[INFORM] Should You Line Up for One? The “MoonSwatch” Review.
The city of Florence (or for the cultured, Firenze) in Italy is home to Niccolo Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and the impressive Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Facing the beautiful church (also known as Duomo) is Panerai’s historic boutique, where this outstanding watch brand was founded in 1860. I stood in line with fellow PSYWAR practitioners, absorbing the sights and sounds of the alluring city. While looking at Panerai Firenze Boutique’s display of their various pieces, the security guard signaled us for our turn in the store. I was actually squinting because Panerai was across the city square. I forgot to mention Galileo Galilei was from Florence. As a famous astronomer, I had to honor his contributions to the study of planets and space. Of course…we were going to the moon, but at a much more attainable price point. We entered the Swatch boutique in Florence, and I was there for the super-hyped Omega x Swatch Bioceramic “Mission to the Moon”. I would never spend a dollar over MSRP for this fun timepiece, and damnit we jumped on that opportunity. Here’s a preview: it received a LOT of wrist time over the year…when I wasn’t training.
Overview
The Swatch Group collaboration uses Omega’s signature Speedmaster design within a case and movement developed by Swatch. After its initial press release from Biel Switzerland in 2022, you could list the mountain of adjectives from journalists and social media describing the news. Genius. Controversial. Ridiculous. Unreal. Clever. From the perspective of a PSYWAR professional, the buzz in the horological and fashion world is an extremely positive measure of performance. With a spread of 11 pieces honoring the heavenly bodies in space through celebration of Omega’s iconic timepiece, there was a color for everyone. Swatch promised its release both in store and online. Publications ranging from Fratello, Hodinkee, GQ, and Hypebeast delivered the excitement towards a simple quartz watch. As a measure of effectiveness, it gets interesting (and subjective). Google searches for Omega increased by 171% and Swatch by 397% in the first month. While Swatch had the lion’s share of MoonSwatch, Omega increased sales of the original Speedmaster Professional by 40%. Did the marketing perform? Absolutely. This platform receives traffic from watch enthusiasts, so the question we’re really asking is “does the product deliver?” I purchased the watch with hopes that people are receiving their money’s worth. Reading the specs sheet, I can tell you that we are looking at purely aesthetics, comfort, and how it looks. Going back to the adjectives, do you know what was genius? Parmigiani Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. Controversial? Audemars Piguet Code 11.59. Ridiculous? My Instagram page @psywarwristcheck. Unreal? Jaeger LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette (both as a timepiece and pronouncing it). Clever? This is where we go in this review. Without considering the allure of an automatic movement, is this a modern-day SKX that acts as a gateway to watch enthusiasm? If it means anything, the MoonSwatch made its way into my rotation every two weeks and I still enjoy it.
 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/fashion/watches-moonswatch-omega.html
History
I won’t dive into the history of Swatch and Omega. What I will highlight is Swatch’s role in saving a massive chunk of the Swiss watchmaking industry during the Quartz Crisis in the early 1970s and 1980s. Under Swatch Group is Omega and arguably its most iconic timepiece, the Speedmaster. In 2022, Swatch sales were on the decline while Omega continued to compete with Rolex and Cartier within the already small watch community. The MoonSwatch partnership follows the popular trend of blending luxury and street brands to reach a broader audience. Think Louis Vuitton x Supreme, Jordan Brand x Dior, and North Face x Gucci as examples. Using Swatch Group’s ETA G10.211 quartz movement and Swatch’s BioCeramic material (blend of ceramic and bioplastic), the finished product is the iconic Speedmaster Professional at a much more attainable price point. The flexibility of the material allows playful colors to attract a broader audience. Since its release on 26 March 2022, sales between Omega and Swatch increased. For the first few months, lines formed daily around Swatch boutiques filled with customers, both budding watch fans and seasoned enthusiasts alike. The toughest color way to obtain is “Mission to Neptune” due to reports of a blue staining on wrists by users, slowing its production. Some notable users are Ed Sheeran (Mission to the Moon) and Daniel Craig (Mission to Neptune). https://www.omegawatches.com/stories/joint-mission-launch-bioceramic-moonswatchhttps://www.esquire.com/uk/watches/a42460408/daniel-craig-omega-moonswatch/
Case & Strap
Let’s start with comfort. I wore the watch on my 16-hour return hop-skip from Venice, Italy to North Carolina with minimal issues. Due to its size and height, I can tell I have a watch on. As for the weight, it’s extremely light. It feels like a G-Shock DW5600 with more presence. Yes, 13.25mm is thicc by today’s standards. That includes the sloped caseback, raised tachymeter bezel, and box scratch-magnet hesalite crystal. Aside from the conscious reminder to fix my jacket cuff a few times, I don't think the height is troublesome. The curved lugs and box case back made for an ergonomic, well-fitting watch for my 6.5 inch wrist. Bioceramic case material is light, but feels like cheap plastic. Worn mostly in the office, the MoonSwatch survives the torturous life of piloting the D35K. It has no scratches or dings on the case or bezel. However, the crystal experienced its first scratch on the second day during my flight from Italy to Belgium (see image, left sub-dial). After nine months, all battle scars are on the crystal. I wouldn’t wear this to field training or on a trip to the moon. This watch has the wrist presence to look great and fit very well for most wrist sizes, but I don’t trust its durability. When it comes down to it, this watch has sentimental value and it set me back $270. With 30m water resistance, this is an absolute tank for washing your hands. The strap has nice branding and actually works very well with the entire watch. Overall, this watch design and color way is perfect at 42mm. I don’t want this any larger or smaller.
