Catchy title, but after experiencing this watch for a long time, it’s the only conclusion I have come to. This watch is a piece of crap, and let me explain why. The Swatch Sistem51 first came out in 2014 and I have been the owner of the classic black variation since its debut, long before Hodinkee gave it a huge push in popularity with its limited edition. The Swatch Sistem51 was the second mechanical watch I ever bought. I really enjoyed it! It was my go-to tool and sports watch. Its cheap, efficient design-wise, and very innovative!

Housed in a black plastic case with a “constellation map” pattern on the dial, the movement is impressive. It is made of 51 parts held together with just one central screw. Amazing fact: everything is made and assembled without any human interaction. It’s a fully robotized chain at ETA that cuts, decorates, assembles and seals the movements. A great number of patents have been filed in order to create these watches, and the Swatch Sistem51 is an emblem of what the Swiss watch industry is capable of doing. For better or for worse?

Let’s talk more about the watch. A see-through case back makes the whole movement visible, with a peripheral rotor and plastic looking parts made of a special alloy called ARCAP. This alloy is also used in some top end watches and brands like Richard Mille, and has anti-magnetic properties. The watch displays time, date, and delivers an impressive 90 hours of power reserve. It comes on a black leather strap with a plastic buckle. Wearing this watch is fun. It’s very different to most of the watches that you will come across on the market. The case is bulky and thick. The rotor spins with madness at every movement and is very noisy. You will hear the ticking and rotations of the rotor VERY loudly. There are various Sistem51 to choose from, with lots of color combinations and special editions. The watch is priced at around 145-210 euros depending on the model that catches your eye. What a bargain considering the amount of technology and innovation this watch represents!

So how could this appealing low budget swiss automatic watch be the worst watch ever made? I will put it simply: it goes against all the great things that make us love mechanical watches, and it brings with it all the bad things that mass consumption and the quartz crisis have brought us. Let’s be honest: in less than 3 years this watch will not be working properly anymore. Either it won’t keep time, or stop frequently, or it will just stop working. During that time you will probably have changed the bracelet at least once because the buckle broke (life in plastic, it’s fantastic…). And you can’t get a buckle without buying the strap that comes with it. When you will send your watch in for repair, under warranty or not, they don’t bother swapping the movement: they just send you a brand new identical watch.

The photos you see are of my second Swatch Sistem51, given to me in exchange for the one I sent in for repair: the one I had put through my cardio training late in the evenings, that had scratches from Sunday DIY sessions, that had seen my son grow from baby to child… Is this the best innovations the Swiss watch industry can come up with in the 21st century? A plastic disposable automatic watch that is less durable than any basic supermarket quartz watch? It’s one of the worst watches ever made considering environmental impact. It’s the worst mechanical watch ever made if you think about its longevity and repairability. It’s probably the most fragile modern watch ever made. Please don’t buy this shit. The Swatch Sistem51 is only fun for 5 minutes, and the world doesn’t need another disposable plastic product to add to the long list of garbage that will outlast our generations on this Earth. Get a Citizen or Seiko instead. You’ll get more for your money and won’t have to throw it in the trash when it stops working.