Time is circular, although in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera wrote that “time runs ahead in a straight line,” the argument on which his definition of happiness as “the longing for repetition” is anchored.

But the past is everywhere in the present while the future hovers over everything at the moment and it’s just the perfect time—a concept, at once practical and esoteric, that Swiss watchmaking company Swatch knows like the case back of its masterpieces—to play up an alternate reality.

Just launched as something old, something new is Swatch’s new Bioceramic “What If” collection, a throwback to 1982 when, poised to shake up the watch industry with their philosophy of positive provocation and joie de vivre, the founders of Swatch were confronted with a creative dilemma: In what shape should they launch their gamechanger of a watch brand—as “a round plane figure whose boundary (the circumference) consists of points equidistant from a fixed point (the center),” as Oxford defines a circle, or as “a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles,” as square is defined by the principal dictionary of the English language?

Although “Hip to be Square” by American pop band Huey Lewis and the News would dominate the airwaves four years later, Swatch broke through the market in the round shape in which it has since revolutionized the way people wear time on their wrist. Since its launch, Swatch has had a bright, vibrant, successful, ever-young, and ever-playful story. It is now one of the leading watch manufacturers in the world, whose timepieces are also among the most sought-after.

But what would have been the outcome if, instead of the round watch, it was the square prototype that launched Swatch in 1983? This “what if” question, throwing back to a model that gave way to what has since become a huge success, has prompted the release of four new square-cased Bioceramic What If? watches. 

This exploration of an alternate reality, more than fun, is a challenge to the status quo, pushing the edges of horological design, as it pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of the company.

Revisiting the square watch from 1982 is nothing short of a breakthrough. It has waited 40 years to—as Swatch puts it—“dive headfirst into uncharted waters, break free from the norm, and embrace a life full of fun and zero regrets.” 
Thanks to its innovative patent bioceramic, Swatch is better equipped to square up. Bioceramic combines material sourced from castor bean oil with ceramic powder. Through this technology, Swatch has achieved remarkable strength and durability without the added weight and bulk, as well as eco-consciousness much cherished now—and all these bioceramic attributes came to play in conquering the unique challenges of the square design.

Time now nestles within four corners in the four silky matte styles of the current Bioceramic What If collection. Each of these watches, in the muted gray, green, beige, or black tones of the very first Swatch watches, features an ‘80s-reminiscent yet minimalist dial design with glow-in-the-dark hands and a three o’clock day-date display, all presented in a 33mm x 33mm matte-finished case. 
 

These square watches also carry two pioneering features from Swatch, the biosourced edge-to-edge glass, which provides a striking side view of the dial, and the integrated bioceramic strap, whose bio-sourced material has enabled it to be designed with fine lines and tight edges, which would not have been as doable four decades ago.

As if the watches weren’t enough of a conversation piece, flip to the back and you’ll be doing more time travel with the battery cover imprinted with the dial design of one of the four first 1983 Swatch watches created to mark the 40th anniversary of the Gent, Swatch’s first and emblematic watch. 
 

Swatch is available at the Swatch Shops at SM Megamall, Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 5, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, TriNoma, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, SM City North EDSA, SM Southmall, Shangri-La Plaza, Robinsons Place Manila, and SM City Cebu. Like SwatchPH on Facebook and follow @swatch_ph on Instagram.