For their latest take on the MoonSwatch, Swatch and Omega are at last paying tribute to one of the most historically important moments of all time: the 1969 Moon Landings. The tribute timepiece is the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969, which features a full Moonshine Gold display. It’s priced at $570 / £520 / CHF 500in a limited edition of 1,969 pieces, available by application only.
What is New About the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969?
The moon landings were a golden moment in history and so Swatch and Omega have gone all out by producing a full 18k Moonshine Gold dial, crown and chronograph pushers for this watch. But it’s actually more significant than just being made from gold, it’s made from re-smelted Omega spare parts that date back to the 1960s and 70s, the same period that the watch is honouring. So it’s not just a tribute, it’s a direct link back in time.
Beyond the gold elements, it’s the MoonSwatch as we know it. Black bioceramic case measuring 42mm x 13.25mm and housing a quartz chronograph movement. The caseback features a gold coloured moon inscribed with the date of the landing on July 21st 1969.
How much does the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 Cost?
For this watch, Swatch and Omega have decided to use the price of gold based on the material’s value in 1969 and not today’s market price (ignoring boring things like inflation or changes to currencies). In America in 1969, 1g of gold cost roughly $1, therefore the 11g of gold used on the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 is being priced as if it were $11 of today’s money instead of the approximately $1,450 it should cost. They’re using USD as the basis for this because of the NASA connection. What that means is that the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 is priced at $570 / £520 / CHF 500. That is a higher than the standard price of a MoonSwatch at £240 plus the $11 (converted into local currencies) of gold, but that’s due to its limited status, being a limited edition of just 1,969 pieces.
How to Buy the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969
Considering how chaotic the launch of the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop was, causing multiple security issues, Swatch has completely re-thought how to sell the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969. It will not be available in shops and is only available via online application operated via Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application (ESTA), with applications open from July 16th to July 21st at 11pm BST. It’s not so easy as registering for a lottery though, the application consists of 32 open and multiple-choice questions that applicants must complete within 2 hours and 15 minutes, covering brand heritage, historical facts and some twist questions.
After the application period has ended, the applications will be sorted initially by applicants who answered the factual questions correctly. Then an internal panel will review the answers of all correct applications and choose (presumably based on the merit of the open ended questions, though that’s an assumption) which 1,969 participants will be invited to purchase a watch. So you have to be correct, you have to be detailed and you also have to be lucky.
Price and Specs:
Model: Swatch x Omega Moonswatch Mission To The Moon 1969
Ref: SSX01B700
Case: 42mm diameter, bioceramic, black bezel with gold-colored tachymeter
Dial: Moonshine Gold
Water resistance: 30m (3 bar)
Movement: Quartz chronograph
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
Strap: Velcro-style strap
Price: £520, limited to 1969 pieces
More details at Swatch.
