The MoonSwatch - Still Worth It Two Years Later?
Almost two years after the initial craze, I picked up another MoonSwatch.
It's March 17th, 2022, and the world wakes up to a cryptic message from Swatch... "On March 26th, it's time to change your OMEGA... Swatch". This showed up in newspapers, across social media, and broke many enthusiast’s brains. What the hell was Swatch about to release? There were crazy speculations - some actually thought Swatch would release an Omega Speedmaster. This seemed impossible to me, yet I couldn't have been further from the truth… Swatch released a collection of, not 1, but a collection 11 of them. Mind. Blown.
The Hype Was Real...
The news broke unexpectedly when a well known watch publication accidentally published the press release a bit early. This gave the world a first look at the eleven different MoonSwatches, and once out, they spread like wildfire. It didn’t take long for this press release to be taken down, but the cat was out of the bag - Swatch officially introduced the MoonSwatch to the world not long after.
March 26th, 2022 marked day one of the world with MoonSwatch, and it kicked off craze like no other. Some were surprised about the chaos, but most knew it was coming after seeing people sitting outside Swatch stores for days prior. MoonSwatches were only available at 11 Swatch stores across the United States - Dallas being one of them. I was about 15 minutes away from a store. I even got up early with the intention of waiting in line, but quickly abandoned the release after hearing there were already hundreds waiting.
But Back to Reality
Over the coming months, MoonSwatches slowly became more available. They were being sold at more Swatch stores, and those stores were receiving more frequent shipments. By the holidays, the hype died down for most variants, but a few were still harder to purchase. The Mission to Neptune was unavailable for a period of time after the initial release due to production issues. The Mission to Moon, Mission to Mercury, and Mission to Mars seemed to then be the next to sell in Swatch stores. They are now much more available, some stores your able to basically take your pick.
Since it’s release, I’ve been able to pick up a few MoonSwatches. The first was Mission to Saturn - a taupe Bioceramic case on a brown strap, and the planet Saturn in the six o'clock sub-dial. Then came Mission to Jupiter - a sand-colored case and dial, orange seconds hand, and black strap. After that, even more - Mission to Mars, and Mission to the Moon. Then I can’t forget the Mission to Moonshine Gold. Then recently, one more. As with all Swatches, these are extremely collectable. Of the bunch, the most recent pickup, Mission to Mercury, is by far my favorite.
Wearability Basics
For watch enthusiasts, there are a lot of nuances that contribute to a watch being worn on a regularly. Things like wearability and colors, cost, and it’s competition in your collection all matter. There is an intangible rating we all subconsciously assign to a watch. I seem to gravitate more towards neutral colors, easier wearing watches, and a grab-and-go option is also a plus. That’s where the Mission to Mercury comes in - it checks all the boxes, and thus, found itself on my wrist more than I would have guessed.
Confession: Speedmasters (the Omega ones) never seem to stick around long term - for me. The three (?) I've owned have always lost out on wrist time to other watches. Omega as a brand just doesn't seem to have a strong pull for me. Why? I'm honestly not sure - they just don’t resonate with me in the same way others do. In that case, the Mission to Mercury could have a better chance because its not really an Omega, right?
The Mission to Mercury has a basic, monochromatic color scheme. The case is a dark charcoal grey, bezel is black, and the white hands contrast beautifully against the dark dial. The details are great - the step dial and sunken sub-dials are accentuated by the two tones of grey used across the dial. This gives the dial more depth. The watch pops, even at a distance. When you see one on somebodies wrist, you think - Is that the Dark Side of the Moon? Now this isn’t, but I think it still looks pretty good. It can still stand on its own. An example - the Mission to the Moon is great, but there’s no mistaking the opaque grey Bioceramic case for steel. It just looks cheap. The Mission to Mercury is in that middle section - it’s just right. It’s still a Swatch, but in the good ways. There is no arguing its inspiration, but it does lean enough into being a Swatch without looking ridiculous or gimmicky.
My Pick - Mission to Mercury
My actual thoughts are: I like it a lot. Easily more than any other variants. The dial contrast is perfect, it's easy to read at a distance, yet has enough details when up close. Most people complain about the strap, and while yes, it’s not great, it is a Swatch strap. Unlike many Swatches, the strap can be swapped out if you’re so inclined. I don't mind the strap, and I love that it ties back to the straps used in space. Bravo for the details.
The Mission to Mercury is the perfect grab-and-go watch where G-Shocks are not permitted. It’s light, sometimes I forget I'm wearing it (that’s a plus for me). It also happens to look pretty damn cool. The Mission to Mercury can give you something close to Speedmaster vibes for a fraction of the cost. It's a killer watch that does exactly what it was suppose to do - give us something fun to wear and remind me I don’t have an Omega Speedmaster. Would the fourth (!) Omega Speedmaster actually stick around this time?
Update on 1/25/24 - Since this was originally written, Swatch x Omega has now teased a MoonSwatch with Snoopy. There could be another MoonSwatch (or entire set) on the horizon. Is this the year of Snoopy instead of last year’s Mission to Moonshine Gold?
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