Priced at 260 euro, the new collection, containing 11 different timepieces, was inspired by the US Apollo space programme of the 1960s and ’70s, and was conceived as a homage to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, the first watch worn by astronauts on missions to the moon.
Now, rethought and reimagined in conjunction with Swatch, the high street watch company, the new MoonSwatch collection is made from bioceramic, a material originally developed for space travel, that mixes two parts zirconium dioxide ceramic with one part bio-derived plastic, usually from bio-based castor oil. It is now used across a variety of industrial and medical processes, including bonding broken bones.
Each watch is named after a different planet in our solar system, carries the moniker “Mission to_” etched on the caseback, and nods to its namesake with colouring.
The Mercury watch, for example, is described as being a “tribute to the fast-moving winged messenger in deep grey,” while the Earth timepiece comes in blue and green, with the lugs in a mint tone, and the Velcro strap in navy blue. The full set of watches are the Sun, Earth, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Uranus, Pluto and Neptune, and shift in colour from yellow (the sun) to a punchy red for Mars.
Of the 11, the Moonwatch is perhaps the closest to the space-race original, with a 42-millimetre case, steel grey finish and a black Velcro strap. Like the original, it has a hidden S for Speedmaster in the centre of the crystal glass.
All the watches have the hallmarks of the Apollo mission original, such as the white hands and subdials, the tachymeter scale, and the Omega signature “dot over 90” on the tachymeter bezel, and each watch has an image of its star or planet on the back, with the words “Reach for the Planets, Enjoy the Mission, Dream Big, Fly Higher, Explore the Universe” etched around the caseback.
This series is not limited edition, meaning that while shops and the official Swatch site have all sold out, that is only because the present stock has all been exhausted. More will be made, and shops will be restocked, although when is anyone’s guess — perhaps not even Swatch figured everything would sell so quickly.
