I bought this watch in 1996, thinking it was part of the watches that Swatch made for the 1996 Altanta Summer Olympic Games. It kind of looks like an Olympic watch with the figure on the face in laurels.

I knew that the watch was about Dante’s Inferno. For years, I called it my Dante Swatch, but when I looked for its real name, I couldn’t find the watch in the 1996 collection. That’s because it wasn’t in that collection. It was part of the 1994 Spring Summer Collection.

The quote encircling the face reads,

“Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita.”

It is from Dante’s Inferno and means,

“In the middle of our lives.”

The separation of the angels on the top of the watch and the demons on the bottom strap is a pretty good illustration of the concept of heaven and hell. When I wear, it however, heaven and hell become intermingled at the inside of my wrist. I always found that ironic and loved wearing the watch with its original band.

After the cracking of the band on my beloved St. Germain, however, I was reluctant to wear this watch with its original band. I replaced it with a plain black band and I ended up not liking the watch as much in the process. Despite removing the band, there is still some aging to it. Notice the yellowing behind the angels. I don’t think it looked THAT yellow when I first got the watch.

Fortunately, Squiggly.com, specializes in providing bands for Swatches. I have two brand new bands for this watch on the way from them, so I can wear this watch with its original band as often as I want now.

I bought this watch during the heyday of the first Dot Com boom. There was a Swatch store in Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. I remember wishing that we had our own Swatch store in Salt Lake City. We DID get one at the now defunct Crossroads Mall. They set up the store right before the 2002 Utah Winter Olympics and closed it soon after. This is the ONE watch that I bought at that store. Mostly, I just bought bands, guards and batteries there to keep my Swatches alive and beautiful.

I wonder how big Salt Lake City will have to become before we can get a Swatch store again, because the Olympics aren’t coming back any time soon.