Swatch has offered its latest wristwatch-shaped canvas to German artist Olaf Hajek who has created a pair of art-inspired watches.
Flowerhead and Nature Man are the latest Swatch watches to emerge from the 30 year relationship between the watch company and the art world that has seen dozens of artists create unique designs under the Swatch Art Special collection.
The artist and illustrator ‘explores the relationship between imagination and reality’ through his work which is described as ‘always colourful, often surreal and slightly off-kilter’.
The Flowerhead watch follows Hajek’s recent series of vibrant portraits of black women with the face of a woman, clothed in a tangle of plants and flowers, present on the dial. The idea was to present an image of luxury, opulence and beauty that had nothing to do with wealth and prosperity.
Hajek commented that the woman “is wearing the idea of the whole of nature on her head—the beauty as well as the birth and death and the evanescence.”
Nature Man again uses the dial to present a face, this time a formal portrait of a blue-green man gazing into the distance from a surreal landscape. The hands on both watches are represented as leaves and stems.
Hajek said of the design project: “It was a challenge to transfer my artwork into the design of the watches. I loved the idea to create this couple. Both are the perfect match to express my personal style and taste.”
Both pieces are available as part of a limited edition (888 pieces) set in special packaging while Flowerhead is available individually in an unlimited run from March 21st.
