The Importance of Respecting A Press Embargo - Or When Exclusive Really Means Exclusion

Per Wikipedia -

In journalism and public relations, a news embargo or press embargo is a request or requirement by a source that the information or news provided by that source not be published until a certain date or certain conditions have been met. They are often used by businesses making a product announcement, by medical journals, and by government officials announcing policy initiatives; the media is given advance knowledge of details being held secret so that reports can be prepared to coincide with the announcement date and yet still meet press time. 

Okay, so we've gotten that out of the way ; )

As the new lead of Tempus Fugit mentioned, despite spending mere tens of thousands of CHF to airlift several more "well-heeled" members of the press to "double-secret" previews, there is always one itchy individual who feels that an embargo is more like a "suggestion" rather than a requirement. And that, among other reasons, accounts for some of the shit-show that was Saturday's retail fiasco with the MoonSwatch.

Was it a calculated move to leak in advance of the other "swells" who enjoyed first class (and deferential) treatment from the white gloved hands of Swatch and Omega? Sure. Would I consider them victims? Of course not. Was something like this happening inevitable? 

Absolutely!

But I would rather light a candle than curse their collective darkness. Therefore I would prefer to focus on the people who truly got the fuzzy end of the lollipop on this one, the customers and the employees of the "Exclusive" Swatch Boutiques.

Now another unrequested bit of Henki lore -

Back in the mid 80s, a certain northern youth grew his hair out in a somewhat abortive mullet in the hopes of catching the eye of the young women in the vicinity who were fans of a band from Ireland. History will reflect that this Northern Youth, along with 3 of his buddies, piled into his 77 Oldsmobile Cutlass and waited all night outside of the Ticket Master location. Said ticket outlet was inconveniently located in the Woolworth's of the Midway Mall -

So after many hours of shuffling around in the February chill, not infrequent runs to the nearby gas station for cokes, and several bio breaks behind the Ponderosa Steak House dumpster, we were finally admitted into the inside of the mall and were able to purchase our tickets at 9:00 AM.

I was happy, and drove the 30 minutes home and slept the rest of that Saturday morning.

Unbeknownst to my friends and I, one of our teachers decided that the day after the concert would be the ideal time for him to give his final exam, because he would be taking his vacation a little early so that he and his family could have some extra time, and thus his exam was moved to the week after exam week. So three U2 tickets promptly changed hands for exactly face value  (Oberlin was not a hotspot for scalping), and the internet had yet to make a real debut. And I developed a certain antipathy for U2 and anything Bono adjacent.

And as I heard tales from my friends around the globe this past Saturday and Sunday, they shared similar tales of angst, irritation, and downright anger. And I thought, not unlike my high school teacher waiting until the week before to announce a schedule change for a final exam, maybe Swatch could have been a little better prepared for what would unfold.

And this is where I, and several of my former colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estate are likely to disagree. Was it an incredibly successful launch? YES! Did it break the internet (metaphorically, anyway)? Yes! Did it actually really cause a lot of frustration and leave a lot of people unhappy? Duh!

What the early jumper of the embargo did was effectively ensure that -

1. The Swatch Boutiques would get besieged by a LOT of unhappy people.

2. Potential customers would travel vast distances at great personal expense to get... well, Jack shit, and Jack had just left town.

3. A handful of outlets that had been used to getting spoon-fed all the best releases well in advance of the rest of the plebeians in the press corps would be coming back down to the level of, well, the rest of the press corps. Which in fact might prove to be useful, it's important sometimes to be reminded of where you came from ; )

A few final thoughts:

• Swatch dropped the ball in terms of  logistics on this one. There is no nice way to say it. Some "Exclusive" Swatch Boutiques were so exclusive that they might as well have been excluded, with fewer than 100 pieces allocated to them. 
• Secrecy is no excuse for making so few units in advance and not having a reasonable amount deployed. They say they were working on it for a year. That was ample time to get ready.  

Were they expecting the Keebler Elves to take a break from making cookies and come in and crank out MoonSwatches on the graveyard shift? It is clear that they wanted to make a big, messy splash just before Watches and Wonders (again - Duh!), and while they did make a splash, they also made a mess. And therefore, they will hopefully learn to communicate EVERYTHING first, not just the sexy bits. They should have let people know BEFOREHAND that it was not a limited edition, and that it would be available at a later date, at least for customers who were willing to wait. The last-minute scramble to explain this via Instagram posts did not really come out in official communication, and initially took on the hue of urban myth.

Let's be honest, that last bit would have made a HUGE difference. Imagine driving 9 hours, camping out all night, and just when you think it will all pay off... being told to take it on the heel and toe, no MoonSwatch for you Mr. and Ms. devoted fan.

Did Swatch inadvertently get damaged by the leak? Sure. Did they set the stage for this to happen? Sorry, but yes. And just as this Northern Youth learned back in the 80s, many of those disaffected Swatch fans "still haven't found what they're looking for".  

