Swatch X Omega

scwazrh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119183394#Comment_119183394

Not this year but I’d be fairly sure it will get back to that at some stage , or very limited waiting periods . It will be interesting to see how many of the grey dealers are around in 12 months .

njburke

I watched this last night, its some guys thoughts on what the moonswatchs impact had been. It's matter of fact type stuff and bit of opinion.

https://youtu.be/DEh7QTyNvNE

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119183394#Comment_119183394

It feels unimaginable.

fat bloke

Let's say the day came that you could just walk in off the street, browse a bunch of Rolexes, pick one out at RRP and walk away whistling...

Is that the dream, or the nightmare scenario?

Would anyone bother? If you take away the exclusivity, the resale and the perception, the emperor's new clothes, I presume they'd just be A. N. Other watches?

Fitz II

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184308#Comment_119184308

See I think that would improve things a lot. There is no exclusivity at the moment. People are buying them and because they are appreciating there is no consequences to it. Its an investment, not a luxury purchase. Bring back the days when the purchase means something. Its been a display of your saving account for too long rather than a display of your disposable.

mailforkev

Nah, with inflation the way it is a basic Sub will soon be a 10k watch. The intersect of people who are into watches and people with a spare 10k that they’re willing to put into a watch is still tiny (outside of here, in the real world).

40k grey asking for a SS Daytona is mental, but even if they drop back to 20k it’s not really making them much more accessible. The exclusivity is still very much there.

And with the way all watches have gone more mainstream over the last few years, the image/perception is rock solid. Owning a 10k watch is still something special, even though we’re all a bit jaded and over Rolex, it’s still an achievement being able to afford one.

fat bloke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184364#Comment_119184364

That's an interesting take on it alright. Would or could the brand maintain its pricing stiff upper lip in a "normal" market? Could you see them sticking up the "SALE" signs?

Get 'em while they're hot, 20% off all Rolex, this weekend only!! Free Moonswatch with every purchase! (T's & C's apply, subject to availability, minimum purchase €9,999, legacy customers on waiting lists ineligible). 😁

fat bloke

Personally if be more inclined to buy one if they were available normally, as an, as you say, aspirational purchase.

If I get a whiff of nod or wink or scratch my back chicanery in such things - being "allowed" to purchase something, it puts me right off. Doesn't matter what it is. For some a queue is an attraction, an accelerator. It just makes me want to go elsewhere.

Fitz II

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184455#Comment_119184455

To be honest this 100% I absolutely hate the way it is now.

mailforkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184469#Comment_119184469

The one thing everyone agrees on.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184411#Comment_119184411

Free Rolex with a complete set of MoonSwatches 🤣

heffo500

Do you reckon in a couple of months these will be for sale near retail on eBay once the hype dies down?

unkel

That's what people said 3 months ago when they were launched. It didn't happen. I guess it very much depends on how many are still being sold. For sure some buyers will get bored with them and put them up for sale.

whippet

I'm in San Fran at the moment and popped in to a swatch shop .. none in stock and I was chatting to one of the staff .. they are due another delivery .. getting one delivery a week and they tend to sell out within the hour. He couldn't tell me when the next delivery was due as they are not even been told by swatch when the deliveries will arrive ... it is to stop the same people buying the available stock.

not sure what to make of what he was saying but he did say to try and pop in about noon tomorrow !

j2

This is hilarious, the flippers must be delighted.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119268035#Comment_119268035

Yeah, funny that it was announced for online purchase at the start, even had the webpage set up. They must have forgotten about the lack of "emotion" involved. "Carefully produced Swiss made watch"🤣 Ah jaysus the bull keeps coming. I've had one in the flesh, or rather cheap placcy with added "leatherish" and velcro. It's a cheap and cheerful Swatch about a hundred quid to expensive. At retail.

Like I reckoned earlier I do think a part of the slump in the wider watch bubble with the very expensive stuff has come on the heels of the MoonSwatch hype. It was the same thing, but far far cheaper and far easier to see the emperor's new clothes and that infected the entry level steel Rolex with a dial that kinda looks like the Tiffany blue, but isn't craziness.

whippet

Despite all the hate I picked up a Saturn in NY today ... only one left in the store on 5th .. no other models at all

its light feels cheap but I really like it .. bizarrely they recommended not wearing it out when leaving the store and to put it in my back pack as people are watching customers leaving the store. So a $3000 tag was safer on my wrist than a €260 swatch

unkel

Not the pick of the bunch and you will need to change that crap strap, but still a cool watch. Well wear!

