Exactly two years ago today, on 26th March 2022, Swatch and Omega collaborated to bring out the “MoonSwatch”. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with this release, this is a watch that has been produced by Swatch but is inspired by the iconic, moon-venturing Omega model known as the Speedmaster Moonwatch.
Swatch x Omega Moonswatch with the Omega Speedmaster. Credit: WatchGecko.
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It was undoubtedly the most exciting collaboration of 2022, helped by a whole lot of online and print teasing from both Swatch and Omega. Notably, full page ads appeared in The New York Times with headlines reading "It's time to change your Swatch," or "It's time to change your Omega." No one knew what it meant until two days before the MoonSwatch’s official launch, when a press release basically broke the internet.
Swatch announced they were creating their own version of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch and rather ingeniously named it the “MoonSwatch”. Rather than arriving with a classic steel case, it would be made from Swatch’s Bioceramic, a material comprised of ceramic and bio-derived plastic made from the seeds of a castor plants. Like ceramic, it’s a lightweight, scratch resistant and smooth material that can be coloured in a variety of configurations. And the configurations just kept coming.
Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch. Credit: WatchGecko.
They launched a total of 11 MoonSwatches on 26th March, each inspired by a different celestial body in our solar system. The “Mission to the Moon” model is the closest in style to the original Omega Speedmaster, opting for a classic black dial and bezel. The others play around with colour; there’s pink for Venus, yellow for the sun, grey for Mercury, blue and green for Earth, white and red for Mars and so on…
Of course, the design isn’t a carbon-copy of an Omega Speedmaster. There are a few tweaks here and there; the chronograph counters are more spaced out to accommodate the quartz movement and there’s lettering added to the dial for the Swatch and MoonSwatch logos. But all in all, these watches retain the Speedmaster’s iconic personality.
Omega Speedmaster. Credit: WatchGecko.
The Omega Speedmaster is, for many, a must-have for every watch collection, so to obtain a watch with the Omega Speedmaster logo on it for less than $300 was a no brainer. All you need to do is type into your favourite search engine “MoonSwatch queues” to appreciate the madness that followed the MoonSwatch’s launch. The watches were sold exclusively in select Swatch boutiques which in turn saw millions gather onto the streets to get their hands on the non-limited release.
It became quickly apparent that getting hold of the MoonSwatch wasn’t going to be as easy as initially expected. Long queues meant stock shortages and despite customers unable to buy more than two at once, they were appearing on the second-hand market for £1,000 a pop. Those living in the sticks also held out for the design to be made available online, but alas, that’s sadly something still yet to transpire.
Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch. Credit: WatchGecko.
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So now that two years have passed, do we think the initial hype for the MoonSwatch is still alive? Had you asked me this a week or two ago, I might have sat on the fence a little. The answer seemed to be yes and no. The hysteria we witnessed on its launch was nothing short of extraordinary and it was a hype that lasted a good while longer than most watch launches. Swatch revealed they had sold more than one million MoonSwatches in total by the end of 2022, and no doubt that figure has grown since then.
Ultimately though, the initial hype did seem to quieten down significantly, and whilst you could definitely argue that we couldn’t expect street-long queues forever, all that may now be changing and it seems that the craze is far from over…
“Houston, the Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE has landed. A new model, all in white to celebrate the full moon, has touched down on the moon smoothly, in the planned location and on schedule.”
MOONSWATCH MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE - Credit Swatch
For those of you adamant that any remaining hype for the MoonSwatch would have to come from future releases, you might be interested to hear that another MoonSwatch has just landed. In honour of the two-year anniversary, the long-awaited unveiling of Swatch's Mission to the Moonphase has re-lit an obsession for many as Swatch combines a moon phase with a chronograph for the first time in the brand’s history.
A Peanuts-themed timepiece isn’t a first for either Omega or Swatch, with the cartoon pooch appearing on several Speedmasters over the years. But with some of the latter retailing for close to £25,000, a sub £300 Snoopy Moonswatch makes this iconic model accessible to fans worldwide.
With this new non-limited watch being added to the family, I've no doubt that the MoonSwatch is bound to have collectors in a frenzy once more.
But what do you guys think? Do you think the Snoopy MoonSwatch can fully reawaken the hype? Do you plan to join the queues to buy one? Or did you already buy the original MoonSwatch? If so, do you still love it? We’d love to know your thoughts down in the comments below.
