Special Swatch with odd movement??

[cyberface]

I recall Swatch making a limited edition watch with a crazy movement. It wasn't a tourbillon but some sort of carousel movement where the entire movement rotated once an hour or something.

I saw one for sale when on holiday in Taormina in Sicily a few years back. I've trawled the web but can't find any information about this watch... the Swatch website makes no mention of it at all. I saw it with my own eyes in the shop on the main drag... it was partly skeletonised and the movement looked like nothing I'd seen before. Lots of concentric stuff.

Was I high as a kite in Taormina and the watch was just a normal ETA-movement job, or did Swatch really do something innovative and it sank without trace? I'm interested in weird movements and it sounds almost collectable.

Anyone know anything about this watch?

[Dominic H]

Hi, I found this on the 'Stay-tuned to Swatch' website. So, no you weren't high....

"Tourbillon Swatch special. Later in 2001, swatch is planning to release a so called Tourbillon watch called Diaphane One in a limited edition of 2222 pcs for 3333 EURO (about $3000 US).The watch has a real diamond in the case on the back. 223 pieces of this swatch will be sold in the Vendôme store in Paris first; it will be available in other stores later. The Vendôme Tourbillon swatches will feature three diamonds (red, blue, white = french national flag colors) instead of one. Price will be the same. The case of the Tourbillon swatch is made of plastic, the bezel is made of metal. A Tourbillon watch is a mechanical (automatic) watch with very complicated mechanics."

Hope this helps.....DH