As the Mid-Autumn Festival draws near, Swiss Balco has officially released the brand’s micro-film, entitled Time Memory, to mark its 90th anniversary. The micro-film uses time as the starting point to tell stories about ordinary people and describe unusual sentiments about time.

        For the past 90 years, Balco has promoted a positive attitude towards life and shown care for the community. The micro-film focuses on “protecting, inheriting, loving,” drawing on real-life examples and developing the story based on the background of young people today. The micro-film uses a watch (to symbolise time) as the unifying theme, in order to inspire everyone struggling in big cities to find their own “shadow,” to connect them with something they can resonate with – and to inspire reflection about life. 

A microscopic perspective to describe everyday things

        Time Memory was the creation of a well-known director. A middle-aged man is the micro-film’s main protagonist. The story starts when his business partner forgets to meet up with him. What ensues is a mixture of emotions between people, in their personal, family and business lives. Everyone has their own life, which resembles a railway track and includes childhood happiness, growing pains, family, career and responsibilities. In the micro-film, the protagonist and his business partner are quite alike: they toil away at work, but when they face the same thing, their choices are different. What do we learn from the time that has slipped away from us …?

        The film uses a topical scenario to make viewers think. It adopts the scene + narration structure to combine visual language with philosophical sentiment. It transmits the core message immediately, so the audience can quickly resonate with it. It expounds on the true meaning of life, and on brand values. It also attempts a new interpretation of time (watches), provoking profound thought. 

Protecting happiness, passing on love

        “In fact, time does not go away. It’s just that we lack the will to stop and stay.”

        When we were young we were showered with fatherly love. He was the man we all depended on. When we grow up, we often find that time is not enough, since we are so busy falling in love, travelling and working. It’s seldom that we can find the time to return home and visit our parents. We are nostalgic for the lollipop sold on the street corner for 5 cents, we miss riding on the back of father’s bicycle, and miss the taste of mother’s cooking. These good things from our past replay in our minds like films. However, the reality is that we cannot squeeze out the time to just have a meal and a hearty chat with our parents. Slowly but surely, even a little time with them has become a luxury. In interlaced space-time, or upbeat music, can we find ourselves? The watch is a vessel of time. How will the passing of time, that happens on our own wrists, inspire thinking about life amid all the good old memories?

 

        It is a story told in a few minutes, but it provides a philosophy of life. When we go after our dreams in the big cities, we should not forget our family, and should love our beloved. Happiness needs protection, and love is passed on just like Swiss Balco. For 90 years, it was protected and passed on, crystallising the wisdom of time and quietly growing with us.

        Life may make us forget about time, but do not let time forget about life. Watch Time Memory for an idea of how to approach life, so you do not regret any moment.

        Time Memory can be viewed on Tencent, Youku, Tudou and other major video-sharing platforms. Don’t miss it.