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. 

Speedy Tuesday - The Magazine!

I am a Robert-Jan Broer fan.  I have a lot of admiration for someone who can latch onto an idea, and flesh it out in a way that is appealing and relevant to a large group of people.  And with Speedy Tuesday, he and the team at Fratello have done just that.

Courtesy of Fratello

And if you are one of the many watch fans out there who appreciate the "tactile", Fratello and Omega have you covered with a Speedy Tuesday magazine.  

My understanding is that this is being put out in the US by Watch Time (Ebner) and will also be available in Omega boutiques.

I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the team at Fratello, as they have managed to achieve something that the rest of us are truly envious of - and I say envious in the best possible way.  Success is hard to achieve, and made all the more wonderful when you succeed doing something you love.

Congratulations Fratello!

The Starmus Festival

And Omega -

Courtesy of Omega

Sort of a cool story, so I'm going to let Omega tell it in their own words -

OMEGA AND THE STARMUS FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCE A NEW PARTNERSHIP

 

Revealing a new Speedmaster watch for the winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication

19^th May 2017: At a special press conference at the Royal Society in London on Friday, the Starmus Festival announced its new partnership with the prestigious Swiss watchmaker OMEGA.

The Starmus Festival is a combination of science, art and music, and its goal is to help the general public understand and appreciate science. Since 2011, it has included performances and presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from science, culture, the arts and music. 

OMEGA’s own pioneering history is filled with scientific accomplishment including the conquests of space and the ocean, as well as revolutionary breakthroughs in magnetic watchmaking and precision. 

Raynald Aeschlimann, the President and CEO of OMEGA, spoke about the new partnership by saying, “As we know in watchmaking, it’s not always easy to communicate new innovation or complex technology. In science, I’m sure it’s the same. That’s why we recognise the importance of the Starmus Festival. It embraces creativity to help the general public understand and appreciate everything about science. OMEGA has a strong history within science and we wanted to maintain our commitment to this important area.”

As part of its partnership, OMEGA is proudly supporting the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. The Medal recognises those who promote science through three different disciplines including Science Writing; Films; and Music and Art. 

On June 20^th this year at the Starmus Festival, the three winners will be presented with a brand new 18K yellow gold OMEGA Speedmaster watch. On the back of the watch, the brand has included a unique engraving that mirrors the design of the actual medal itself. This includes an image of the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the first ever human spacewalk as well as the “Red Special” guitar of Queen’s Brian May.

Professor Hawking himself was at the press announcement and shared his enthusiasm for OMEGA’s support. “I'm delighted that OMEGA is joining forces with us this year and that these watches will be given to the winners. I would like to thank OMEGA for this initiative and for their sponsorship.”

 

Three other important guests were present on the day, including Professor Garik Israelian, the Founder of Starmus;  Professor Claude Nicollier, the first Swiss astronaut and close friend of OMEGA; and Professor Edvard Moser, the renowned Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist.

 

Speaking on stage, Professor Israelian, the Founder of Starmus said, “Our principal goal is to inspire. This is the base of everything. I'm very proud to announce the partnership with OMEGA and have them helping us with our goals.”

Professor Nicollier was also able to shed more light on OMEGA’s scientific past and reveal his own unique experience with the brand. He said, “I have huge admiration for the achievements of Stephen Hawking. My connection to OMEGA is the value of excellence. So I'm looking forward to Starmus IV and the involvement of OMEGA in the next chapter of science, art and music at the highest level.” 

 

Without doubt, OMEGA will be following the announcement of the Medal winners very closely and is looking forward to Starmus IV taking place this year from June 18 – 23 in Trondheim, Norway.

Courtesy of Omega

About the watch

The three winners of the Stephen Hawking medal will each receive an OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph. The 42 mm case and bezel are made from 18K yellow gold and the black dial also includes 18K yellow gold hands and indexes. The watch is distinguished by its unique caseback which includes the words “WINNER OF THE STEPHEN HAWKING MEDAL FOR SCIENCE COMMUNICATION”, as well as a laser-engraved medallion that follows the exact design of the medal itself. This includes the Starmus logo and images of Alexei Leonov during the first human spacewalk and the “Red Special” guitar of Queen’s Brian May. The watch is presented on a black leather strap and is driven by the famous OMEGA calibre 1861, virtually the same hand-wound movement that powered the timepieces NASA’s astronauts wore on the Moon.

You Get To Pick 1 - Speedmaster

As it would seem that the Speedy Tuesday special release has already been snapped up, if I were picking something currently available from Omega, it would have to be the Speedmaster Professional.

Courtesy of Omega

It continues to fascinate me that Omega tends to change and modify the Seamaster faster than a fashion blogger's outfit on any given day during Fashion Week, the Speedmaster Professional tends to maintain its iconic look and feel.  And there is a reason for that.  You can't really improve on it. 

Here are the pertinents -

Case - Steel 42 mm 

Water resistance - 5 bar (50 metres / 167 feet) 

Crystal - Hesalite crystal 

Dial - Black 

Movement -

Calibre: Omega 1861

Manual-winding chronograph movement 

Rhodium-plated finish.

Power reserve: 48 hours
Type: Manual-winding

The Speedmaster 38

This is one of Omega's BaselWorld previews -

Courtesy of Omega

Known internally as "cappuccino", this model lives up to the advertising and measures in at 38 mm.

The case is of stainless steel and 18K gold (Sedna).

Under the hood is the Omega Calibre 3330 (Co-Axial).  All covered by a 4 year warranty.

A Great Team and a Great New Omega Speedmaster

I personally like Robert-Jan Broer.  He is one of the few people out there covering watches that I think is genuinely liked by pretty much all of the rest of us who are out there covering watches.  Believe me, that is a rare thing.

