It all started with a full-page ad I saw in the back of the San Francisco Chronicle business section. The colors were eye-catching and the copy was intriguing.
THE FRONT TELLS THE TIME
THE BACK TELLS THE STORY
The ad directed me to a “POP UP STORE” at Swatch Grant and Geary in San Francisco.
SISTEM51 in SF Chronicle
Humm, I thought. A pop-up in the Union Square area? Might be worth checking out.
Curiously, this beautiful SISTEM51 watch ad did not have a related URL. It was on me to do my own detective work.
Gizmodo wrote about it and so did TechCrunch.
Sounded really neat to me. I just needed a sense of size and weight. As one of the few who still use a watch and has been sporting a fine Timex Ironman “sleek” piece, the move from cool to “must have” was going to hinge on pragmatic factors.
Landing Page
Swatch, the maker of the SISTEM51, had a special web page set up, but I didn’t want to get too invested until I knew how it looked and felt on my wrist. With Clipper card in hand, I BARTed to San Francisco and made my way to the POP UP STORE — which was at the normal Swatch location, but made-over to be 100% dedicated to the SISTEM51. Guess they figured anyone wanting a “run of the mill” Swatch would head on over to Macy’s or buy online at Amazon.
What I Experienced:
The SISTEM51 is a very lightweight watch with a very classy look. Not too large either.
The Blue SISTEM51
As for the “STORY ON THE BACK,” I was told it is all about the 51 parts in five modules that make this watch’s self-winding mechanical movements possible. Swatch calls it “unprecedented technological innovation” and points out that there are 17 pending patents.
51 Parts in 5 Modules
So tempting, it was. In fact, what prevented me from pulling the trigger right then and there, was the price. At $150, that was an expensive Swatch no matter how cool it looked and how awesome the story on the back was.
For $150, I needed a watch that truly matched what I’d wear. The blue one was the coolest. The all black was … all black. The white looked cheap and the red definitely didn’t match my colors.
I really wanted a green version — like British Racing Green
So I backed away from the counter while thanking the nice sales clerk who clearly hearted his SISTEM BLUE (SUTS401). Before jetting, I grabbed a fine brochure that did a really nice job telling the SISTEM51 story.
The fine brochure.
**
Wrapping It Up.
With all this talk about smart watches, sometimes you just want something on your wrist that looks cool and does what it is supposed to do — “tell time.” The SISTEM51 meets that spec. Plus, it has a nifty story. See for yourself in this video.
As for me, I’ll hang onto my money and hold out for what I really, really want.
##
My SISTEM51 Adventure
Speak Your Mind