Green Rambles: MoonSwatch Madness or Brilliance?


The people at Swatch Group must be pleased to know that despite non of their brands being present at Watches & Wonders, two of them are still the talk of the show. The buzz that Omega and Swatch created with the launch of the MoonSwatch still lingers in the air. Some call it a brilliant move, while others are not sure about it.

For me, the launch of the MoonSwatch brought back memories of times long past. Swatch has made quite a reputation launching the most tantalizing limited editions, often collaborating with famous artists and such, which resulted in impressive lines for their stores. After a while, the brand seems to have become more like others, still creating fantastic watches, but no queuing is required to get one. The most amazing part about the current collaboration with Omega is that the watches are (currently) limited in supply but by no means a limited edition. So why are there people willing to spend several times the retail price to obtain one? Do people want instant gratification? Do they want to be part of the hype? Or do they simply recognize the brilliance of the move?

Another question that is often asked is if it will cheapen the appeal of Omega. In all honesty, I think that it takes much more than an intentionally fun watch like the MoonSwatch to achieve this. Abarth made the Tributo Ferrari models. While this car is, in essence, a modest Fiat 500, I seriously doubt if any (future) Ferrari owner did forgo its purchase because of it. In fact, I do know of a few Ferrari owners that got the Abarth, just because it is a lot of fun and much more convenient to take into town than their prancing horse. With that in mind, I think that a lot of Speedmaster owners got, or want to get, a MoonSwatch for pretty much the same reasons. At the same time, I feel that it can also be an inspirational piece for people to wear and enjoy until they get their Speedmaster. For that, I have to applaud both Swatch and Omega.

What do you think about the MoonSwatch and its effect on both Swatch and Omega?

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  1. Gerry Dimatos

    In my opinion this will hurt the Omega brand overall. Even though I have a Speedy and love it, I will still get the Moonswatch just to have one. Do I think this enhances the Omega brand name – No. Omega has lost its position in the market to Cartier. Why ? This is because Onega (apart from the Speedy) does not have a consistent look that represents its brand. Cartier on the other hand uses a distinct Roman numeral font that is easily recongnizable as Cartier. Even it’s sister brand Longines has done a better job in creating it’s look…
    From Gerry Dimatos (Down Under)

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  2. Dan F Spencer, III

    It’s brilliance. There were huge crowds, not just to see, but to BUY watches. You don’t have to trust me, though. Just hide and watch!

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  3. Richard Paige

    I think it was one of the greatest marketing coup in recent watch memory…and I applaud whoever was behind it as on the cutting edge of the new way to market watches in the future

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  4. Dan F Spencer, III

    I have never wanted a Swatch watch, nor a Speedmaster, but one of these caught my eye. From a business standpoint, anything that has CROWDS forming to buy WATCHES cannot be bad!

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  5. Christopher Dean

    I reckon it’s a stroke of genius. It allows a wonderful iconic fun designed watch at a fraction of the price to people that could otherwise never afford or justify buying. All be that you will have to queue really early and for ages to obtain one. Some might even get the watch bug. It will be good to see how it pans out and see how one might be able to buy one online as indicated. What would the reaction be if Rolex had done this? The public would have gone even wilder. I suspect a vast majority of Rolex and other brands fans are more interested in the overall cosmetic design/status symbol of the watch than the movement inside ect. It also seems to take the Micky out of the ludicrous state of the luxury watch industry. Will other brands follow? I hope so but very much doubt it. At the very least I would like to see more top brands go back to Quartz and half the retail price. Look at Grand Seiko they have an amazing Quartz range with a small flow of limited editions Quartz at about half the price of the mechanical movements. I tip my hat to you Swatch Omega

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