Sorry, too soon?

Let's hope that memories are short and loyal fans are forgiving. And in the meantime, I suggest we all try to think about something else. But for now, if the MoonSwatch decides to "walk away, walk away, walk", unlike monsieur Vox, I won't follow.

Further Thoughts on the Swatch X Omega MoonSwatch

A lot can happen in a day and a half. Two days ago, Revolution slipped up and momentarily posted the announcement of the Omega X Swatch MoonSwatch. It was quickly taken down, but nothing is faster than watch nerds on the internet, who screengrabbed the article and marketing photos and reposted it everywhere. The next day, in a release apparently coordinated with Omega and Swatch, Fratello officially made the announcement. Then the entire watch world was set aflame. (Apparently there was some soreness amongst the watch press about Fratello getting the exclusive to announce first, but I can't think of a more appropriate outlet than the originator of #speedytuesday, which has devoted more content to the Speedmaster than any other major site.) 

James already dove into the release a bit in an earlier post, but the basics are as follows. Omega and Swatch--both part of the larger Swatch Group--have come together to create an affordable iteration of the Speedmaster. The watch is dubbed the MoonSwatch (which is admittedly very clever), and will come in eleven iterations inspired by the sun, the moon, and the planets of our solar system (and Pluto). They feature the same classic design as their historic brethren, including the bombé lugs, asymmetrical case, and recessed pump pushers--even the dot over 90 for the diehard fanboys. The cases, however, are made with proprietary "bioceramic," a mix of two-thirds ceramic, one-third castor oil (which somehow merits the "bio" affix). The straps are Velcro, similar to those found on the Speedmaster Alaska Project model and the movement is a jeweled quartz mechanism which necessitates the rearrangement of the subdials. 

It was reported in the announcement that the MoonSwatch would only be available at select Swatch boutiques and there was no indication that they would be regular production models. As a result, in the day since the official announcement, a lot has happened. Swatch boutiques have been inundated with calls (some claiming, hopefully with hyperbole, that they've been picking up the phone every 7 seconds), with actual lines forming outside the storefronts. Perhaps not surprisingly, unscrupulous flippers have already listed the model for sale on eBay at more than a 10x markup. And there have been a lot of opinions. 

Then Swatch quietly confirmed (in multiple Instagram comment replies) that not only are the watches not limited, but they would be available online at a future date. While the flippers and people in line wipe the egg off their faces, we must ask: Why the wasn't it made clear that the MoonSwatch would be made widely available at a later date? 

Let's consider the goal of this watch, which is undoubtedly to entice two groups of people: those that would love a Speedmaster but can't afford one (or don't want to spend on one) and neophyte watch buyers. For the former, it offers a way to access a facsimile of an iconic watch; for the latter, it ideally serves as a gateway drug of sorts, leading to the eventual purpose of an Omega (Speedmaster or otherwise). It's a win-win for Omega and for Swatch. So why the chicanery? As ever, the answer to our questions is money: the surest way to create buzz and make something a runaway success is to create the illusion of scarcity.

This isn't the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. In 2019, Hodinkee released the Seiko Alpinist SPB089. All the messaging from Hodinkee suggested that Hodinkee was the only place to get it. The reality, though, was that Hodinkee had an exclusive to sell the model first, and it would then be available directly from Seiko; while it was a limited edition, it was limited to the U.S. market, not to Hodinkee. Similarly, later that year, Grand Seiko released a U.S.-only Four Seasons collection, only to turn around and make them available worldwide. The effect is always the same: the watches sell out quickly, appear for resale at outrageous markups, and then leave those who had purchased them in earnest--with a desire to enjoy them--feeling they have something a little less special.

These aren't oversights or innocent miscommunications, and these brands don't have a lack of confidence in their product selling on their merits. On the contrary,  these are large companies intentionally manipulating the market to their advantage. They do it precisely because of their confidence in their product; the momentary ire of the watch community does not affect the bottom line. To be sure, the blustering over how the MoonSwatch was released has, from the start, been eclipsed by the excitement for the watches.

The excitement is deserved. From the perspective of someone who not only loves watches, but loves the watch community, this is only a good thing. The release of the MoonSwatch will bring more people into the community and allow those already here to own a Speedmaster where they may not have been able to before (Don't argue with me on that second point: the watch says "Speedmaster" right on the dial. It's a Speedmaster.) On top of that, the watches are cool. A ceramic watch modeled after an icon, offered in Eleven different case colors, each with a unique dial and matching strap, all for $260? There's something for literally everyone. 

Whether or not they will be learned, the release of the Swatch X Omega MoonSwatch has some lessons to offer. For brands: be more transparent in releasing a watch. For customers, especially the watch community: Don't buy a watch simply because it's a limited edition (or worse, because you think it is). For commentators (press and otherwise): clarify, get the full story, then react. 

