The latest Swatch x Blancpain collaboration might just be my favourite yet.
Dubbed the Pink Ocean, this is the perfect accompaniment for those days when you're feeling a little more exuberant.
When the MoonSwatch was first announced, it brought a tide of interest with it. The collaboration struck a chord with watch lovers, trend-followers and eBay scalpers in pretty much equal measure, leading to some absolutely crazy scenes at participating stores.
That initial wave may have died down, but there's still a lot of interest in the MoonSwatch and the Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms which came after. Now, a new variant of the latter has been unveiled – and it just might be my dream dive watch.
It's called the Pink Ocean and it's a watch which truly lives up to its name. The Bioceramic case is a stunning hot pink, with a lighter hue used for the resin bezel insert.
The theme continues on the dial, with a sunburst pink hue. The strap also ties in both the light and dark hues, along with white stripes for some variation.
In terms of specs, it's the same design you'll know and love from other variants. A 42.3mm case diameter sits 14.4mm thick and uses a 48mm lug-to-lug width, for an overall profile which is on the larger side of average.
Inside, the SISTEM51 movement offers automatic operation, with a 90 hour power reserve and full anti-magnetic properties. The case also offers water resistance to 91m – equivalent to fifty fathoms.
For me, this might just be the best watch release so far this year. I've always been a huge fan of pink watches, but this one takes the theme and runs with it.
It's certainly not going to be the watch for everyone, but I also don't think that's the point. There are seven other models in the collection, all of which offer something a little more conforming, if that's your style.
This is not for those people. It's for Ryan Gosling in his full Ken era, strutting around head-to-toe in pink. It's for anyone who needs a statement piece in their collection, but doesn't fancy laying out too much on one.
Speaking of which, this is a fairly affordable piece. Priced at just £350 (approx. $435 / AU$688), this should be within reach for most people. The harder part is actually getting one – as ever, these are limited to certain stores and won't be sold online.
