In 1969, the Omega watch became the first timepiece worn on the Moon. For over half a century, the Omega Speedmaster has been the watch chosen by astronauts for the most critical missions. At the announcement of a new collaboration with Swatch to make an accessible version of the new chronograph, the whole world went haywire. On March 26, the release date, very long lines were recorded in stores worldwide, and there is even talk of brawls and beatings.
The Swatch interpretation of Omega’s greatest icon is a watch available in eleven space-inspired models, named after planets and stars, and accessible to everyone. The cost for the Speedmaster-MoonSwatch is about 260 euros, a price far from that of the Omega chronograph.
The collection launched by Swatch in collaboration with Omega is made of bioceramics, the new material of the street watch company that consists of two-thirds ceramic and one-third material derived from castor oil, and has the Velcro strap. All the dials of the models in the collection are characterized by the “OMEGA X SWATCH” brand, with the iconic Speedmaster logo and the new MoonSwatch logo. At the center of the crystal of the watch hides an “S.” In addition, the seconds, minutes, and hours hands of the chronograph are made of Super-LumiNova to shine in the dark. Finally, the back of each model has an engraved image of the planetary body that inspired its design.
But this race to hoarding and reselling that increased prices by more than seven times compared to the original value is unjustified. The leaders of Omega and Swatch have specified that the Moonswatch is not a limited edition, so it will be produced generally without any limitation.