Courtesy of Omega

I know that in principle this watch is named for Fratello, and my praise of Robert-Jan is in no way a slight of the amazing Fratello Watch team.  Bert Buijsrogge is a phenomenal photographer, and Gerard Nijenbrinks is widely respected for his knowledge both behind the watch counter and out in the thin air of the brands.  And considering the depth and level that Fratello covers the world of watches, it is clearly an amazing team.

But if I single out Robert-Jan, it is because he is perhaps the single greatest brand ambassador that Omega could ever hope to have.  He is singularly passionate about the Omega Speedmaster.  Speedy Tuesday has become one of the most looked forward to features to many watch lovers out there, and it says something very positive about Omega that they are finally teaming up to offer something unique and (in my opinion) extremely desirable.

So I guess maybe you might want to hear something about the watch?  Well, I really like it!  And it marks another interesting turning point for Omega, this one is offered DIRECT to the customer for online purchase!

Courtesy of Omega

I am going to dip into Omega's press release here to make sure that you get all of the pertinents -

For the very first time, the Swiss watchmaker OMEGA is offering online sales of a new timepiece. Expanding the reach from its global network of boutiques, the brand is excited to connect to its online community in a new way.

For now, one unique watch will be marketed and sold exclusively online. The OMEGA Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Limited Edition will be showcased on the @OMEGA Instagram channel and customers will be able to click through to a dedicated page at omegawatches.com where they can reserve the watch. There are 2,012 models to reserve and, subject to availability, customers can even specify the Limited Edition number they want. Once chosen, the watches will be delivered in the summer of 2017.

Courtesy of Omega

The OMEGA Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Limited Edition has been produced five years after the creation of the #SpeedyTuesday hashtag by Fratello Watches founder Robert-Jan Broer.

For half a decade, an online community of #SpeedyTuesday fans has been steadily growing around the world with Speedmaster pictures and comments being shared every week. In tribute to these chronograph devotees, OMEGA is proud to introduce the new model that blends some of the Speedmaster’s most popular design features.

The design is inspired by OMEGA’s Speedmaster “Alaska Project III” model, created for NASA in 1978. At the time, NASA insisted that the watch had to be both anti-reflective and easy-to-read, or in other words - suitable for use in space.    The “Speedy Tuesday” has stayed true to these qualities with a brushed matte-finish stainless steel case and large radial numerals on the subdials.

In fact, the return of these famous radial subdials is just one of the vintage touches on the watch.

The use of the “Reverse Panda” dial is also influenced from the past. First used by OMEGA in 1966, the white opaline-silvery subdials are set against a black dial, encircled with a bezel ring and tachymeter scale in matte black aluminium. There is a rare appearance of the vintage OMEGA logo and all markings and radial subdials have been coated with bright luminescent ink.

Other classic Speedmaster touches include a domed hesalite crystal with a central OMEGA logo, as well as a vintage-cut brown leather strap with vintage buckle and stitching. Of course, OMEGA has also retained the calibre 1861 on the inside, the movement used in the famous Speedmaster Moonwatch.

Bravo Omega, and bravo to the Fratello Watches team.  Here is the Fratello Watches Masthead so you can familiarize yourself with this deserving, hard working crew -

Robert-Jan Broer

Being obsessed with watches ever since he was a little kid. Having a background in Information Technology, Information Management and IT Auditing, Robert-Jan has been active in the field of banking and auditing for quite some years before he decided to chase his horological dreams and become full time occupied with watches in 2012. Besides Fratello Watches (2004), Robert-Jan is co-founder of Chronolytics (2012) and is freelance editor for a number of publications. His first real mechanical watch was an Omega Speedmaster Professional caliber 321.

Bert Buijsrogge

Bert Buijsrogge has worked in the real-estate business for 15 years and combined his passion for watches and photography over the years. He became famous for his watch photography and created a specific branded watch calendar for a couple of years. Most of the photos seen on Fratello Watches are made by Bert. Besides working for Fratello Watches, he runs a photography business with a strong focus on watches.

Gerard Nijenbrinks

Gerard has been in the watch industry for over two decades now. He owns a watch shop in The Hague, The Netherlands, and besides that he has journalistic and photographic activities in the field of watches. Collecting watches since he was six years old (true!) and triggered by a friend, he bought his first ‘real’ watch in the late eighties; an Omega Speedmaster Professional with glass back. This was the first watch of a nice, even today ever growing, collection.

Blaise Ferenczi

Blaise has been a fan of watches as long as he can remember. His passion for watches really took off in 2007 when he purchased his first fine Swiss timepiece. From 2007 up to recently, he was also an active and involved member of a number of on-line watch communities. Blaise has a weak spot for vintage Omega watches and vintage watches in general.

Michael Stockton

Michael has worked in the Automotive Industry and is currently in the Electronics Industry. When he’s not cruising at 30,000 feet, he calls Frankfurt, Germany and outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania home. Michael became interested in watches at a young age through the influence of his father. His interests lie in a wide array of watches, but he has a real passion for Seikos, Rolex and 60’s-70’s chronographs.

Teun van Heerebeek

During his college period watches became top of mind for him. Since he has a bachelor’s degree in design he often focusses on watch-design matters, but also adores the more technical side of watches and watchmaking. He is the founder/illustrator of Watches & Pencils and contributes to opinionated articles with a humourous and creative topping here on Fratello Watches. Together with you he likes to explore the vast watch-lands in all it’s diversity. Not only the obvious articles and reviews, but also more brand independent and autonomic topics like watch hands, typical WIS terms and aesthetic cases.

 

OMEGA Speedmaster '57

This is the latest from OMEGA -

Courtesy of OMEGA

The Speedmaster ’57 Omega Co-Axial Chronograph salutes

Its legendary ancestor