Swatch Omega

2022 - 3 - 24

moonswatch

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Straits Times"

Omega and Swatch unveil the MoonSwatch (The Straits Times)

SINGAPORE - For more than a week, the horological world was in a tizzy, wondering what was brewing between Omega and Swatch.

What we've been able to do, by having Gregory very much involved, it's like adding that with a new shape, new dials, everything is new in that. "And on the other side, Swatch is an icon because it saved the Swiss watch industry. There are 11 models, each in a different colour and named after planetary bodies.

Introducing: We're Ready To Talk About The Omega x Swatch ... (HODINKEE)

The super secret is out, and now we have the MoonSwatch in our lives. And what is that? Well it's basically an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, but Swatchified.

This is the one called Mission to Uranus, and yes, I still laugh like a 10-year-old every time I say that. I'm also not the target audience for the Mission to Venus watch – and not because it's pink. So it's a drag that both Omega and Swatch saw the need to accessorize the pink variation with what they call "a touch of feminine elegance," via subsidiary dials accentuated with diamond-like details. The Mission to the Sun is equally loud and impressive with its yellow case and sunray (I see what they did there) dial. The Mission on Earth model feels a bit off to me. Mission to Earth uses the green of its continents to inform a green case, coupled with a blue dial and brown hands. The dial design is not a carbon-copy of a Speedy. Unlike the Moonwatch, the Speedmaster wordmark is positioned on the left side of the dial, and the MoonSwatch lettering is on the right. The watches are co-branded both at 12-o'clock on the dial, and on the signed crown. That's a great price for something playing off the iconic design of the Speedmaster. One way to think about it is as an extra-fancy Swatch that serves as a gateway to finer mechanical horology. In all, there are 11 variations of the new MoonSwatch – effectively, 11 colorways – that each correspond to a specific planetary object. Mission to Neptune features a full blue aesthetic (like the planet) with a contrasting blue dial, and a very blue case.

The $260 Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Has Landed (WIRED)

You read that right, $260. Plus this playful take on the iconic Speedmaster comes in multiple colors and is made from the group's Bioceramic material.

Of course, at $260 (including tax), these MoonSwatches do not house Omega's automatic movement, but instead feature a quartz engine powered by a battery, just like regular Swatches. The dials, however, all carry “Omega X Swatch” branding and the Speedmaster logo, alongside the new MoonSwatch moniker. With its wider Bioceramic collection, Swatch has been giving its watches a taste of these benefits even though they remain, in essence, plastic. Although Omega says the collection is not limited in quantity, the pieces will likely leave store shelves as quickly as they arrive.

Omega and Swatch’s surprise £207 MoonSwatch (unknown)

Is it a cheap Speedmaster? A fancy Swatch? Or a brilliant mix of the two?

This is not the first time that Swatch has riffed off Omega. In the past Swatch has taken advantage of Omega’s position as the official timepiece of 007 to release a boxed set of Bond-villain-inspired watches. Importantly, it brings the Speedmaster into the market for design-led, entry-level quartz timepieces that have been issued by boutique (Furlan Marri) and big (Cartier) brands alike, but in a way that only Swatch Group could do. The MoonSwatch rehearses the familiar tropes in a way that speaks to the philatelically minded collector: viz the “dot over 90” tachymeter bezel, the 42mm case diameter, and the recessed subdials.

Omega and Swatch introduce affordable Speedmaster-inspired MoonSwatch (unknown)

Omega, the Swiss watchmaker behind the Speedmaster Professional that was selected by NASA for use on the Apollo lunar landings, has collaborated with its sister company Swatch to create the MoonSwatch, a collection of solar system-inspired watches ...

The back of each MoonSwatch features a battery cover decorated with an image of the planet or astronomical body for which the model is named. A similar strap was used to wear the Omega Speedmaster over the astronauts' spacesuits. The chronograph also forgoes Omega's precision mechanical movements (opens in new tab) for Quartz. The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch collection includes 11 models, each named for a different body in our solar system. What really separates the MoonSwatch from its inspiration, though, is its price tag. "Omega's Moonwatch is legendary and a must-have for collectors.

The Omega x Swatch collab will drop exclusively at Swatch Pavilion KL tomorrow (unknown)

The Omega x Swatch collaboration introduces the 11-piece BIOCERAMIX MoonSwatch collection that reimagines Omega's iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch.

Swipe the gallery to take a look at the BIOCERAMIX MoonSwatch collection: The watches are crafted in Swatch’s patented BIOCERAMIC, an innovative sustainable blend of ceramic and bio-sourced plastic the watchmaker introduced in 2021. From the asymmetrical case to the Speedmaster subdials, the unmistakable identities of Speedmaster Moonwatch stay, reinterpreted in a curated palette inspired by the planets.