The legendary “Moonwatch”, actually Omega “Speedmaster”, currently costs 6600 euros in the standard version, with special equipment it is 7500 euros. No wonder, then, that the excitement is huge when an official version of the luxury watch that costs only 250 euros appears. This actually happened: Omega has teamed up with sister company Swatch and the “Moonswatch” was presented, a technically heavily modified, but visually very similar version of the famous moon clock.
The visual resemblance to the expensive model helped the watch create a hype last weekend that the watch world rarely sees. All over the world, people stood in front of selected Swatch branches for more than 15 hours to get hold of one of the coveted items on the first day of sale. What followed is typical of today: Countless watches found their way onto auction platforms shortly after they were bought. Currently, the secondary market price for a “Moonswatch” in Germany is between 700 and 1200 euros – with an actual selling price of 250 euros.
No limitation and online sale
The high prices and the long queues in front of the shops are so surprising because the manufacturer Swatch openly communicates that the watches are not limited and that sales will start “soon” in the online shop. According to official information, the supplies on Saturday were actually not enough, but new deliveries can be expected “in the coming days and weeks”, it is said. If you ask customer support, you get this message: “The watches are not limited and are constantly being delivered. A start date for online sales is not yet known. You are welcome to subscribe to the newsletter so that you can stay up to date. ” As far as the start date is concerned, Swatch specifies the information on Instagram. There the manufacturer speaks of a start “in the coming weeks”.
So although officially everything has been said to defuse the situation, there is great displeasure on social networks. While Swatch is happy about the hype on Instagram, which the brand has probably not experienced in years, countless disappointed people can be found among the comments, who apparently got nothing at the weekend. The manufacturer asks for patience.
There are eleven models of the “Moonswatch” in total, each one dedicated to a specific planet. As a result, the colors vary greatly, and three watches also have special features such as an outline of the planet on the dial or special hands. Unlike the expensive luxury models, the watches are not made of stainless steel or even gold, but of “bioceramic”. It is a mix of two thirds ceramic and one third bioplastic. The glass is apparently made of acrylic, as with some versions of the real “Moonwatch”. The watch is 42 millimeters in diameter and 13 millimeters thick – just like the “big” model.
No trace of luxury and craftsmanship
When it comes to the inner workings, the “Moonswatch” and the real “Speedmaster” have nothing in common: while a mechanical movement works in the high-priced watches, the Swatch clone uses a conventional quartz movement and, accordingly, a battery. The “Moonswatch” is water-resistant to 3 bar (theoretically corresponds to a depth of 30 meters) and comes standard with a textile wristband with a Velcro fastener.
Omega’s “Speedmaster” has been around relatively unchanged since 1957. It is known for being the first wristwatch on the moon, having been worn by Buzz Aldrin on his moonwalk on July 21, 1969. Omega was able to record its success after the “Speedmaster” had been officially approved by Nasa as the only watch for the manned space flight program at the time of the moon missions. Even today, a “Moonwatch” is part of the standard equipment of astronauts. In order to be able to wear it over the space suit, Omega supplies the space version with a 64 cm long strap.