Back in 1986...
Zurich awakens – and the watch industry senses the dawn of a new era.
Swatch model from 1986 featuring a motif by Keith Haring.
"Touch me” croons Samantha Fox on every channel, while Diego Armando Maradona responds to the call in his very own way: in the World Cup quarter-final against England, the Argentine sends the ball into the net with the infamous “Hand of God”. Just three minutes later, he follows it up with a breathtaking run across half the pitch, scoring what would become known as the “Goal of the Century”. The tournament in Mexico makes history, electrifies audiences and signals a turning point in Zurich as well. What later becomes known as public viewing begins to take shape in 1986. People go out together to watch football in pubs and bars, gathering before and after the matches on pavements and squares outside the venues, celebrating the here and now. A near-Mediterranean joie de vivre spreads through Zurich, as if somebody had flicked a switch after a spring still marked by deep pessimism following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the shooting spree of Günther Tschanun.
Carried along by the summer mood, a scene emerges that sees itself as an alternative to established cultural institutions such as the Opera House, the Kunsthaus and the Tonhalle. Leading the way is the Studiokino Razzia cinema in Seefeld, which, in what was still a disreputable district, shifts the cultural temperature with its bold, forward-looking approach and anticipates the area’s transformation into a scene-setting neighbourhood. Before long, it becomes fashionable to live here, and rents begin to rise. The term “Seefeldisation” takes hold long before “gentrification” enters into common parlance.
Zurich turns 2,000 years old and celebrates with
400 plastic lions. / The World Cup in Mexico writes history with Maradona’s “Hand of God”.
400 plastic lions. / The World Cup in Mexico writes history with Maradona’s “Hand of God”.
A PLASTIC WATCH AS SAVIOUR
But it is not only Zurich that reinvents itself in 1986. Switzerland’s watch industry, badly shaken by the quartz crisis, also senses the dawn of a new era – thanks to an affordable, fashionable plastic watch called Swatch. Nicolas Hayek's masterstroke saves the watch industry from collapse and becomes a symbol of success. In its wake, mechanical creations such as IWC’s “Da Vinci” also play their part in the turnaround. Export figures begin to rise again, and the label “Swiss Made” regains its lustre. It marks the beginning of a new era for the Swiss watch industry, which has reinvented itself through innovation and a shrewd market strategy.
Meanwhile, at Beyer Chronometrie, Bahnhofstrasse 31, a handover takes place: the legendary “watch whisperer” Theodor Beyer steps back, with his wife Annette, daughter Muriel and son René taking over. Among the many well-known personalities who pass through Beyer’s doors, one stands out in particular three years later: the reigning football world champion Diego Armando Maradona. He chooses several Patek Philippe models for the “wrist of God” and ultimately purchases ten watches – for himself, for his future wife and for deserving teammates at SSC Napoli.
René Beyer und Muriel Zahn-Beyer übernehmen von Vater Theodor Beyer.
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