Fitz II

I like it, for some reason these dont annoy me, they should but they dont. I like them a bit of fun.

whippet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287466#Comment_119287466

That's my take on it .. swatch have always been a bit of fun and why shouldn't this be any different.

also .. as a marketing tool it works .. I walked in to get one and the kids were with me and they both walked out with a cheap swatch of their own

893bet

I like how they look but couldn’t wear something that light and cheap feeling (if they feel as bad as I have heard).

whippet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119290106#Comment_119290106

I'd wear cheap watches quite a bit .. as I don't like risking scratching and damage from every day life with kids, dogs, sports etc

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119290809#Comment_119290809

I suppose there's 'cheap' and then there 'feels cheap'.

I wear cheaper Seikos and the like when doing sports but they don't feel cheap. Which doesn't seem to be the case with these Moonswatches. (For a second there I couldn't remember the phrase 'Moonswatch' and was about to write 'Swatchmaster' 😂)

Deep Thought

Was looking at these and thinking of trying to-picking one up.. but I can get a Bulova Lunar a bit cheaper.. thoughts?

njburke

The Bulova lunar pilot is a pretty good Chrono with space age tie in, it kinda took the back door into space. The quartz version has Ultra High Frequency quartz at 262Khz, I have one in a snorkel II and it's very accurate. It does high step rate sweep of the second hand, on the pilot you'ld need to run the Chrono to see that. For a hundred fifty euros more than a moonswatch, I think it's a much better buy.

scwazrh

I haven’t held a moonswatch but I don’t like them . Cheapest of parts , crap strap , cheap movement, everything that is wrong with the hype watch market all in one package.Costs €250 and I’d say a tenner of that is for parts.

On the other hand I have the lunar pilot and a 1861 moonwatch .The lunar pilot is a very good substantial watch .It does feel a bit top heavy on the wrist and is a big watch for a 20mm strap . The strap that comes with it is actually the most comfortable for me but it still feels large for the strap .With the lunar pilot you’re getting a better movement, better finishing because there is no measurable finishing on a moonswatch , a version of a watch that has actually been in space so has earned its history and a watch that is made of a stainless steel not plastic or bio ceramic as swatch like to call it.

lunar pilot vs moonswatch is as simple a decision as real watch or toy watch.

Poor quality pic of both below

Birneybau

Thank Dog I booked the morning off

Lorddrakul

I would tend to agree that the Lunar Pilot is a superior watch, but its heritage, apart from that engraving, is as dubious as any cynical cash-in.

The only thing it shares with the original worn by Dave Scott is that it too is a lash up that hides its origins.

Don't get me wrong, the 262Hz movement is a gem, but it has absolutely nothing to do or in common with the Universal Geneve watch that was passed off as a Bulova that went into space and was worn on the moon.

The Modern Lunar Pilot is bigger, and takes only minor inspiration from the original in terms of layout and design, and has a date window.

Later editions dropped the date, changed the font, adjusted the markers and several other efforts to conform more to the source watch, but still have only a passing resemblance.

In similar fashion, the MoonSwatch bears only a passing resemblance to the actual moonwatch, but then one might ask which one? A 321 power CK2998? An 861 powered 145.022? That pared down quartz movement can't do justice to any of line.

I think the MoonSwatch is lot like the current trend in the automative industry to revive old brands and slap them on any old thing to enthuse new owners, such as the abominations now running around with the name "Mustang" emblazoned on them. Not far from the Nirvana or Ramones t-shirts you can now buy in Dunnes Stores.

The MoonSwatch to me is a bit of fun, even if doubley overpriced. The Lunar Pilot is more of a cynical cash-in that although has resulted in a better watch, is still more redolent of the mercenary.

Or so I think, but WTF do I know?

As you were.

o1s1n

Wouldn't be the biggest fan of the lunar pilot. I think it's the baton hour markers, they're just too thick and make a big watch look extra clunky. The 1861 in that photo beside it look incredibly elegant in comparison.

