Beatnik is in Orbit.

DARMSTADT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mission Control, ESA, Planet Earth, 22.4.99 @375

Swatch gives support to MIR mission

The Swatch beatnik satellite is currently orbiting the earth. Built in cooperation with the Russian Space Program, beatnik was launched from the MIR space station during a space walk on April 16, lasting 250 Beats (6 hours). Following MIR communications problems earlier in the mission, beatnik is now providing emergency support to the MIR communications system.

During a press conference here this morning, the MIR crew communicated with Earth, using the battery power of the beatnik. Reported live on the Swatch web site (www.swatch.com), the MIR crew thanked Swatch President, G. Nicolas Hayek Jr, for stepping in when the MIR experienced communications problems. The MIR crew also thanked Swatch for their generous gesture of donating the battery they needed in order for their printer to function properly.

"Our relationship with both the Russian Space Program and NASA dates back sometime, and it was great to realize this project with them," said Hayek during a six minute live link which began @409 and concluded @413. "We are all very happy the MIR space station is fully operational once again and that Swatch could be a part of this great mission."

Beatnik is being used by both the Russian Space Program and NASA to measure ballistic movements during the joint mission. The beatnik lifespan is one month (30,000 Beats) during which it will be controlled by the Russians.

The beatnik Mission was launched in connection with Swatch Internet Time. Created by Swatch and introduced on planet Earth on October 23, 1998, Internet Time is a way of measuring time in cyberspace with Swiss accuracy. As Nicholas Negroponte, founder of The Media Lab at M.I.T. in Boston, said at the launch of Internet Time, "Cyberspace has no seasons and no night and day. In the future, for many people, real time will be Internet Time."

Internet Time eliminates time zones and establishes one universal time. Under Internet Time, the day is divided into 1,000 "beats," each one equal to 86.4 seconds. A new meridian for Internet Time was established at Swatch headquarters in Biel, Switzerland. Now, the global Internet day starts at midnight "Biel Mean Time,"(Wintertime) or "@ 000" Internet Time.

Since its creation, more than 150,000 individuals have downloaded Internet Time from the Swatch web site in order to incorporate it into their own lives, including posting it on their personal computers.

In addition, Swatch has created a new line of digital watches that feature Internet Time, as well as the current time in two global time zones, a countdown until Y2K among its special functions. Available in six designs with cybernames like "Netsurfer" and "Download," the Swatch Beat watch retails for $70 at Swatch stores and on the Swatch web site (www.Swatch.com).

Swatch is a division of The Swatch Group, the world's largest watch manufacturer and distributor with 14 brands, as well as a global leader in microelectronics. In addition to Swatch, the Swatch Group brands include Omega, Hamilton, Longines, Tissot, Rado, Calvin Klein and Flik Flak, among others.