The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch instantly became the most talked-about watch on the planet, the MoonSwatch managed to create hype, excitement, and disappointment simultaneously. As a D.C. resident, hearing that the Omega and Swatch collaboration was only available at select Swatch – and none in our area – was disheartening.
Fortunately, I already had a pre-planned trip to New York City to visit family, on release weekend. I convinced my wife to line up in the morning and hopefully be able to snag a few of these watches for the two of us. I did my homework the day before and tried calling the five Swatch stores in NYC. I was initially unable to get through to any of them, but eventually, one of them, the Fifth Avenue location, picked up and stated their phones had been ringing off the hook. He was not able to say how many watches they would have but did let me know that all the stores would be opening at 8 am instead of their usual 10 am time. They stated people would be lining up, and to get there early. After eventually getting through to a few other stores, the Times Square location seemed most promising. The gentleman who answered from that store stated that since the Times Square location was the flagship store, they had received the largest allocation of watches.
My Journey
We woke up early on Saturday and managed to get in line by 5:45 am outside the Times Square location. To our shock, the line was already very long, and the folks at the front had been there overnight. As it got closer to 8 am, and the sun came up, the line extended almost an entire NYC avenue. By now, we had built a friendly camaraderie with our line-mates, who, to our delight, shared a passion for watches as well. As the store was opening, a representative from the store came around to provide stickers with hand-written numbers on them corresponding to our spot in line. We were numbers 218 and 219.
One of our line-mates went further back in line and discovered there were only 287 numbers given out, and the hundreds of people behind the last person were told they would not receive a watch. We had anticipated lining up for a few hours until 8 am when the store opened, but the most frustrating part of the process came next. It would take another 5 hours for us to get into the store to select our watches. The store was letting only a few people in at once, and there seemed to be no rush to get them through quickly. During this time, the line started to form again behind the 256th person in line, extending nearly the length of the entire block. We heard stories of other locations having less than 100 total watches and people who had lined up overnight, leaving empty-handed. We had made the right choice in the Times Square location.
As we moved up the line, people leaving would let us know which models had run out. The Mission to Uranus, powder blue, version was the first to go. This was followed by the Mission to Mars, Mercury, and the Moon. By the time we finally got in the store, the only models remaining were the Neptune, Earth, Jupiter, Sun, and Venus. I went with the Neptune, and my wife selected the Jupiter. There were only a few of each version remaining in stock. We left with the watches in hand, feeling extremely lucky that we had picked this location and gotten in line exactly when we did, as opposed to 15 minutes later, in which case we would be leaving empty-handed.
The Review
One important thing to note is that these watches retail for $260 in the United States. We have to keep our expectations realistic because the quality and specifications will not be in line with more expensive watches, especially the original Omega Speedmaster.
The MoonSwatch comes in boxes made from thin cardboard, which is not substantial. It does go with the eco-friendly theme of the bioceramic watches, but the boxes definitely leave something to be desired.
Once out of the box, the biggest appeal of the watches is immediately apparent: the style, sizing, and fit. This makes sense since the mold for this watch is the Omega Speedmaster. It sits excellent on the wrist, and the case shape and finish make it appear exactly like its iconic influence. The dial looks great at a glance, with details like the concentric circles on the subdials, neat printing of the text, and the iconic Speedmaster hands.
The colors are also a big positive. The cases and the hands of the Jupiter model, based on the Ultraman Speedmaster variation, stick out nicely in bright orange. The movement is a quartz Swatch movement, and I think that is to be expected in this price range. I don’t view that as a negative, and the chronograph also has a 1/10 of a second timer, which is a nice function. However, as a product of the movement, the hands don’t line up perfectly, which will bother some people. The central chronograph hand on the two watches I have are slightly to the right of 12.
The biggest negative for me is definitely the strap – it feels very cheap and stiff. There is not much flexibility for someone with a smaller wrist, so the strap juts out quite a bit off of the wrist when you tighten it. It does come with normal spring bars, so you can easily swap this out for a 20mm strap of your choice.
The weight is also another negative. Some may like this, but this watch feels extremely light. I believe it to be around 29 grams, which is half the weight of even my g-shock. This comes from the bioceramic case and quartz movement. The bezel and crystal are also areas where there was probably a bit of cost-cutting. The tachymeter bezel matches the print and details of the Speedmaster but seems to just be a sticker. It will be interesting to see how this lasts over time, but my expectations are not high. The crystal also appears to be a plastic or acrylic that scratches very easily. I understand the original Moonwatch is also acrylic, but this is not nearly the same quality.
Overall, I think the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch is a fun watch for the price. It looks great on the wrist, provides some interesting color choices, and contains great details on the dial. However, there is something to be desired in the case itself, and the watch weighs and feels like a cheap watch. Other brands, even microbrands, are releasing watches with much better specifications at this price that do feel much more substantial in hand. For me, this watch has its place in my watch box, if not for the dial and iconic look, then at least for the story of how this $260 watch turned the entire watch world upside down for a few weeks. In the end, for me, it was worth the journey.
Mr. Wristwatchcheck is a D.C.-based watch blogger, whose love for watches extends beyond the actual timepieces and into the history, culture, and hype around wristwatches. Follow him on Instagram: @wristwatchcheck1 and TikTok: @wristwatchcheck.
