Barcelona, the muse of Swatch's new watch with Javier Mariscal

Art has the power to transport us to incredible places, and to express and develop itself in any space. Like turning a watch into a canvas and paying homage to a city on it. This is what the Swiss watch brand Swatch has done with its Swatch Destination Art Barcelona: a tribute to the best of Barcelona, by the hand of artist Javier Mariscal.

The company, which has been collaborating with artists and museums since its inception, has chosen Barcelona to expand its collection of watches that end up becoming "works of art on a wrist." Since its founding in 1983, one of Swatch's objectives has been to "create a creative universe, providing a small —and luxurious— canvas to artists who have wanted to express their art, passion, and way of seeing life." This was explained this Tuesday by Gonzalo de Cevallos, general director of the Swatch Spain group for 25 years, at the presentation of the new Swatch model, Grancelona.

From the stage and accompanied by a mischievous Javier Mariscal, he explained the love story between Barcelona and Swatch, which began in the early 90s. It was then, in fact, that his relationship with Javier Mariscal also began. The artist designed the first store of the watch brand in Barcelona, "very advanced for its time."

And the collaboration resumed again in 2023 when the company decided to have a direct street-level presence again in the Catalan capital, opening a flagship in the heart of Paseo de Gracia, in the premises where Rolex was just before. For the store, the brand asked Mariscal to create a large mural of the city. And that mural, artistically deconstructed by the Palo Alto venue where the brand held the presentation, is also what can be seen on the strap and dial of the new Swatch Grancelona.

The illustration reflects Javier Mariscal's vision of Barcelona. "With its rhythm, vitality, and grandeur," explains the brand. Mariscal, with his usual humor and mischievous irreverence, explains his work to the guests. An explanation in which he compacts humor, criticism, and passion, in which Trump, Rajoy, or even Jordi Pujol appear without rhyme or reason, but in which an extremely vocational raison d'être is concluded: "We are here for love." To art, to culture, and to Barcelona.

In the mural, Mariscal has placed the Swatch store in the heart of a striking map that brings together more than 60 emblematic places in the city. With an energetic color palette, the design offers a very personal vision of the city, both the center and its most distant neighborhoods, which the artist considers essential to understand its identity. "The sea, the port, the central park, Tibidabo, Diagonal and all the layout of the main avenues, give graphic identity to this new Swatch model," explains Javier.

Javier Mariscal, a multidisciplinary artist and winner of numerous awards, brings a touch of daring and fun to everything he touches. A lover of challenges, he has always been guided by creative freedom. He has exhibited in internationally renowned museums and design institutions, and his work ranges from brand identity and furniture design to large-scale architectural projects.

From the wrist to a destination

Grancelona, for example, was preceded by Madrid Destination Art last year. Designed by the artist Gonhdo, the watch covered the city's theater, art, architecture, fashion, and even public transport, to end with a tasty touch on the dial: the indices are the ingredients of Madrid stew.

"Swatch Destination Art can only be purchased in the honored city"

They also detail a particularity: Swatch Destination Art can only be purchased in the honored city. That is, Grancelona can only be purchased in Swatch stores in the city and at the airport.

Grancelona thus joins the Destination Art collection as more than just a watch: a tribute to a city, which can now be worn on the wrist by one of its most recognizable artists.