Saying that, I'd take one over a Moonswatch any day of the week.

Ryath

Had a chance to get one last weekend in London. Was going to Covent Garden Store assuming I'd just get to have a look at the display case. There was one person outside queuing so joined in. More people quickly joined behind us. Apparently word was out they had just got a delivery this was 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday which seemed strange. Lots of young guys in the queue you'd really wonder how many actually want the watch or just buying it for a quick profit.

Got in the store after a few minutes. Three or four people in front had got one. They only had the Earth or Saturn, don't like the Saturn but I was slightly tempted by the Earth I do like the blue dial but I'm not gone on the pea green case. I had decided before I'd only take the Moon or Mercury and there's a few others I'd take before the Earth model.

Slightly regretted not taking it, probably will be my only chance to pick one up at retail. They were rushing people through so didn't really have time to think about it. Probably should have taken and worn it for a bit and offered it here at cost. I'm not a flipper though and I hate scalpers so was never going to buy one just to make a quick buck.

Was in the Oxford store later was quieter so had a chance to have a proper look at them in the case. The sales guy said they get deliveries most mornings but it's random what they get the Moon version is one of the rarest.

Was regretting it for a day or two afterwards but ended up getting a good deal on a Seiko Padi Turtle, a watch that I've had my eye on for a while. I was happier putting the money towards that for what is a much better watch for not much more money.

My 12 year old daughter does like her Swatches, she has two and would like more but she wants a Baby G next. I may be a bad influence there!😁

unkel

Seiko Padi Turtle is one of the best watches you could get for a few hundred quid and the moonwatch one of the worst. Still you should have bought it if only to have a free play with it and to give it to someone on here at retail as you planned, they would be happy out too!

Anjobe

Present from my son for helping him with his university course:

I like it, apart from the strap which is pretty much unusable so changed that for a quick release nylon job from Archer. The Bond suits it I think.

Fitz II

So got a Mission to Venus in France in a random swatch store, last one left. Comes with a very short strap as standard as its designed for "smaller" wrists ie...girls. Strap is horrible and I dont know how its supposed to work at all. Unless you are the perfect size there will be exposed velcro that will get very dirty quickly. Swapped for a 15 euro amazon rubber strap.

Pros

• Funky design is just a copy of a speedmaster. They all have a different thing like this one has cutout indices on the bezel and oval subdials.
• Fun colors, I would be more into the different colored ones than the ones that look like actual production speedmasters.
• Fairly cheap, althouth twice the prices of the next most expensive swatch watch.
• Certainly en trend at the moment, the hot watch for the moment.
• Says you are into watches without also saying you are rich or a douche
• Dial is well done, lacks the depth of a real Omega but its crisp and well printed.

Cons

• Very cheap feeling, the bioceramic is very like 3D printed resin or PLA, lighter than legobrick plastic. Has a blasted texture that would not be to my tastes. Not sure how it will age.
• Stock strap is horrible and I dont know how its supposed to work, there is exposed velcro on the outside that will catch all the dirt, shocking design choice.
• Hard to tell the time, think the lack of depth to the dial kinda washes the hands into the subdials and I find it hard tell the time certainly on the light faced ones.
• Pushers feel and setting action is really light and nasty. Movement is certainly cheap and nasty.
• Big watch for one that for small wrists, dimensions are almost exactly a Speedy pro but its a bit thinner.
• Totally disposable, just a thing to own and throw out at end of life

Fitz Conclusion.

Not really worth 250 euro if you have better watches. Its not really a watch I would want to wear but it is a bit of fun as a beater. I might get a different colour like a Pluto or Mars and a nicer strap. This one is for wifey she says its nice an light for tennis and she is used to wearing mans size watches. All in all not worth the hype, but a bit of fun. Having seen them and buying this one, I am totally agnostic about them

Deep Thought

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390604#Comment_119390604

Nice report, might consider one for the wife as you mentioned, btw.. before Wibbs gives out.. I couldn’t edit the post to remove the pic 🫢😝

dub50

Swatch were selling the Swatch X Omega outside Dundrum Shopping Centre at lunch time today from the back of a car, (a Swatch branded fiat 500) parked outside the main entrance. They had the Sun, Earth and Pluto ones left, not great colours so did not bother

