In Review: The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch

Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch – $260 (Earth Edition)

About the Author: Brandon D. is a trial attorney for the government living in Houston, Texas. He’s a new dad for the second time (congrats Brandon!), which has made working from home that much more interesting for him, his wife, and their dog Charlie.

Note: As of post time these are still an in-store exclusive. 

The word on the street is that the Omega x Swatch collaboration (both brands exist under the same corporate umbrella) is a big deal. They’re not sold online. They’re only sold at some brick and mortar Swatch locations across the globe. Customers are limited to one per person, and if you do find one, stock is pretty limited. And aftermarket sellers on eBay are selling these for double to triple MSRP. So yeah, they’re a big deal.

The full eleven colorways, inspired by our solar system’s celestial bodies.

With that information I went down to my local Swatch store after work one day, because I happen to work twenty minutes from one of the few US locations that actually has these watches in stock. By that point in the day all they had left was Earth, Venus, and Jupiter. The sale associate let me know that despite the current limited stock, these are not a limited run. So spend triple on eBay or StockX if you’d like, but at some point in time (the associate didn’t know), these will be sold online. Does that mean they’ll be easy to purchase then? Maybe. After all, PS5 is not a limited release, it’s available online, it’s been almost two years since its release date, and it’s still nearly impossible to get. But demand has significantly died down. According to the sales associated, on launch day at their store, there was a line of 400 people when they opened. Two months later, and I was able to stroll in and buy mine.

The Earth. Well not THEE Earth.

The watch case diameter is a sporty and versatile 42mm and wears more like a 38-40mm watch. So if you can get your hands on the Mercury or Moon options and throw on a black leather strap, those color options would certainly fit in most office environments. But the brighter  colors are obviously a no-go for using it as a dress watch. Water resistance is 30 meters. That’s pretty much the very minimum for the watch market. So it’s fine if you wash your hands while wearing it and it won’t succumb to the rain. But this isn’t a dive watch.

42mm case size but wears more like a 38-40mm watch.

The movement is of course quartz.  Will this annoy the Watch Snobs? Yes. But those types are free to pay $6,000 – $12,000 for an automatic Speedmaster. At the $260 MSRP, this quartz movement is expected as well as incredibly accurate. And unlike mechanicals/automatics, you won’t have to reset it if you set it down and don’t wear it for a few days.

The case material is a bit interesting. Swatch is known for making plastic watches. This watch is made of what they call “Bioceramic,” which is essentially plastic (but technically 2/3 ceramic and 1/3 bio-derived plastic made from castor plant seeds). But to me it feels much more substantial than your average swatch. Almost like how a titanium watch is lighter than a steel watch, yet it still feels like it can take a beating. The bioceramic case will similarly annoy the Watch Snobs. But I’ll again point out the MoonSwatch is ninety-six percent less expensive than the cheapest Speedmaster, so steel wasn’t on the table. And it’s a collaboration with Swatch. It’s quite literally what Swatch does.

“Bioceramic” case = 2/3 ceramic and 1/3 bio-derived plastic made from castor plant seeds.

The strap is, well, Velcro. I can’t say I prefer a Velcro strap for my watch, but I find the quality to be decent enough. The Swatch sales associate did suggestion I pick up a different strap since they’ve had some complaints. And I suspect that’s partially because they seem to fit best on people with relatively smaller wrists. Since that happens to describe my wrists, I had no complaints. But I would certainly look into getting a third-party strap that fits a watch with a 20mm lug-to-lug distance. To be sure, I mean a NATO, leather, or to match something like the Dark Side of the Moon (true) Omega, a woven nylon strap. Metal isn’t happening here because it would clash with the case, and it might even damage the Bioceramic with use.

Strap is… fine. But it’s relatively short. Even the sales person said to get a new strap. 

The watch face is, by design, busy. After all, the Speedmaster it’s based upon is first and foremost a sports chronograph. The MoonSwatch’s three sub-dials include: a running-second indicator at six o’clock, a sixty-minute counter at ten o’clock, and a 1/10th seconds at two o’clock. The tachymeter on the bezel can also be useful, as it can help the wearer compute speed. In addition to the watch functions, the face also includes branding for Omega and Swatch (at twelve o’clock), MoonSwatch (at three o’clock), and Speedmaster (at nine o’clock). So there’s a lot going on. But it still looks great.

The unmistakable Speedmaster chronograph layout. 

If you’re a glass half empty kind of guy (like Phil Connors!), you’ll be wondering why some are waiting to pay $260 for a plastic, quartz watch with a Velcro strap, or paying double to triple just to get their hands on one now. If you’re a glass half full kind of guy, you’ll be excited to spend (or wait to spend) $260 for one of the most famous watches in history from one of the most famous watch companies in history while acknowledging that the low price is due to a collaboration with a cheaper yet still-respected company. An argument could be made that this isn’t an Omega homage, this is an Omega… which happens to be manufactured by their sister brand, Swatch. To Swatch’s manufacturing standards. Which means… plastic. Or something like plastic.

Battery powered Swiss Quartz movement.
Each design’s battery cover features an image of its corresponding planetary body.

Big picture: buying a MoonSwatch means you get to own a classy and super-functional Omega Omega x Swatch watch for a fraction of the price. That’s huge.

So who is this watch for? Everyone, actually. To be clear, if you’re a one watch guy or a Double Time guy, I only think this is the case if you get the Moon (black color scheme) or Mercury (grey) options. They both look pretty close to a traditional Speedmaster, and by spending just a bit more on a more traditional NATO, leather, or vinyl strap, those options will be dead ringers for the classic or Dark Side of the Moon editions.

Fun. Colorful. Compared to an Omega Speedmaster Professional… affordable.

But maybe you’re a watch collector who wants one of Omega’s legacy models but who doesn’t want to spend six-to-twelve thousand dollars on a single watch. If that’s you, then you could go with the Moon or Mercury, but you could just as easily get the Sun (yellow/white), Venus (pink/white), Earth (navy/green), Mars (red/white), Jupiter (bronze/black), Saturn (beige/brown), Uranus (baby blue/white), Neptune (deep blue/black), or Pluto (grey/burgundy). I think the Pluto is the most versatile option of the non-traditional color schemes, but it’s a personal preference.

Either way, I’m happy with mine. This is a really cool and well-made watch that, depending on your wants and needs, can be your everyday watch or a quirky yet classic addition to your collection. It’s hard to argue with that.