If you’ve ever been to an airport, you’ve likely browsed a Swatch store, Most people reading this probably have a swatch in a drawer somewhere. It’s a simple and cheap watch that ultimately served as a blank canvas for a zillion fun designs, and yet these watches are often overlooked, such is the case with the Swatch Les Aventures De Tintin GM165.

A lifelong Tintin reader (which I recently was informed is pronounced more like “Tahn-tahn”??), I picked up the Swatch Les Aventures De Tintin GM165 in New York City at the tender age of 17, visiting a girlfriend who I later broke up with in an emotionally-immature way (sorry Claudia). Watches are often totems of our memory, and every thunderous tick of this loud clock reminds me of the awkwardness of youth, and really of life in general.

From a technical perspective, the Swatch Les Aventures De Tintin GM165 is just ok. It is very loud, you can hear it across the room. It is hard to tell time, especially the hour. The battery cover has never really inspired confidence in water resistance, I am nervous to wash my hands with it. The strap’s top-layer blistered off (like a barnacle), and I cannot source the original, so I have it on a new silicon one.

From a design perspective, the Swatch Les Aventures De Tintin GM165 is sublime. The smoky plastic looks great and allows curious youngsters to see the gears move on the caseback. The color scheme is simple but still layered. I like that they chose a cell where Tintin is looking rugged and concerned, instead of some Disney-esque happy face. They also really went the extra mile by having Tintin’s trademark quiff extend outside the dial onto the case. Paint on the case seems pretty rare for Swatch designs. The battery is very simple to replace, and if you bring it to a swatch shop I’m told they’ll replace it for free. The acrylic crystal is easily scratched but polywatch can presumably fix that, though I’ve never bothered with it.

The Tintin is extremely light, weighing in at just 21 grams.

Watch marketing often relies on the idea of passing a piece down to one’s children, but usually not when they’re an actual child. As a new dad, I’m excited to share my hobbies with my son, and I can’t wait to read a few Tintin comics with him on a Saturday morning and gift him his first watch.