A Closer Look At The New Swatch X 007 ²Q

Back in February, Swatch released the Swatch X 007 Tribute collection in anticipation of the release of No Time To Die, the latest in the James Bond oeuvre. This set included the Q – a tribute to the series’ famous inventor. And the whole collection quickly sold out.

Like any classic Bond story, the release of Daniel Craig’s last film in the franchise took a few twists and turns.
 

With movie theaters closed because of COVID-19, the premiere of No Time to Die was postponed until November (and now until 2021). The delay gave the Swatch team time to tinker with the original Q tribute, and now the brand has surprised us with a second, exclusive new timepiece: the Limited Edition ²Q.

Here is a look at the latest gadget in Swatch’s 007 arsenal.

In the Bond universe, Q is the head of research and development for the British spy agency, MI6. As Q stands for quartermaster, the letter is more descriptive of the gadget man’s job title rather than a name.
 

In the film series, this character has been played by three different actors: The properly posh Desmond Llewelyn, the upright but uptight John Cleese, and, in the current film, the more youthful but still sufficiently geeky Ben Wishaw. While each has brought a unique energy to the character, they all convey a contagious enthusiasm for the job of inventing very cool gadgets. Who wouldn’t?
 

Likewise, Swatch’s designers have had fun coming up with the ²Q. Using the brand’s signature ultra-thin SKIN Irony silhouette as their starting point, they have cooked up a timepiece that encapsulates traditional British sartorial style with a geeky flair for advanced technology.
 

Like the Q that launched in February, the ²Q is the result of a collaboration with Suttirat Anne Larlarb, No Time To Die’s Costume Designer. As a result, the aesthetic of the 2Q has a well thought out point-of-view as if the designers got into character as Q to create this timepiece.

While both the Q and ²Q share the sleek body of a SKIN Irony, the new ²Q edition has several significant tweaks. For example, instead of a white reverse on the strap, it features a red backing and complementary blue hands (the original had red).
 

The stainless steel ²Q also comes with a brown leather strap embossed with a plaid pattern, a sharp red inner ring, and a sun-brushed dial. To reinforce the 007 connection, the dial displays the letter Q and the Swatch logo at 6 and 12 o’clock, respectively.

All of these details signal to both the brainy character’s sense of sartorial tradition and love of technology.
 

One of the highlights of any Bond film is when Q presents the R&D department’s latest gadgets to Bond. The ²Q also tips its hat to this moment by exposing the mechanics of the movement through the sun-brushed dial. Thus, evoking the many tools and technologies that the inventor uses to craft 007’s latest devices.

Bond fans will also be delighted by the ²Q’s presentation. It comes boxed in a case disguised as a laptop.
 

Priced at $220, the ²Q was released via Swatch’s website, ahead of the global release of No Time To Die which was recently rescheduled to 2021.
 

(Images provided by SWATCH)