Why everyone’s gazing at the MoonSwatch

The MoonSwatch is “a playful take on its iconic Speedmaster chronograph”, according to the watch maker.

Back in the early 1980s, as the Swiss watch industry struggled to contain the offensive of inexpensive, quartz-powered Japanese watches, Dr Nicholas G. Hayek put into motion a now famous plan that focused on Swiss heritage and craftsmanship and helped watchmakers such as Omega, Longines, and Breguet rediscover their mojo.

As chairman of the Société Suisse de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie or SMH, an entity born out of the merger of the two largest domestic watch groups in Switzerland at the time, Hayek also launched a plastic watch called the Swatch. The Swatch range, which comprised colourful, inexpensive watches, was a global hit and set the template for fashion-forward watches.

Last week, about 40 years later, Omega, which is owned by the Swatch Group (formerly SMH) along with a bunch of storied brands, kind of returned the favour by teaming up with Swatch to launch the MoonSwatch, “a playful take on its iconic Speedmaster chronograph”.

The legendary Speedmaster or the ‘Moonwatch’, which retails for around Rs 6 lakh, is a mechanical masterpiece. It has been part of every manned US space flight and accompanied American astronauts on the Moon since 1969. The bright and cheery MoonSwatch range, on the other hand, is made of bioceramic, a blend of ceramic and a castor oil-based plastic, and its 11 watches riff on planetary bodies, from the Sun and the Moon to Mars and Neptune.

MoonSwatch Mission to Mars

The MoonSwatch, which is powered by a quartz movement and comes with a space-mission appropriate Velcro strap. It retails for $260 (about Rs 20,000), but you’ll have to wait a while before you can get your hands on one. Its launch last week triggered a covetous frenzy usually reserved for latest generation Apple iPhones. Enthusiasts queued up outside Swatch boutiques in several cities, watch forums on the internet buzzed with intense discussions about the watch, and the price of the MoonSwatch went berserk on EBay, touching $8,000 before rationalising. (The MoonSwatch is not a limited edition model; Swatch has repeatedly clarified that it will continue producing it for — obviously — a long time.)

Film-maker Karan Anshuman was one those who tried to unsuccessfully snag a couple by persuading his friends in Dubai and Singapore to queue up outside Swatch boutiques in the respective cities. “I have my eye on at least four of them I’m almost always out and about shooting, so I can’t wear my fancier watches, and this fits the bill. It’s hardy enough and has a tangible connection to an icon,” says Anshuman.

Punit Mehta, the Mumbai chapter lead of international watch collectors’ community RedBar, gets what Anshuman is talking about. He loves the fact the MoonSwatch retains certain signature Speedy elements such as the asymmetrical case, tachymeter scale, and the distinctive subdials. “It might be a homage kind of watch, but it has a lot of character. I don’t own a Speedmaster but I’m a huge Swatch fan, and I’m glad to see the brand finally get back into the game. I hope there are more such fun collaborations from other brands as well,” says Mehta.

Travel industry professional Vijay Kesavan, whose first big watch was a Speedmaster, says he feels a bit gypped. “I have nothing against people who dig the watch, but it’s like buying a Ferrari and discovering that they have tied up with Fiat to launch a budget Ferrari that looks exactly like your car. I’m sure there are much better, more honest watches you can buy at that price. I’d recommend something from Seiko,” says Kesavan.

Irrespective of which side of the divide they are on, most watch lovers admire the marketing genius behind the collaboration. “From the perspective of a watch brand owner, it is a masterful move — why would you want to buy a fake Omega when you can buy the MoonSwatch? The youngsters who are picking up the MoonSwatch today will be inspired to learn more about the Speedmaster and will end up acquiring one sooner or later. So, both Swatch and Omega are winners in this collaboration,” says Nirupesh Joshi, co-founder of Bangalore Watch Company. “But, as an enthusiast, it doesn’t do anything for me.”

Down under in Sydney, entrepreneur Bhaskar Eswaran, widely believed to own the world’s largest collection of Speedmasters, feels the Moonwatch has been democratised and is preparing to make space for the entire range in his vault.

“I’m going to get all the models — three sets for me and my two kids who, by the way, are young adults,” says Eswaran, who owns two of the only 50 ‘Mission Cases’ released by Omega. Each ‘Mission Case’ contains 23 Speedmasters and Eswaran says he is going to suggest to Omega to retail the MoonSwatch in ‘Mission Cases’.