The ever-changing taste of luxury watch aficionados leads legacy watchmakers to frequently step outside their comfort zones and come up with contemporary designs. Whereas the bold, innovative timepieces by the relatively newer watchmakers make the competition tighter. This is where collaborations have become useful.
In any field, brand collaborations have been a valuable tool to grow audiences, and it has been so for years. This holds for timepieces as well. And, in the horology fraternity, Swatch is widely considered to be the king of collabs.
The Swiss watch brand, founded in 1983, was among the first to recognise the importance of partnerships. Over the years, they have teamed up with several brands like Jean-Michel Basquiat, HODINKEE, Kiki Picasso and Blancpain.
However, Swatch’s biggest collaboration happened in 2022 when they joined forces with fellow Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega. With over a century of legacy in timekeeping, Omega stands as a behemoth in the ever-ticking world of horology. The watchmaker has been a part of several chapters of mankind’s history.
Their finest hour came in 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon wearing the Omega Speedmaster Professional on their wrists. It is because of this event that the Speedmaster earned the moniker of the ‘Moonwatch’, and today the timepiece has become a cultural icon.
In its collaboration with Omega, Swatch decided to revisit this iconic range, giving birth to the MoonSwatch series. With a far reasonable price tag, the timepieces in the Omega MoonSwatch collection bring together the funky character of a Swatch watch and the timeless elegance and suave of Omega’s ‘Moonwatch’ in a rather fresh fashion.
Wondering what the collection looks like? We bring to you a curated list of the best Omega MoonSwatches that you can get your hands on in 2024.
Which are the best Omega MoonSwatches you can buy in 2024?
Mission To The Moon
The first model to be launched under the ‘MoonSwatch’ banner was the Mission To The Moon in 2022. This particular timepiece retained the classic look of the original Moonwatch’s body, with white hands and tachymeter scales adorning the black dial. The watch comes with a black VELCRO strap on the steel grey body.
Certain elements of this watch are common to all the Omega MoonSwatches. These include the Omega X Swatch branding, the iconic Speedmaster logo, the MoonSwatch logo, the glass construction, the hidden “S” integrated in the centre of the protective crystal, the iconic “dot over 90” detail on the tachymeter scaled bezel, and the Bioceramic case. In addition, all the watches are powered by quartz movement, unlike the mechanical movements typically seen on Omega watches, and are water resistant up to 30 metres.
Moreover, all the hands (including the chronograph seconds hands) and the indexes are coated with Super-LumiNova, a photoluminescent that offers better visibility in the dark. The Mission To The Moon timepiece is arguably the best Omega MoonSwatch to buy, even in 2024.
Mission To Neptune
For those who prefer a non-black dark tone on a timepiece, the Omega MoonSwatch Mission To Neptune is worth taking a look at. This model comes with a deep navy blue dial and fluted bezels, and the trademark black VELCRO strap perfectly complements the intense look of the watch. Additionally, all the hands and tachymeter scales come in white, giving a nice contrast to the dark colour schematic.
Like all the watches in the MoonSwatch lineup, the Mission To Neptune, too, sports the Omega X Swatch branding, the iconic Speedmaster logo, the MoonSwatch logo, the “dot over 90” detail on the tachymeter scaled bezel, and the Bioceramic case. The Mission To Neptune piece is one of the rarest in the MoonSwatch series, and is preferred by a host of celebrities, including ‘James Bond’ Daniel Craig.
Mission To Mercury
Are you a fan of the old-school rugged look? If yes, then you need not look beyond the Mission To Mercury MoonSwatch. The watch comes with an intense deep grey-coloured dial, a black bezel and a swanky metallic grey VELCRO strap. All the hands and the tachymeter scales bear the white colour and are coated with the Super-LumiNova photoluminescent for better visibility in the dark.
The watch retains all the traditional design and functional features of the MoonSwatch lineup and is powered by the quartz movement which, according to several horologists, offers better accuracy in timekeeping as compared to its mechanical counterparts.
Mission To Saturn
One of the boldest watches in the MoonSwatch series, the Mission To Saturn offers a versatile colour scheme. The sandy, cool beige tones on the main dial and the Bioceramic case run in a visually appealing contrast offered by the brown subdials, bezels, chronograph seconds hand and a VELCRO strap. However, the main attraction lies in the seconds subdial, which depicts Saturn’s rings, giving the timepiece a thematic look that is hard to beat.
Like the rest of the MoonSwatch lineup, the Mission To Saturn comes with all the brandings and logos, along with the “dot over 90” detail. Naturally, this timepiece is worthy of its place in the curation of the best Omega MoonSwatches to buy in 2024.
Mission To Venus
As opposed to its traditional darker tones, the MoonSwatch series offers a chic timepiece in lighter shades in the form of the Mission To Venus. The white VELCRO strap on the watch perfectly offsets the powdery pastel pink Bioceramic case. The champagne dial complements the pink body of the watch well, and the pink-coloured hands (including the chronograph seconds hands) add a nice touch to the overall look of the model.
The eye-catching detail of the timepiece is the oval shape of the subdials. Embellished with diamond-like details, they elevate the visual appeal of the watch to a completely different level. Many luxury watch aficionados have complained about the feminine look of the Mission To Venus model, but we don’t see a problem with that, for it caters well to the needs of the women customers of the brand.
Mission To Jupiter
If you mistook this timepiece for the orbiting Gargantua from Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014), you are not alone. The Mission To Jupiter MoonSwatch, with its elegant beige tone (on the dials, bezel and the Bioceramic case) and the orange seconds hand from the 1968 Omega Speedmaster Ultraman, has an out-of-the-world look.
