The YAS100G is a quartz movement watch with an analog display. Spring-loaded pushers, crown and bezel are designed for ultimate comfort and convenience. The textured matte black ion plated case has a large 43mm diameter case in order to fit the hand most comfortablely.
The "swatch irony v8" is a watch that has been released recently. The watch is made by the company Swatch and it is called "Body & Soul". This review will go over the features of the watch, as well as some pros and cons.
- Irony Automatic Body & Soul Collection
- Swiss ETA Automatic Movement
- 30 Meters / 100 Feet / 3 ATM Water Resistant
- 38mm Case Diameter
- Mineral Crystal
In This Article...
Every Watch Enthusiast Goes Through a “Skeleton” Phase. If You’re There Now, the Swatch “Body & Soul” YAS100G is a Pretty Affordable Pick.
But how excellent is it? Today, we hope to find an answer to that question.
The Tissot Squelette is the other skeleton watch I've worn extensively (read the review if you want to see me gush for more than 1,500 words). But I've worn a lot of open hearts from different manufacturers, including the Jazzmaster Open Heart, the Bulova 97A121 and 96A101, and the Stuhrling Acheron. This Swatch is the second I've worn since they provide a taste but aren't actual skeletons (and behind my lens).
The Body and Soul has an MSRP little over $175, but savvy Amazon customers will find it for under $150. A variety of mechanical or motorized skeletons are available for $150. How much superior is the Swatch, and why?
Let's get going.
Swatch “Body & Soul” YAS100G Technical Specifications
- YAS100G is the model number.
- MSRP: $185
- 38mm case diameter
- "Uncle Charly" is another possible model. YAS112G
- Automatic with an ETA 2841
- No complications
- 48 hours of estimated power reserve
- Water Resistance: 99 feet/30 meters
- Mineral makes up the crystals.
Swatch is a Significant Player in the Market
One of the biggest companies in the watch industry, the Swatch Group has brands ranging from budget to very opulent. Bruguet, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Hamilton, Mido, Certina, and a few more are a few of them.
Swatch watches are also produced by them. You wouldn't be incorrect to think of a Swatch watch as being more style-focused than horologically important (or even relevant), given they are often seen at malls and are typically composed of plastic or rubber. However, here we have an automatic with an ETA that costs less than $150. (or net, I guess).
It’s hard to find an automatic, made by a major brand, using a Swiss movement at the price that you can buy the Body & Soul for. Swatch is able to do it because they happen to also own ETA.
WYCA Suggests Amazon
Buy a watch from Amazon if you enjoy what we do and want to help us. On timepieces purchased through Amazon, a two-year warranty is often included. They also provide quick delivery and reasonable costs.
You should be aware that WYCA earns a roughly 4% fee on the sale of the watch you purchase if you click on advertisements. The cost you pay is unaffected by this.
However, it does enable us to buy camera equipment ($5,000+ since 2013), software licenses (such as Adobe Photoshop), site hosting, and other things. Oh, and it also enables us to purchase additional watches.
The ETA 2841 is in the aesthetic lead. Mmm…
It's simple to get dazzled by the minutiae while examining a skeleton watch. Many manufacturers, most notably Chinese ones, like decluttering and embellishing the trend. For this, Stuhrling Original is renowned. This may, in my view, be done to an extreme degree, and rather than improving the aesthetic value of a watch, an excessively adorned movement actually devalues it.
Swatch avoids making this error in this instance by keeping the movement's front and rear mostly undecorated. On the dial, there are a number of gears and jewels, and their colors—gold for the gears and ruby for the... rubies—supply the watch's missing hue.
As you could have guessed, I like it a lot. Letting the movement speak for itself elevates the artwork and makes for some wonderful photographs (even if the bezel and bracelet try to accomplish the opposite).
The bracelet (with deployant clasp), case, and bezel of the watch are all prominently branded. Such branding would consign the YAS100G to "fashion watch" status if it weren't for the ETA movement within. It completely demolishes the artwork (in my humble opinion). Since the logo is carved into the stainless steel and most of the time you'll be looking at the dial rather than the bezel, it's simple to miss the Swatch everywhere theme.
Automatic Movement ETA 2841
The movement is an interesting thing. The source movement is an ETA-2824, but the 2841 has been modified to suit the needs of the YAS100G. Most notably, the date-wheel and hacking functions have been removed in order to reduce cost and show off the mainspring. The BPH has also been reduced from 28,800 to 21,600 (at 21,600 bph, the Body & Soul beats on par with other watches in this category – thanks to Claudiu for the correction).
Online, there is a lot of rumor that some of the pieces have been changed from metal to plastic (the escape wheel and pallet are the two most commonly discussed). There is plastic in there, most notably the blue pallet fork and escape wheel. How well these components stand up will be revealed in time (ha).
The seconds hand clearly "ticks" rather than sweeps, but it does so with a smoother motion than the 7S26 and lower-end Miyota automatics (both of which are found inside the Seiko 5 series of watches). It is only fitting that it continues to trundle along at this rate given its entry-level pricing.
Accuracy
I've discovered that this specific YAS100G is running +17 seconds using my favorite program, Toolwatch.io. That's not great, but I think it's reasonable given the watch's pricing.
Unfortunately, the display caseback seems to be forced into place, so I'm not sure whether the back can be opened easily. If such is the case, regulating it to increase accuracy could be too costly to be worthwhile or perhaps impossible.
Operation
- Pull the crown to the furthest position to change the time (position 2). To change the time, turn the crown counterclockwise.
- Keep the crown in the active position (position 1) and crank it clockwise to wind the mainspring.
The Body & Soul Might be the Only Swatch Automatic I Review
I was originally eager to get my hands on one of the Sistem51 series watches from Swatch to evaluate and take pictures of. However, my excitement for the piece somewhat decreased as I discovered that the Sistem51 cannot be maintained. I believe it is wasteful to make a watch that can only be replaced and cannot be mended. Making a product that has to be replaced whenever anything goes wrong seems willfully foolish in today's environment, when there is an ever-increasing emphasis on sustainability.
Thankfully, the Body & Soul does not suffer the same lack of consideration in its design. Swatch Canada has confirmed that the YAS100G can indeed be serviced. Not by your local watchmaker, mind you, but by a Swatch service center. For me, this means shipping my watch across the country should something go wrong.
It's vital to remember that Swatch offers a 2-year guarantee in the event that a manufacturer's problem necessitates repair.
I have few issues outside the too ambitious branding and the only adequate stainless steel band. The YAS100G is a fantastic watch with a Swiss movement that is otherwise excellent. It's a watch that appeals to both the 17-year-old and the 31-year-old halves of me, which is quite difficult to achieve these days.
Swatch “Body & Soul” YAS100G Photo Gallery
Visit the Swatch Body & Soul gallery on WristWatch.Photography for more high-res photos.
Related Tags
- swatch irony aluminium
- swatch irony chrono
