BAPE x Swatch: Inside the Collaborative Pre-Release Event

First teased in late May, BAPE and Swatch‘s seasonal collaboration enjoyed a pre-release celebration in Japan this weekend before its forthcoming global rollout. Complete with branded buses to shuttle guests to the event space, the happening showcased special one-off items — like a glistening Ape Head chain — and all of the city-inspired timepieces.

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Complete with an array of co-branded wearables, the collection of timepieces takes on Swatch’s new Big Bold model, which boasts a substantial face that stretches nearly 2 inches in diameter. A trim outer ring around the face is emblazoned with the names of various major metropolitan areas, with one city highlighted in red at the top to denote the place that inspired the design of each watch. These include London’s black-and-red iteration, Paris’ blue, red and white FIRST CAMO edition and a black and white version with classic green FIRST CAMO that represents a global community, instead of a single city. Illustrations on the bands further reference city symbolism, like a pizza shop for New York and a museum for London.

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Each city-specific watch is limited to 1993 pieces, referencing the year BAPE was formally founded, except the international edition. A small plate embedded inside the case of each watch denotes the number, with each case wrapped in FIRST CAMO to reinforce the collaborative nature.

BAPE and Swatch’s collaborative watches hit BAPE’s site, stores and select Swatch stockists on June 15.

Recently, BAPE and PORTER reunited for bright, camo-covered accessories.