Introducing: The Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
Swatch dropped another little bomb today! Meet the Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon with a Moonshine Gold seconds hand — or better said, the Mission to Moonshine Gold. This watch is exactly the same as the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon but with a little Moonshine Gold twist.
Mission to the Moon with a touch of Moonshine Gold!
Our prediction article from last Sunday definitely ruffled some feathers, to say the least. And just like last year’s announcement of the MoonSwatch, this is exactly what Swatch is after. The brand announced that the new Mission to Moonshine Gold will be available today in Tokyo, Zürich, Milan, and London. It is only in those cities that this watch will go on sale at 7:00 PM local time. Swatch indicated that it might come up for sale (again) during the next full moon. Unfortunately, however, nothing is carved in stone yet.
Not online!
Also, it will (again) not be available online, so you need to go out and keep an eye on points of sale for this Mission to Moonshine Gold watch. This model is not the 12th model of the original MoonSwatch series, nor will the other MoonSwatch models get this gold treatment. It’s this one run, and the regular Mission to the Moon will still be available (at times) in the selected Swatch boutiques.
For the release, Swatch chose London, Milan, Zürich, and Tokyo specifically because these cities have a special association with gold
The Moonshine Gold alloy
In 2019, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold. This 18K alloy consists of 75% gold (hence the 18 karats), 14% silver, 1% palladium, and less than 9% copper. It gives the gold a paler shade, but it also enhances the longevity of its color and luster.
Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI Moonshine from 2019
Moonshine Gold-coated chronograph seconds hand
Since then, Omega also used it on two more Speedmaster models in 2022. As an addition to the Omega and Swatch’s MoonSwatch collaboration, the latter brand now also uses Moonshine Gold. This means that Swatch coated the MoonSwatch’s chronograph seconds hand with the Moonshine Gold alloy.
Certified full-moon production
The Moonshine Gold-coated seconds hand was produced on one day in February during the full moon. A certificate that comes with this watch underlines this important short production run. Swatch hasn’t communicated how many hands have been produced (other than “probably not enough”), but the brand did state that recycled gold has been used from its own certified refinery.
Besides the Moonshine Gold-coated seconds hand, this will come with the aforementioned certificate as well as in a special (gold) box. The markup for this version is 25 Swiss francs, for a total of CHF 275.
Gold places
As always, you can only purchase one MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon with Moonshine Gold per person. And no, there’s no guarantee that you will be able to buy one if you show up at one of the events. For the release, Swatch chose London, Milan, Zürich, and Tokyo specifically because these cities have a special association with gold — London, for example, because that’s where the global price of gold is fixed and Zürich because of the banks and gold reserves there.
Some thoughts
Last year, Swatch broke the internet — not only for one day but for weeks, even months. Despite the criticism from watch fans who were annoyed by the MoonSwatch product itself or frustrated because they could not get a hold of one, the MoonSwatch articles broke all traffic records on Fratello. The hype was real and still is real, despite what nay-sayers want you to believe.
ETA CEO Mr. Casafina, me, and Mr. Hayek Jr., CEO of Swatch
Will it break the internet again?
Did Swatch and Mr. Hayek Jr. touch gold with the MoonSwatch? I believe so. Will they touch gold again with the Mission to Moonshine Gold version? Well, based on the traction that the watch is already getting on social media before its release, and the bizarre number of readers we received on last Sunday’s article, I’d say yes. Also here, I’d say the opinions on the new MoonSwatch release are polarizing, even in the Fratello office. We’re all in favor of the looks of the Mission to the Moon with a Moonshine Gold seconds hand, but not everyone in our office is digging the accompanied story.
For me, it’s very simple. Either you like a watch or you don’t, and I do like this new Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon iteration. The fact that Swatch produced the Moonshine Gold-coated hands on the day of February’s full moon is a nice angle to underline the use of this special Moonshine Gold alloy. All the assumptions and mock-ups that I saw on social media had it wrong. Some were way over the top, and others were just MoonSwatched versions of the Omega Speedmaster Moonshine editions. It does show that people are having fun with this watch, using it as a canvas to produce their own favorable versions, as we did here in the past with the Speedy Tuesday editions.
This evening, we will be in Zürich as well to see if the hype is real (again). We will keep you posted. You can find more information on the official Swatch website.
