XLite Series – A light one from Swatch

Recently, Swatch has been the most talked-about watch brand in the industry, primarily due to their launch of the MoonSwatch (pictured below). It was quite popular at the recently concluded ‘Watch and Wonders 2022’ even though it wasn’t exhibited.

                                           (MoonSwatch: Mission to Mercury. Ref: Swatch.com)

This model has disrupted the watch-market and from my perspective, for the better-good. It has given the opportunity for many to experience the Omega Moonwatch at a much lower price, albeit, there are stark differences between the watches in terms of movement as well as finishing quality, however, it’s a boon to those who collect watches but cannot afford the higher-end models. I will look to review the MoonSwatch when I get my hands on one (The stores in Dubai run out in the first of couple hours upon restocking).

Swatch Group has a rich history and is the one who pulled the Swiss watch industry out of the water during the ‘Quartz Crisis’ with their fun, colourful, affordable, unique concept watches. In addition to the Swatch product line, the group also owns Omega, Longines, Rado, Mido, Tissot, Hamilton just to name a few, and runs the ETA movement company. In this article, I am going to focus on one of Swatch’s fun, colourful and good-looking line called the Irony XLite Series.

       (Ref: WristReview)

As you can see, it comes in a variety of colour combinations with some models for adults and some aimed at the younger generation. This line was launched in 2015 and since it was part of the Irony collection, it does feature some metal, in this case, aluminium. There are two versions, the chronograph and three-hand models with the price ranging from $120 - $175. When they were first released, the focus was on how light the watch was, even though it had a metal finish. At the time it was launched in India, six options were available as shown in the picture below. While the launch happened, I was travelling in Australia and managed to buy one at the Sydney Duty-Free saving me a few thousand Rupees.

                                 (Ref: A Blog To Watch)

I went with the most subtle of the lot – Reference number YYS4000AG, also known as Black Energy. This was the most elegant for me out of the choices, with the full aluminium (Something I wanted in the watch), black variation on the case, black dial with white markers, three sub-dials, red stop-watch hand, black crown, and black pushers. This was the chronograph version with the bottom sub-dial acting as the seconds hand and the date depicted at 3 o’clock position. The blue version (Reference number YYS4001AG, also known as Endless Energy) was also beautiful with a shiny texture on the dial, but I felt the black was more of a daily wear.

                                                              (This is my XLite Black Energy)

The case size is big at 45mm but sits well on the wrist with the 12mm case thickness and 50mm lug-to-lug. The strap size is 20mm, and while it does have an integrated bracelet system, it can still be changed as per one’s preference. The watch has a Swiss Quartz movement, water-resistant up to 100ft and a mineral crystal which is considered to be scratch-resistant which I can attest, as I have put it through some rough use, but the glass does not have any scratches, while the rest of watch does (Obviously, it’s made of aluminium). The biggest ‘to-buy’ factor of the watch, in addition to it’s looks is the lightness, doesn’t feel like it’s on your wrist, yet you know that you have a watch on your wrist – It's one of those things which is hard to explain!

The model has been discontinued, but you can still find in the market – I did check Jomashop, and while it is listed on their website at around $128, it’s out of stock. Further research led me to the Crivelli shopping website which does have stock, but is priced slightly higher at around 170 Euros ($180). They do have most of the models available and they seem to be a genuine website on checking trustpilot.com and scamadviser.com, however, I would recommend you check it yourself before purchasing from them.

If you are interested in a watch that is light, has a fun factor, chronograph with some level of water resistance, is less than $200, and is a Swiss brand, then go for it. It is an everyday watch with an edge to it!