RANKIN STARS IN NEW EPISODE OF SWATCH & ART LOVE STORY

The never-ending love story between SWATCH and Art continues to delight followers of the popular Swiss brand with new creations from leading international artists. Famed British fashion photographer Rankin has created eight new watches in the classic Gent Original format to enrich the SWATCH & ART COLLECTION. Five are presented in the form of a set in their own special packaging, available in a limited and numbered edition of 777 pieces. Three additional Gents designed by the British photographer are sold separately in unlimited editions.

London-based photographer and director Rankin's images continue to create the hallmarks of contemporary iconography. Co-founder of a trend-setting magazine, his work ranges from portraits of celebrities to those of displaced persons in the Congo. He has earned a reputation for creative portraiture, and his work, which often questions established notions of beauty, appears regularly in galleries around the world, as well as on billboards and magazine covers. As a director, he has shot music videos for top-selling artists, commercials for global brands and the award-winning feature film, "The Lives of the Saints". He is also known as a documentary filmmaker for "The Seven Photos that Changed Fashion", "South Africa in Pictures" and, shortly released, "Shooting the Stars", which traces the history of photography in Hollywood. Rankin also supports a number of charities. He lives and works in north London, based out of the studio and gallery that he had purpose-designed.

Rankin says: 'When Swatch approached me to design a range of watches, I was immensely flattered. Like so many people, my first watch was a Swatch - it's an iconic brand that holds such a special place in people's hearts. So it was an exciting challenge to be given the opportunity to design a Swatch watch myself.

I had many ideas for designs, but ultimately I wanted something that was simple and impactful, and represented something meaningful to me. I also wanted the watches to be fun and playful -1 try to inject humour into all of my work, and this was no exception. I chose to use the images from the Eyescapes series, which I shot a few years ago. The photographs depict eyes in extreme close-up, at which point they take on the undulating and expansive qualities of a landscape photograph. Eyes are my favourite part of the body and getting the best out of them, are my stock-in-trade as a portrait photographer - I am constantly saying to subjects, 'smile with your eyes'. Now I hope that people will walk around with the eyes that I love, on their wrists!'



RRP £36.5O