Enjoy the mission, the watch says on the back. In a surprise move, Omega and Swatch are partnering, releasing a Speedmaster that costs $260 USD. This is crazy. How did this happen?
Omega x Swatch is crazy-out-of-this-world
The watch is branded, “OMEGA”, “Speedmaster”, and “moonSwatch”. This is the most affordable OMEGA we’ve seen in ages. It’s certainly the most affordable Speedmaster. And, it’s not high-priced for a Swatch, either.
One principle says, you get people excited about your brand by making it unattainable, something you aspire for. Another says, “what if there was something for the people who were saving up to enjoy now, and keep them on board?” The fear of the brand that keeps things unattainable is that people will lose heart and give up. It’s also that by making something available at a lower price, it will cause people to lose interest in their high priced goods.
So the question is, do you govern from fear (keep things high, only concern yourselves with people who have riches, and make even your low priced goods cost as much as your high ones did only a few years ago?
Or, do you govern from hope, and make an entry level piece with the full branding of the expensive one, to capture the people who had counted themselves out, and those who aspire to the big one in the future?
Are OMEGA cannibalising Speedmaster by making this move? Probably not. People who buy one are buying it not to replace the expensive one, but to aspire to owning the expensive one. And if you’re OMEGA, would you rather people buy an homage, or buy a real one?
OMEGA are confident in their brand. They don’t need to worry about damaging it by putting it on a Swatch. And Swatch isn’t letting them down, either; The “moonSwatch” is made of Swatch’s bioceramic, a ceramic made with castor oil and colorant.
The moonSwatch case and movement
The case is made of bioceramic, in 11 different colors. It’s 42mm and stays true to the higher priced Speedmaster – the lugs are the same lugs. The bezel is the same bezel.
The movement is quartz, with a 60 minute counter at 10 o’clock, a 1/10th of a second counter at 2 o’clock, and a running seconds at 6 o’clock.
Colors
- Earth – mint green case, panda blue dial
- Venus – pink case, cream white dial, decorations around the subdials
- Mars – red case, white dial, red hands, aka Alaska-style
- Jupiter – sand colored case and dial, orange hands
- Mercury – dark gray case, gray dial, black subdials
- Moon – light gray case, black dial, aka the moon watch
- Neptune – light blue case, blue dial
- Pluto – white case, white dial, burgundy subdials and bezel
- Saturn – light sand case, tan dial, running seconds subdial has rings like Saturn
- Sun – yellow case, yellow dial, white bezel and subdials
- Uranus – Tiffany blue case, Tiffany blue dial, white bezel
Where to get them
This is a watch about hope, aspiration, and about reaching for the stars. This watch isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. Enjoy the Mission.
The watches are said to be available at Swatch stores, and while these aren’t meant to be limited editions, they are limited to 2 per customer. They will not be available online from Swatch. Pricing is 250 CHF, or 260 USD. Swatch.com