While it's not clear when the MoonSwatch will be made more widely available, we know that it will, so we can all settled down. If you're feeling calm and like you can approach things rationally, both Omega and Swatch's sites have you covered. Omega has a page that tries to justify why it made an affordable copy of its best-selling watch and Swatch has a page bragging about how it made an affordable Speedmaster. 

You Can Only Have 1 (well, technically 2) - The MOONSWATCH

Okay, the cat is officially out of the bag). It would seem that first Fratello, were tipped to "drop" the drop yesterday afternoon (Eastern Time here in the lower 48). This, in turn, led to a mad scramble from several outlets to put out as much info as they could, as fast as they could. Here at the current HQ of Tempus Fugit Tallulah, Sabrina and I opted to reach for the popcorn and watch.

So first and foremost, bravo to Swatch and Omega for the ultimate tease/just kidding/no maybe we're serious/pay no attention to the man behind the curtain/psyche out. Was it a teensy-bit douchy? Well... sort of. But in fairness, it was effective.

But while some of my soon-to-be former colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estates are feeling (in some cases) more than a bit put out, here at Tempus Fugit we prefer to focus on the products themselves.

Courtesy of Swatch

But before that, a bit of Henki lore:

My second mechanical watch was a circa 1963 Omega Seamaster 30 that I found at an indoor flea market in Turku, Finland in 1996 -

The First Kiss

My first mechanical chronograph was a yellow Speedmaster Schumacher. I was also the custodian of a circa 1969 Speedmaster Professional -

Astronauts and Cosmonauts

And I do, at times, miss that Speedmaster. But I also feel that the current price levels being sought from the folks in Biel/Bienne are not dissimilar to the amounts usually negotiated with the aid of a pistol and a getaway car. So I don't really see an Omega Spedmaster in my future.

With that said, it has been a long time since a product launch (no matter how it has been handled) has made me and so many other people smile. And when you strip away all of the goofiness that got us to this point, in the end it is supposed to be about the watch (or Swatch) itself.

Is this an actual Omega Speedmaster? No. It is fair to describe it as a Swatch Chronograph in Omega Speedmaster livery. But that does take away from the fun. Because this is a Swatch that will appeal to pretty much everyone who loves (or even likes) watches. It is fun, it is whimsical, and it is (by Omega standards) a bargain. Is it a bargain by Swatch standards? Well...

But let's get back to the fun! The MOONSWATCH collection is made up of references for each of the planets (including the our own), the sun and our own modest satellite, the moon. I suspect that the Mission to Mars and Mission to the Moon versions will be the hot sellers, and they are indeed very nice. But I thought I'd focus on what might be an under appreciated model, the Mission to Jupiter -

 

   

Courtesy of Swatch

While I realize it might not be everyone's planetary destination (at least in Swatch Land), it speaks to me.

The price tag is US $260. So if you have the money, that is (you would think) all you need. Well, not so fast Spaceman Spiff -

Swatch, in their wisdom, decided that if you want one, you can only get one from a Swatch boutique. Okay, fair enough! Oh, but wait...

Not just any boutique, but a "select" boutique!

Now I realize that particularly in light of the world's problems today, this is a spoiled-brat, first world problem. But then again, it is a little specious for Hayek the Younger and Omega's CEO Mr. Aeschlimann to crow about how this is now accessible to everyone. Well, if you are in Switzerland, that is abundantly true as you can't really swing a Flik Flak without hitting a Swatch boutique. 

In North America, you will be picking up the phone and hoping like hell that someone on the other end is going to:

A. Take the Call

B. Sell you one

Because here in a fairly large (geographically) country, Swatch has decided that you will probably only want one of these MOONSWATCHES if you live in:

New York City Metro (extending down to Philadelphia), Texas (Dallas and Houston), Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco and Hawaii. Now my specialization as a teacher is linguistics and adult continuing education. I am not a trained geographer, nor do I claim prowess in demographic studies. With that said, I have heard rumors that Chicago, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle and other cities might just have people who might just want to buy this watch. But again, Swatch in all of their wisdom set up their one and only Boston Swatch Boutique in a fairly deserted portion of Boston Logan Airport. Needless to say, it "departed" some time ago and has not yet been replaced elsewhere in the Boston Metro area.

Further to this point, our neighbors to the north are even more hosed on this one. Because despite what the sales brain trust in Weehawken, New Jersey might think, there are more cities in Canada than Toronto and Montreal. They would be aware of this if they followed the NHL more closely. Just saying.

So for those of you reading this in the hinterlands of Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Ottawa, Edmonton, Los Angeles and elsewhere, bonne chance! I have reached out to my "network" and we will see if I get lucky!  Stay tuned, as my Mission to a Select Swatch Boutique gets underway.