Dial
Sticking to the Speedmaster Professional’s design, the dial is black with white markers, texts, and numerals on its sub-dials. The bezel is also black with white markers and arabic numerals for the tachymeter scale. Just below 12 o’clock is Omega with its logo and Swatch in its own font just below. The three sub-dials are separated a bit more than the original Speedmaster to make room for Speedmaster at 9 o’clock and MoonSwatch at the 3 o’clock. Overall, the design is the Speedmaster Professional, and it looks great. The lume on the time hands, and 5 minute markers give it sort of an off white tint. At a holistic glance, it’s the Speedy. The dial doesn’t change its shades depending on lighting. It’s very legible in all lighting conditions, meeting the specifications NASA requested when the Speedmaster Professional won the contract for the Apollo program. I don’t own a Speedy, so I can’t compare the lume between the MoonSwatch and the OG. What I can tell you, is it’s bright and lasts (noticeable, but minimal fading after an evening walk with the dog). Overall, you can tell it isn’t the Speedmaster Professional, but damn it looks good. You know it’s a collaboration piece, not a homage.
Movement & Functions
Every time I stop typing, I can hear the ticking. I am spoiled with my Breitling and Grand Seiko high accuracy quartz (HAQ) movements, so the audible noise is new to me. The 6 o’clock sub-dial ticks like any other quartz movement watch you could buy for $20. I moved the watch around and tried analyzing the seconds hand from different angles and notice no significant delays or pauses. The chronograph is a different story. First, the reset buttons feel cheap, hollow, and a long push. There’s a slight delay between the start and the movement actually activating. I think the delay is from the length of the button, not the movement itself. The chronograph hand (normally the seconds hand in a traditional piece) does not align perfectly on every marker. Sometimes, it’s right on the marker, others it lands slightly ahead of it. When resetting, the hands move with a bit of vibration. You can tell it’s a quartz watch. I didn’t measure it personally, but let’s assume average ETA accuracy of +/- 4 seconds a month. When it comes to servicing, the case minus the battery cover is one piece of Bioceramic. This means you cannot open and service/change the movement if it breaks. For a timepiece in this price range and lack of accessibility due to demand, that’s disappointing. The MSRP is very high for a movement that you cannot service or replace. However, the ETA G10.211 is accurate and robust. This is the same chronograph quartz movement on Tissot and some Invicta pieces, so expect a good workhorse on the “low end” scale. Overall, I have no interest in proving my Toyota 4Runner is passing the mile marker at 50mph. As far as timekeeping performance, it’s your standard $35 Swiss quartz movement. I wouldn’t doubt consistent performance in the long run.
Closing Comments
No, I did not buy a Panerai in Florence. One of my boys did, and that incredible experience is his to talk about. The MoonSwatch always fascinated me as a timepiece that introduces the luxury brand to non-watch enthusiasts. Swatch Group’s marketing campaign absolutely delivered. Take a well-known, but declining watch brand. Combine it with a luxury powerhouse within a very niche community. Market an accessible (by price) timepiece with a story for each model. Finally, generate excitement with a press release close to its release date and let social media do the dirty work. Everyone was intrigued.
“Mission to the Moon” is almost a test-flight before committing about 15 times the cost to the real thing. I wouldn’t recommend this as a GADA (go anywhere, do anything) watch. I doubt the Bioceramic case would substantially protect the movement from massive shocks and dings. Cost of ownership is very low, because all you can do is change the battery. I always appreciated and loved the Omega Speedy. Its timeless design coupled with its history makes it a formidable grail watch or “gotta have” addition to any collection. No, I don’t use “must have”, because there is no watch in the world that you “nEeD tO oWn tO bE a ReAl CoLlEcToR”. However, like most PSYWAR professionals, I don’t have the disposable income to buy every luxury watch. As an owner of the MoonSwatch, the design really grew on me. I often look at it and think, “damn…the real thing is going to look even better”. I’m not really a chronograph-type of guy, but if I were to spend big money on one…Speedy. All day. As for the MoonSwatch itself, it missed the mark on build durability. I thought Swatch Group aimed to create a playful timepiece that works for daily wear (think Casio and their hundreds of designs). It still feels fragile at this price point. As a watch enthusiast, I don’t care. This was a cool souvenir from Italy that I bought with the boys (whom I cherish). Nothing can take away that moment.
The good? - The “Mission to the Moon” variant looks clean and nails it as a nod to the Speedy Pro. Its legibility is outstanding (and a testament to the specifications required by NASA for timekeeping). As an entire package, the watch and strap looks great. It is specified just like the OG, so once you own it, you’ll want the real thing. To some people, it’s the push that introduces them to the hobby of luxury horology. The 20mm lug width opens the watch to a variety of straps. I recently swapped the strap with a $30 Staphabit sailcloth hybrid strap and it looks great. Throw on a gray bond-style NATO strap, and you got yourself an extremely light and comfortable watch. This is a gateway watch for brand recognition and looks.The bad? - The acrylic crystal, plastic/ceramic case, and low-end quartz movement do not justify the price. You can get so much more watch for less from other brands (including Swatch itself). The case feels cheap. You’re paying for the brand and the looks.The ugly? - You cannot repair or replace the movement. Just like the Blancpain x Swatch collaboration, it’s a one and done watch. At this price point, that’s not very cash money of Swatch Group. MoonSwatch is still not available online (they promised). This is not a gateway watch for durability and material quality.
✨Pending any questions✨ next slide
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