1990s, the Mega 1 was rolled out with an antenna—advanced technology that improved the watch’s precision. Frequencies would be sent from atomic clocks located in different cities to help set the time. And just like the first-ever model, this limited-edition model is equipped with advanced transmission capabilities for enhanced precision and accuracy. The transmission range of the first model was limited to a smaller area, but the Mega Futura has a wide range and can receive transmissions from North America, Asia, and Europe.

Read more
This company can find you almost any watch in 24 hours
If you have the money, Wrist Aficionado may be able to source your grail watch in no time
Patek Phillippe Grand Complications in rose gold

The likes of eBay, Chrono24, and even Walmart have made adding luxury men’s watches pretty simple. But if you’re hunting for an ultra-rare "grail watch" or something truly desirable, then you may need a little help. Enter Wrist Aficionado, a business that claims that it can source you a dream watch within 24 hours of your order being placed, in a lot of cases.

So, if you’re searching for a highly sought-after Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, or even a comparatively generic Rolex watch, then Wrist Aficionado has your back. The company currently has three physical locations in New York, Florida, and Beverly Hills, California.

Read more
How do quartz watches work? Understanding the science behind their precision
The science behind quartz watches: how they keep perfect time
A quartz watch offers precision that is unparalleled in horology.

The quartz revolution transformed horology with a winning combination of precision and accessibility. Before the ascension of Quartz watches, mechanical watches utilized gears and springs that, although intricate, would eventually drift over time to minutes each month.  It was in 1880 that Jacques and Pierre Curie discovered the amazing properties of quartz, but it was not until 1969 that precision met its match. This was when legendary brand Seiko introduced the Astron, forever changing the quartz era by improving accuracy to within seconds per year. 

The quartz watches of today offer elevated innovation and functionality, coupled with elegance and timeless style, giving men sophisticated options when it comes to modern accessories. To better understand how quartz watches work, it is essential to know all the components and what makes them tick. 
What is a quartz watch?
Gorgeous designs boasting the latest technology with quartz crystals GoBros / Shutterstock

Read more