With all of the hysteria the original Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch created, there’s little wonder the announcement of a new model has only caused more hype and anticipation. Today (a little earlier than Swatch originally stated) we have our first look at the new Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch “Mission To MoonShine Gold” release, which is at the same time enticingly creative and just a little underwhelming.
The first thought that came to our minds when the words “MoonSwatch” and “MoonShine Gold” were announced was: “How are they going to introduce precious metal into such a low-priced watch?” Now, we’ve got the answer with the new model featuring the same colour bioceramic case and dial from the original “Mission To The Moon,” but with a chronograph hand that has been coated in the same proprietary MoonShine Gold alloy that Omega used for the case of the attractive Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition.
For the metallurgists reading, MoonShine Gold is an 18-karat alloy that consists of 75% gold, 14% silver, a little less than 9% copper and1% palladium, which were combined to deliver a slightly paler shade of the rare element, but one that won’t tarnish so much with age. Swatch has said it used recycled gold taken from its own refinery that produces the cases and bracelets for Omega, which is a great way to use excess gold dust.
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While the visual impact of the new “Mission To MoonShine Gold” is a lot less eye-catching than many mock-ups predicted, it’s a package that doesn’t look over-the-top, while still incorporating a small amount of the promised precious metal. One part of the release we could have done without, however, is the Swatch promise that the first batch of new models was produced on the night of the February full moon, with each watch arriving with a certificate confirming its full moon production.
Unfortunately for Aussies looking to add a “Mission To MoonShine Gold” to their collection, it will not be available online and will only be sold at selected stores in London, Zürich, Tokyo, and Milan. Apparently, these cities were selected for their “special association with gold,” which is about as convincing a story as the “certified full moon production.”
At the end of the day, the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch “Mission To MoonShine Gold” is a genuinely cool release that looks good and will inevitably sell out within 15 minutes of shops opening their doors. However, we’d still have bought one without the tales of the full moon production and gold-linked available outlets. They arrive at stores with a CHF25 premium on the original collection, seeing their RRP rise to CHF 275 (AU$445).
