The Impressive New MoonSwatch Is Closer to an Omega Than Ever Before

Look, I get it. Everyone is sick of the MoonSwatch and Swatch collabs in general. There have been way too many versions of the MoonSwatch released, and the watch has lost whatever magic it once had. Plus, the chaotic and even violent rollout of the AP x Swatch Royal Pop left a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of collectors.

But hear me out.

The new MoonSwatch is so good, it should literally cost double what it does. And I’m not exaggerating here.

Swatch

Golden moon

July 20 marks the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which, of course, was the first time man set foot on the moon. Along for the journey, as I’m sure you’re also aware, was the Omega Speedmaster Professional, which was issued to the Apollo 11 astronauts by NASA and worn by Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface.

To commemorate the anniversary, Swatch has debuted a new MoonSwatch that is inarguably its most impressive yet. The chronograph utilizes a highly attractive black and gold color scheme, but it’s the materials used that really turn heads here.

The entire dial, hands, pushers and crown are all made of 18K Moonshine gold, Omega’s proprietary yellow gold alloy. Not only that, but this specific batch of Moonshine gold was made by melting down spare gold parts from Omega’s archives dating back to 1969, giving the watch a tangible connection to the year of the moon landing.

Swatch

What’s most remarkable is that Swatch states each watch contains a whopping 11 grams of Moonshine gold. The alloy is made up of 75 percent pure gold, which means there’s about 8.25 grams of gold in each of these MoonSwatches. The current market price for such a quantity of gold is $1,065, which is almost double the SRP of this watch. So I don’t want to hear a single person complain that this watch is overpriced.

This abundance of real gold is complemented by a matte black Bioceramic case with a black Bioceramic bezel featuring a gold-printed tachymeter scale. The bezel features a glossy anti-scratch coating that makes it look like ceramic, with the same coating found on the caseback’s battery cover: a gold-colored moon. It features a footprint in the Sea of Tranquility, where the Apollo 11 astronauts took their first lunar steps, and the date of July 21, 1969, which was when those steps took place (this was six hours after the landing, hence the different date).

Swatch

The dial features a printed 1960s-era Omega wordmark and an applied vintage Omega logo. The logo and applied indices are both in gold-tone, with the latter filled with black varnish for contrast. The three recessed subdials feature a circular pattern, and the domed crystal over the dial is made of the MoonSwatch’s usual “bio-sourced glass” material.

On the left side of the case is a gold lacquer-filled engraving of the limited-edition number out of 1,969, as that is fittingly the number of watches in this release.

Finally, the watch is paired with the MoonSwatch’s usual textured rubber velcro strap in black with a gold-colored lining made to look like the lunar surface.

Swatch

Availability and pricing

Swatch has apparently learned its lesson from the literally dangerous rollout of the Royal Pop, as there will be no traditional physical release of the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969.

Instead, Swatch is using a new multistep process called the “Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application.” First, you must create a Swatch account online if you don’t already have one. Then, you must fill out a timed application to purchase the watch, with just 2 minutes and 15 seconds to complete it, while also selecting the physical Swatch store where you would pick the watch up if approved.

Once your application is filled out, you then have to wait and see if Swatch approves it. Obviously, way more than 1,969 people are going to apply, so an approval is not guaranteed. But if you are approved, Swatch will notify you that you have 48 hours to complete your purchase online.

But hold on, you’re not done yet. After buying the watch online, Swatch will then contact you once it’s ready for pick up at your previously designated store. You must bring a valid photo ID or passport to pick up your watch; you cannot have someone pick it up for you.

This is quite an insane process, but it also seems kind of fun? Clearly, Swatch is searching for ways to make this process more orderly, and while this may be overboard, it seems like it will be pretty drama-free.

The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 is priced at an absurdly reasonable $570. Now, that is the most expensive MoonSwatch SRP we’ve seen yet, but remember, it’s barely more than half the price of the gold in the watch.

You can fill out the application to purchase one between now and 5:59 pm EDT on July 21. Good luck.

Swatch

Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Swatch quartz chronograph
Water Resistance	30m

• $570 at Swatch

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