Much akin to the rest of the MoonSwatch lineup, the Mission To Moon is powered by the quartz movement and comes with the photoluminescent Super-LumiNova coating on the hands and the markers. This watch is one of the best Omega MoonSwatches to own in 2024, and we so wish we could have seen Matthew McConaughey sport it on his wrists as he travelled through the wormhole in search of a new home for humankind.
Mission To The Sun
An Omega watch that appeals more to Gen Z than millennials is practically unthinkable. But that is precisely the feat that this collaboration with Swatch allowed the watchmaker to achieve. The timepiece we are discussing is bold, radiant and worthy of its sobriquet of Mission To The Sun.
It sports a sun-brushed dial with a sun-yellow Bioceramic case, and the white subdials, markers, hours hands and the bezels perfectly complement the yellow. The orange seconds hand, subdial hands and the tachymeter scale add a nice finishing touch to the bold look.
A sizeable population in the world of horology has been of the opinion that the watch looks like a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. And we don’t find it to be a criticism, for it is the vibrance of this timepiece that makes it unique. If you are in search of a funky luxury watch to buy in 2024, then this is perhaps the best from the Omega MoonSwatches collection.
Mission To Mars
Ah, it seems as if we gave our verdict on the best funky watch in the Omega MoonSwatches series (as of 2024) a bit too soon. With a fiery red Bioceramic case, the Mission To Mars timepiece shows little care to retain the virtues of the traditional Omega watches in sporting a muted yet elegant look. The bright white dial, bezel and VELCRO strap offer a brilliant contrast to the overall colour schematic.
The highlight of the watch is in its hours and minutes subdial hands. They are crafted in a playful spacecraft shape and bear the fiery red colour from the timepiece’s case. The miniature spacecraft reminds us of the one that was seen in the popular Tintin comic series, and if a soulful young man feels like a space explorer wearing this watch on his wrist, we won’t blame him.
Mission To Pluto
Do you remember the look of the control panels from the nuclear explosion scene of the Cillian Murphy-starrer Oppenheimer (2023)? We could not help but notice a stark similarity between them and the MoonSwatch Mission To Pluto timepiece. Perhaps the watch would have elevated Robert Oppenheimer’s ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’ look on the silver screen had Christopher Nolan thought of it!
Of course, we might just be a little hung up on the movie, but one cannot deny that this MoonSwatch model sports a distinctly vintage look. The light cool grey tones on the dial and the Bioceramic case run in perfect contrast to the dark grey VELCRO strap and the black hands and markers. However, it is the burgundy on the subdials and the bezel that completes the retro aesthetics of the watch.
The Mission To Pluto timepiece is a nice tribute to the dwarf planet and makes one reminisce about the time when it used to be in the same league as the other planets in our solar system (Pluto can hold that against Neil deGrasse Tyson).
Mission To Moonphase
The latest offering in this iconic Omega X Swatch collaboration, this timepiece takes a leaf out of Omega’s watchmaking history. In 1970, NASA astronauts bestowed Omega with the ‘Silver Snoopy Award’ for the brand’s achievement of boasting the first watch to be worn on the moon. For context, Snoopy, the beloved anthromorph from the Peanuts comic strip, has been NASA’s safety ambassador since the 1960s.
To celebrate the full moon, this timepiece comes in an all-white colour scheme, including the VELCRO strap. The chronograph’s seconds hands, subdial hands, all the markers and the brandings, and the tachymeter-scaled bezel are in black and run in a soothing contrast to the light tone of the watch’s body.
In a first for Swatch, this MoonSwatch model integrates a moon phase subdial with one of its chronograph. The subdial at two o’ clock shows the different lunar phases and sports Snoopy and his best friend Woodstock comfortably nestled on the celestial satellite.
Swatch, famous for its funky approach to horological designs, has put the Super-LumiNova photoluminescent to good use in this Snoopy MoonSwatch variant. A hidden quote from the Peanuts comic strip is revealed under UV light on the moon phase subdial that reads, “I can’t sleep without a night light!”
Mission On Earth
Summing up the list of the best Omega MoonSwatches to buy in 2024 is the Mission On Earth model. The timepiece stays true to its name with the combination of colours — the earthy green Bioceramic case is well complemented by the navy blue hue on the dial, bezel and the VELCRO strap.
The white on the subdials, the hours and the minutes hands, and the indexes further enhance the look of the timepiece. Adding a nice finishing touch to the design aesthetics is the brown colour on the chronograph seconds and the subdial counter hands.
Members of the horology community around the globe have expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the odd choice of the name, with many suggesting that ‘Mission Back To Earth’ would have served the watch better. However, that hardly takes anything away from the overall look of the timepiece, complete with all the traditional functional elements of the MoonSwatch series and quartz movement under the hood.
(Main and Featured Images Credits: Swatch)
This story first appeared here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which is the best Omega MoonSwatch to buy in 2024?
Even though it largely depends on the user’s preferences in terms of visual aesthetics, the Mission To The Moon model is, in our humble opinion, the best Omega MoonSwatch to buy in 2024, primarily because of the resemblance it shares with the classic Omega Moonwatch Professional.
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Uddipta writes about sports and watches besides occasionally venturing into the world of automobiles and technology. He was associated with the Indian Express in the capacity of a sub-editor at their Lifestyle desk. A journalism and mass communication student from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Uddipta devotes most of his leisure time to photography and filmmaking. He has contributed photographs to Vogue Italia and several exhibits, and has directed award-winning short films screened at film festivals in India and abroad.
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