It’s been a banner yr for watch collabs, from TAG Heuer x Porsche to Timex x Adsum to Hodinkee x Bamford x Snoopy, amongst many others. Whereas a few of these have been a very long time coming, others caught the worldwide watch scene unexpectedly. None, nevertheless, induced as a lot pleasure because the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch, a first-of-its-kind partnership between two of the most important names in watchmaking. The gathering included 11 colourful variants of Swatch’s tackle the NASA-approved Omega Speedmaster, every one devoted to a special celestial physique. Priced at $260 (some $6,000 lower than Omega’s famed “Moonwatch”) and solely accessible in-person at choose Swatch boutiques, the collab attracted hundreds of watch collectors and grey market flippers who lined up—typically days upfront—to cop one. Then issues acquired slightly wild. Outlets have been overwhelmed by the demand, riot police have been known as, and at least one guy got mugged for his spot in line at knifepoint.
Though the MoonSwatch wasn’t billed as limited-edition launch, that didn’t cease keen consumers from reselling them for $1,000 a pop, an ironic (if predictable) destiny for a watch ostensibly meant to supply Omega vibes at Swatch costs. And whereas the watch-collecting neighborhood principally had good issues to say concerning the design of the MoonSwatch, Swatch’s option to roll out the watch in such restricted portions—and the rampant profiteering that it inspired—rubbed lots of people the flawed means.
However when you have your coronary heart set on a black-on-black Mission to Moon or a cotton-candy-pink Mission to Venus (or ambitions to gather the entire set, Pokémon type), issues are trying up. A wider vary of Swatch boutiques are carrying the gathering IRL this season, and the model just lately introduced a sequence of rolling pop-ups in cities like San Diego and Jacksonville, with shock areas introduced through Instagram in between. Elsewhere, grey market costs have additionally come again to earth for many fashions, and now you can discover unworn choices with unique packaging for beneath $300 on websites like eBay, Chrono24, and StockX. (The one exception appears to be the blue Mission to Neptune version—because of rumors that it’s going out of manufacturing, although Swatch assures us that isn’t the case, it continues to promote for upwards of $1,800.) To not yuck anybody’s yum, or to take something away from probably the most uncommon watch drops of current years, however with classic Omega Speedmasters starting at around $1,500 on Chrono24, there’s no planet on which that looks as if a great deal.
So why not head over to the Swatch web site and cop a Night Flight chronograph—a watch with a lot of the identical midcentury enchantment as the unique Speedy—for simply $210, or fulfill your repair with the NASA-endorsed EXTRAVEHICULAR? Positive, they aren’t the MoonSwatch, however they are precisely the form of enjoyable, accessible watches which have made Swatch such a beloved model for many years, and also you gained’t should line up in a single day (or pay an extortionary premium on the aftermarket) to get one.
Nonetheless lifeless set on snagging a MoonSwatch, costs be damned? Begin right here.
Able to skip the headache fully? We acquired you too.
