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Swatch Internet Time

(or .beat time) is a decimal time system introduced in 1998 by the Swatch corporation as part of their marketing campaign for their line of ".beat" watches. Those without a watch can use the Internet to view the current time on the watchmaker's website.

In March 2001, Ericsson released the T20e, a mobile phone which gave the user the option of displaying Internet Time. In early 1999, Swatch began a marketing campaign about the launch of their Beatnik satellite, intended to service a set of Internet Time watches. They were criticized for planning to use an amateur radio frequency for broadcasting a commercial message (an act banned by international treaties).

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