We brought you the Fiona Kruger Skull Watch for Halloween, but with Halloween behind us, the Christmas season is upon us. Poor Thanksgiving gets gobbled up by the ever-earlier end of the year holidays. Just when you are sure the Swiss watch industry is uber serious, along comes the Swatch Holiday Twist watch. This holiday special watch for 2014 is a limited edition of 14,999 (no, not 15,000) watches. Limited Edition numbers for Swatch mean something different than they do for Mrs. Kruger. But that means that this watch for $120 is within reach of more than the “One Percenters” who might be picking up a Patek Philippe or A. Lange & Sohne as a stocking stuffer.

Knowing that Swatch is the most lighthearted brand of the Swatch Group, you would expect some playfulness, and between the watch and their press release, you have to decide for yourself whether to look confused or just smile and go with the holiday flow. For example, those naughty Swatch folks are promoting this watch as (and I’m not making this up) a “festive peep show.” What I assume would normally be a date window exposing a numbered date ring is instead a Christmas Tree shaped window into the holiday unknown. Each day, a new secret will be revealed. Are you feeling dirty yet? Maybe you will, as you wait for a snowman all dressed in pink to appear? Other days you will be treated to stars, bells, parcels, other iconic images of the season or colors of holiday fun.

According to Swatch, the fashion world now claims that gold is the new black. So the dial is a “glittery golden snowball,” and the strap hosts more traditional small white snowballs falling against a “romantic sparkly sky.” That’s all fine, but what’s odd is that this reference is listed as “SUOZ709S HOLIDAY TWIST Model: New Gent.” Yep, this is a gentlemen’s watch. Since Swatch makes a lot of  unisex watches, maybe they just wanted to avoid calling this a ladies model, and thereby driving off male customers. Or since Swatch doesn’t list the size, perhaps it’s sized for a masculine wrist, and that explains the “New Gent” label. But with the sparkly gold on the dial and in the transparent silicone  strap, I can see this watch delighting more ladies than gents. Then again, maybe I’m just a watch Scrooge who prefers alligator straps and metal cases. Perhaps Tiny Tim can lighten me up a bit this holiday season and help me embrace my silicone side.

But wait, there’s more! You also get the special holiday packaging. The number of your watch out of the 14,999 is printed on the outer tube, which is perforated for a see-through effect. The inside tube is printed with metallic finishing and rotates manually, which I assume makes the color bands of the tree cut-outs on the outer tube change. And finally, the golden Christmas Tree topping the packaging may be removed and used to adorn your holiday tree.

Despite being labeled as a “Gents” timepiece, I think this fun watch would make a great holiday stocking stuffer for the lady who puts up with her man’s much more expensive horological toy buying all year long. swatch.ch

Specifications:

Reference: SUOZ709S

Name: HOLIDAY TWIST

Model: New Gent

Dial: White dial with gold-colored glitter and special opening in the shape of a Xmas tree

Case: Transparent polished plastic with gold-colored glitter applied to the front

Bracelet: Transparent silicone with silver- and gold-colored glitter

Special Packaging: Two cardboard tubes – the external tube is perforated for a see-through effect. The inside tube is printed with metallic finishing and rotates manually. Lid with tri-dimensional vertical gold Xmas tree that can be used as a tree decoration.

Available in a limited and numbered edition of 14,999 pieces.

Size: who knows?

Movement: who knows – but no doubt an in-house designed and manufactured caliber of the quartz persuasion.

Available: November 6, 2014.

Price: $120