After teasing it via social media for a week and taking out full page newspaper ads, high-end Swiss timepiece-maker OMEGA and watch giant Swatch announced a collaboration using Omega’s iconic Speedmaster “Moonwatch” as an inspiration.
The “MoonSwatch” has the same dial as the OMEGA Speedmaster chronograph, but instead of a metal case, it has a “bioceramic” one, and the movement is quartz, not the NASA flight-certified mechanical movement that the Moonwatch is known for.
Of course, watch collaborations aren’t new – Audemars Piguet x Marvel, TAG Heuer x Nintendo, and Bulgari x MB&F, to name a few – but a collaboration between two Swiss watch giants draws more of a parallel to the macro scale fashion collaborations that have infiltrated the fashion industry, such as adidas x Gucci, Yeezy GAP Engineered by Balenciaga, and Fendace.
The MoonSwatch, unlike the original Speedmaster, comes in 11 different colorways, each named after a different planetary object or mission. “Mission to Sun” is yellow, “Mission to Moon” is black, and “Mission to Venus” is pink.
Swatch and OMEGA are part of the massive Swatch Group (SWGAY) brand syndicate, which also includes Breguet, Longines, and Hamilton, to name a few.
OMEGA sees the collaboration as a method to expand the brand rather than diminish it. “The Swatches are ideal for new Moonwatch fans, and I can’t think of a more appropriate icon for our collaborative project,” said OMEGA President and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann in a statement.
“The barrier to entry for these products isn’t meant to be price but rather difficulty in finding one that is in stock,” Ariel Adams, founder of aBlogtoWatch says about the mania. “The game to get one for many people is already on. The hype machine is on at nearly full power.”
While it is uncommon for high-end, exclusive watch brands to make their products available to the general public, OMEGA’s first partnership with a popular brand appears to be a big triumph in terms of sales and marketing. It remains to be seen if those aspiring watch collectors will be able to obtain a MoonSwatch at retail costs.
Beginning Saturday, March 26, the MoonSwatch will be available only in select Swatch stores around the world. We are excited about the bright colors and collaboration between the two watch industry titans, as well as the $260 price tag.
