admin OK—we have good news and bad news.
Good news first: If you were having trouble getting your hands on a MoonSwatch—well, there’s yet another variant now available for your horological pleasure. Bad news? We don’t think this one’s gonna be any easier to snag than any of the previous entries in the series. In fact, you’ll probably have a doozy of a time even catching a glimpse of one of these in the wild.
Let’s back up a second for the blissful MoonSwatch neophytes out there. Back in early 2022, Swatch and Omega teamed up on a bioceramic-cased version of the latter’s famed Speedmaster watch that featured a quartz movement and a fabric strap. Originally released in 11 variants named after heavenly bodies (“Mission to Earth,” “Mission to Uranus”—tee hee—etc.), it’s since been made available in several other references in 2023 that include the brand’s special Moonshine gold. (Launched in 2019, this special alloy is purposefully paler than traditional 18K yellow gold and is meant to embody the “shining moonlight in a dark blue sky.”)
Smash this Mission to Moonshine theme together with the original Mission to Neptune—a blue-cased, blue-dialed MoonSwatch inspired by the planet farthest from the Sun (save Pluto, if you still count Pluto)—and you’ve got a formula for an ungettable watch: If you peruse the secondary market, prices for many MoonSwatch variants aren’t all that much more than retail ($260). Prices for the Mission to Neptune, however, approach $1,000. (Guess people really like blue stuff!)
And what’s so different about the new Bioceramic MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold Mission to Neptune? Inspired by a blue moon taking place on August 30th, it’s got a Moonshine gold seconds hand made of recycled gold from Omega’s own refinery. Furthermore, this gold was evidently produced only during the full moon of August 1st, as stated in a special certificate that comes with the watch. (Somehow, I hope Omega’s pulling our collective leg on this last point.)
No matter how you feel about this whole MoonSwatch frenzy, you kinda have to admit: The new Moonshine Mission to Neptune is a good-looking watch. Like, really good-looking. With its blue bioceramic case, matching deep blue dial accented in white, gold seconds hand, and matching blue strap, it’s pretty high up there on the list of irresistible pieces of monochromatic industrial design. Plus, if it gets more folks into watches for less than the cost of a replacement bracelet for your Speedy—why not?
The Omega x Swatch Bioceramic MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold – Mission to Neptune is available in these Swatch stores on August 30th:
Garden State Plaza, Paramus; The Galleria, Houston; Mall of America, Bloomington; Ala Moana Center, Honolulu ;Lincoln Road 551, Miami Beach; 1535 Broadway Times Square, New York; Powell Street, San Francisco; New York-New York, Las Vegas
