With AI-DADA, anyone can create their own Swatch watch The creativity of 40 years of Swatch becomes an accessible legacy
Over more than forty years of history, Swatch has built its identity on a simple principle: creativity does not belong to a few chosen ones, but must be open to anyone who wishes to explore it. Since 1983, the brand has transformed watches into objects of everyday expression, integrating artistic and cultural elements into Swiss-quality products at accessible prices. This vision has democratized watch design, making art portable and personal. Collaborations with artists, reinterpretations of museum works, and initiatives like the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai testify to a constant commitment to fostering interaction between creators and the public.
With the arrival of the new feature AI-Dada, Swatch applies this philosophy to contemporary technology. Artificial intelligence becomes a tool that opens creativity to everyone, allowing each customer to generate unique designs without the need for tools or specialized skills. In an era where AI redefines the boundaries between idea and realization, Swatch wants to make this feature a bridge between artisanal tradition and digital innovation, confirming that true creativity lies in the ability to transform a moment's inspiration into a tangible object.
The presentation of AI-DADA took place yesterday at the Swatch headquarters in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. During the event, Nick Hayek, CEO of The Swatch Group; Vivian Stauffer, CEO Swatch, and Carlo Giordanetti, CEO Swatch Art Peace Hotel illustrated the potential of the platform, emphasizing its role in continuing the legacy of innovation that characterizes Swatch for over four decades. The platform integrates artificial intelligence with the brand's design catalog, focusing on the New Gent model as the base for customization. This approach not only extends existing customization options but introduces a level of generative originality, where each watch is born from an individual input.
Why is it called AI-DADA?
AI-DADA combines "AI", an acronym for "Artistic Intelligence", with "Dada", an evocation of Dadaism. The latter movement, which emerged in Zurich in 1916 at the Cabaret Voltaire, emphasized the absurd and experimentation against post-World War I artistic conventions. Swatch has drawn from this heritage in past collections, such as those inspired by Dadaist collages. Here, "Artistic Intelligence" indicates an AI that does not imitate human styles, but amplifies individual imagination, inheriting Swatch's tradition of fusing art and everyday life.
Art permeates the essence of Swatch from its origins. Collaborations with figures like Keith Haring or Yayoi Kusama have produced dials that blend pop art and functional design. Since 2018, Swatch has brought iconic works, from the MoMA to the Louvre, onto everyday watches, making them accessible without museums. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel, opened in 2011 in Shanghai, hosts up to 18 annual resident artists, fostering residencies and exhibitions that influence new collections
How does AI-DADA work?
AI-DADA operates as a specialized artistic intelligence, trained on a vast Swatch design archive that includes patterns, colors, and motifs derived from forty years of production, artistic events, and collaborations in street art. The system does not require graphic or technical inputs; a textual description in natural language is sufficient.
First, the user accesses their Swatch account via the swatch.com website or the dedicated app. If no account exists, creation takes a few minutes and includes identity verification to ensure the security of subsequent transactions. Once logged in, the AI-DADA interface appears as a dedicated section in the customization menu. Here, the interface asks the user to write a prompt. There are no formal constraints on the text; examples include phrases like "a dial inspired by an urban night landscape with touches of blue neon" or "a design evoking the Dadaist movement with abstract shapes and vibrant colors". The system accepts descriptions in various languages, including Italian, and processes up to 300 characters.
At this point, AI-DADA processes the input using artificial intelligence models trained specifically for watch design. The process takes less than two minutes and produces an interactive 3D rendering of the prototype. The system interprets the description to generate key elements: the dial includes shape, layout of the hour indicators, and decorative motifs, based on semantic associations, for example, a dotted sky with luminous hands for "starry night". The strap simulates material, color, and texture, typically silicone for the New Gent, aligned with Swatch's playful spirit. The algorithm balances fidelity to the user's input with Swatch's technical constraints, such as dial legibility and compatibility with Swiss mechanisms. If the description is ambiguous, the system suggests optional variants but maintains a main output for simplicity.
Once the prototype is viewed, the user accesses an editing panel that is limited but effective. Options include selecting the indices, between Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, sticks, or dot indicators, with the possibility to customize the font or color to align with the generated theme. The color of the mechanism is also chosen, visible through the transparent caseback, among base tones like silver, black, or blue, with accents that recall the description, for example, a green mechanism for a "nature" theme.
Upon completion, the system assigns a unique ID and virtually engraves the "1/1" symbol on the digital caseback, which will appear on the physical watch as a reminder of its uniqueness. The user views a 360-degree preview and can rotate the model to examine its details. Swatch imposes a limit of three generations per day per account to encourage thoughtful reflection and prevent excessive use. Each generation consumes a "request", reset at midnight CET. If the limit is exceeded, the interface suggests waiting or exploring pre-existing designs. The final result is a New Gent watch ready for purchase, with a production time between two and three days.
