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The Swatch Group’s collaborative interstellar project with Omega has continued, with the release of the ‘Mission to MoonShine’ MoonSwatch model in Japan – with models available in select stores for one day only.
The watch debuted in Tokyo on Tuesday evening (7 March) with launch events also scheduled for Zurich, London, and Milan.
This model features a ‘moonshine’ gold seconds hand, moonshine being a coating of recycled gold sourced from the Swatch Group refinery. The alloy consists of gold, silver, and copper.
The MoonSwatch collaboration debuted in March of 2022 and has since sold more than 1.5 million units.
Reception to the launch has been mixed with some onlookers optimistic that this limited launch is a sign of more significant plans ahead, while others described feeling ‘underwhelmed’ after the excitement of the original release.
“Well, I really didn’t think we were getting a solid gold MoonSwatch. I had a hunch this would involve a coating of some sort, but I at least hoped we would get a golden-hued Bioceramic case, or at least an homage to a MoonShine gold Omega Speedmaster,” wrote Danny Milton of Hodinkee.
“Instead, what we have is a global event on a smaller scale than the pandemonium that was the original MoonSwatch launch. And what’s for sale is a limited [production-wise] special edition Mission to the Moon with Moonshine gold-coated hand. When you spell it out like that, it sort of loses its luster a bit.”
Other commentators have suggested that this is Swatch CEO Nick Hayek’s attempt at reigniting the ‘scarcity’ factor which played a crucial role in MoonSwatch’s popularity.
“Hayek’s willingness to confound those happy to drink in the hype that his own brand creates does not end with a release so apparently underwhelming if the comments on Instagram are anything to go by, said Tim Barber of Wired.
“The chief characteristic of the MoonSwatch story, since a launch that saw Swatch shops around the world swamped by huge crowds of buyers and flippers, has been scarcity, with Swatch’s boutiques massively undersupplied and the watches unavailable online.
“Perhaps the real mission of the Mission to Moonshine is to fire up the scarcity issue all over again.”
This model is slightly more expensive than the original 12-piece collection, priced at $US260 ($AU394).
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