Swatch.

Swiss Watches.

I never got into the whole Swatch craze of the 1980s. Aside from a couple of days in the second grade, I've never worn a watch in my life. It feels too uncomfortable having something around my wrist. Yet oddly I'm obsessed with constantly knowing the time. It's a good thing everything has a clock in it these days.

Swatch was doing well enough selling a variety of colorful watches to the mall crowd that they had a little extra cash to sponsor some professional skateboarders. The team included Rodney Mullen, Rob Roskopp, Pierre-André Senizergues, and Per Welinder. They also sponsored pro snowboarder Bert Lamar, who did skateboard as well. Swatch organized the Impact Tour in the late 1980s. This was a traveling show with loud rock music and video projections that featured vert and freestyle demos in some of America's finest basketball and hockey arenas. Chris Miller, Jeff Phillips, Mark "Gator" Rogowski, and Kevin Staab were all part of the spectacle. For action sports crossover appeal, the Impact Tour included rollerskater Jimi Scott along with BMXers Ron Wilkerson and Brian Blyther, too. I don't think it ever came near my town, but I doubt I would have known one way or the other. Here's to the blissfully unaware 1980s.

Why did you need to wear more than one watch anyway?

Transworld - December 1988 Volume 6 Number 6