C0N0R

Was in New York and managed to grab a Pluto, had a selection of colours but Pluto was what I’d wanted. The amount of people they walked in asking while we were in the shop was crazy, we were chatting to the salesman for a while before asking where as anyone who walked in and asked straight away was getting a no stock story. A little politeness went a long way it seems.

unkel

@C0N0R - interesting stuff but weird they didn't sell them to those people. Does the Swatch group not want the huge margin they make on each and every one of them? It's not like they are a limited edition, they seem to be a money printing machine. I doubt they cost much more than about €10 to make (by the millions)

Put up some pics!

Who'd have thought these watches were still hot 5 months later.

Kintarō Hattori

Have I missed the possibility of getting one of these at all? Are they still hard to purchase?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488382#Comment_119488382

Read the last few posts ;-)

Kintarō Hattori

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488402#Comment_119488402

I just have, after posting! I hadn't realised there was such snobbery around them. I think I'll pass with that being the case. I haven't kept up on the happenings as I'd say this might be my first visit to the forum in about 12 months. I've had to keep out as I'm far to impulsive a shopper and the forum has been dangerous for my wallet in the past.

unkel

I don't know if it's snobbery, it's just a hot watch, super hyped up. And only a few hundred quid, so fairly harmless. In my view it's just a bit of fun and if anything, it has created a gazillion new watch enthusiasts.

Fitz II

There is no snobbery around them at all, they are just hard to get...but gettable. Some of the Omega fans have an issue with the branding as its so very far away from a real omega, but its a grand fun watch, and pretty cool for 250 euro. Not going to blow your socks off but not total dross either.

scwazrh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488492#Comment_119488492

A marketing masterpiece for sure

C0N0R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488071#Comment_119488071

I think it’s very much a case of they will sell out everyday so they can pick and choose who they sell too. To be fair the first swatch shop i walked into that morning the sales assistant said hi how are you to me, and the first thing out my mouth was does your have the moonswatch and she remarked “I’m great thanks, and no we don’t” so I’m curious is they actually did and are just choosing customers based on attitude. Must try that in the Rolex boutique! I think the sales assistants are loving the attention and the mini power trip potentially!

893bet

I wonder if those walking in, walk in every day and ask the same question. Some of them may be “known” to the shop at this point. But maybe not given the size of NY.

Ye are snobs if ye want one. Its a total shitter that none of ye would look at if it wasn’t omega branded.

Trigger Happy

There was a good article on the moonswatch on the New York times. Hopefully this link is not behind paywall.

In essence - this watch going viral is good for the watch industry as it reignites interest in watches amongst the masses.

C0N0R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488688#Comment_119488688

Time square was the first one we were in so definitely tourist central. I’ve only opened the box to have a look, certainly doesn’t look high quality!

scwazrh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488688#Comment_119488688

You are completely right , its absolute shite and it baffles me how any one with the slightest knowledge about watches can think it has any positives or is good for watch collecting in general. The only group this is good for is the swatch group.

C0N0R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488818#Comment_119488818

That’s the thing, it’s two fingers to the watch establishment snobbery, the people who hate it are the exact people it’s meant to antagonise. Yes it’s absolutely lining the pockets of the swatch group, but brand collaborations are very in at the moment, Adidas and Gucci etc. I’d say people who know very little about omega don’t see it as cheapening the omega brand, more bringing brand awareness

scwazrh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488887#Comment_119488887

it’s two fingers to the watch establishment snobbery, the people who hate it are the exact people it’s meant to antagonise

in what way though ? if it was a high quality product at a low price you could say it cuts through the snobbery and delivers but it’s complete opposite to that.Even a few of the YouTubers who jumped on band wagon about how good it is at launch have now realised it’s ****.It’s a hype product no doubt but if you don’t follow hype ,what’s interesting about it?it’s a plastic version of a watch that costs 30 times more .Everyone says it’s fun but so is a g shock and a g shock is a much better watch.

Each to their own and that’s one of the good things about watch collecting., Even if I don’t like a watch or a brand I can usually see the logical reasons for people liking it or the usp of it but all this seems to show is that majority of people like the watches they are told to like .