In April, The president of the Swiss Confederation (and de facto head of state), Ignazio Cassis, visited Japan for talks with its prime minister, Kishida Fumio. It is customary for gifts to be exchanged, and Cassis’s office asked for an example of what has just become the hottest Swiss watch to come out for years, if not decades: MoonSwatcha $260 Swatch-made version of Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatchthe famous chronograph watch worn by NASA astronauts on the moon.
The Swiss president, however, was unlucky. Nick Hayek Jr., director, said: “We were happy, but we told them, the only way he could get his hands on the watch was if he sent someone from his office to come over. line up and hope that at the Swatch store in Bern, they can find it.” executive officer of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch manufacturer, which owns both the Swatch and Omega brands.
Hayek, a 67-year-old billionaire who drives himself to work in a Mini and flies the pirate flag outside his office, prides himself on the fact that privileged access — a feature of the luxury watch world important — not available at all with MoonSwatch despite high demand. “It doesn’t matter if you have deep pockets. Patek Philippe and Rolex customers, Breguet customers, Richard Mille customers, all ringing. They all want one. But even if you give us $10,000, it makes no difference. You have to wait, you have to buy it in the store. It’s a game changer.”
But finding a MoonSwatch at any Swatch store anywhere has been a matter of sheer luck, time, and durability from its launch on March 26 to the scenes pandamonium globally.
The news was revealed gradually over the previous week. On March 17, cryptic ads appeared in select newspapers with blank pages captioned: “Time to change Omega… Swatch” and “Time to change Swatch… Omega’s.” friend”. Social media feeds hinted at something planet-themed before the watch was announced on March 24th: 11 identical Swatch watches to the iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch, but battery-powered, brightly colored and made from Swatch’s eco-plastic alternative, Bio-ceramics.
The color lines are inspired by the planets in the solar system: there’s the bright yellow Mission to the Sun, the dark blue Mission to Neptune, the beige and orange Mission to Jupiter, and of course is the Black Moon Mission. same as the original Omega.
Photo: Swatch Group
