► MoonSwatch is an Omega Swatch production
► In stores now
► Just £207 for MoonSwatch and £245 for Gold edition
The Omega MoonSwatch is back, and this time with a golden twist. Like the previous collaboration, the new watch is an entirely different take on the Speedmaster formula, and brings in some classic looks with new materials – and a significantly lower price point. This time, however, the hybrid watch features a golden seconds hand coated with Omega Moonshine Gold.
Produced at the brand’s own refinery, Moonshine is an 18k yellow gold alloy made exclusively by Omega, and it looks a little paler in natural light.
Anything else?
Yes. Every golden hand was made under a full moon in February, and each watch comes with a certificate too. The price is £245 – £38 more than the original MoonSwatch, and it’ll only be available to buy today, again in store only – and only at four selected locations: London, Milan, Zürich and Tokyo. The reason? Each city has a close connection with gold.
Everything else you need to know
The Omega Speedmaster is already available in several different iterations – all of which pick and choose different features of Speedmasters throughout the years – as well as adding their own. In constrast, the MoonSwatch breaks entirely new ground, but does so with a nod to the original watch.
Available in a range of 11 colour schemes, each designed to convey a different a different planet in the solar system, the MoonSwatch is far more vibrant than the standard ‘Speedy’ – but loosely follows the same design.
Take a quick look at the new collaboration, and you’ll see the same chronograph dials, albeit spaced in a slightly different way to the original. As you’d expect the branding on the face is different too, and also features both the Swatch and Omega logos.
But at 42mm by 13mm, it takes the same form as the Speedmaster, and features the same Super LumiNova luminescent dials.
Another change comes in the materials used; the MoonSwatch will use Swatch’s own BioCeramic material which is 2/3s ceramic and 1/3 bio-derived plastics. It’s also an automatic quartz watch, so it won’t need to be wound like a most Speedmasters.
Is this a good idea?
The reaction to the new MoonSwatch has been huge but mixed. Although an entirely new watch, the MoonSwatch does just enough to affect the perception of the standard Speedmaster. To some, it can be see as eroding the prestive of the standard watch; after all, it looks pretty similar on first glance. To others, including some Speedmaster owners – it’s being viewed as a fun daily, and a way to get more people in the Omega family. In the bike world, consider the Yamaha R125 and the R7; both play on the styling of the flagship R1, but both encourage owners to upgrade to the 1000cc bike later on.
Each MoonSwatch will cost £207 and demand means there’s going to be limit of two per customer.