Swatch and Omega continue to up the ante with their wildly successful MoonSwatch collaboration.
Ever since launching in 2022, the joint venture has seen over 4.5 million units fly out of stores so it’s no surprise that a new MoonSwatch is coming out, albeit one with a couple of twists.
The Mission to the Moon 1969 is a reference to Apollo 11 landing on the moon and with the seismic historical event happening on July 21, this watch will only be available until July 22.59 GMT and only 1,969 are being made.
As well as the unique release window, this MoonSwatch features a dial, hands, crown, and pushers made out of 18k gold. Fascinatingly, the gold used for the watches comes from the 1960’s recycled from Omega spare parts deliberately sought out from the company’s archives. They have also used the price of the gold from more than 50 years ago to set the price of the watch, meaning you can bag yourself an 18k gold Omega for less than £500.
However, the biggest twist with this MoonSwatch is that you have to fill out a questionnaire to even have a chance of obtaining one. Any applicant will face 32 questions about the history of Omega so some swatting up may be needed. Everybody has exactly two hours and 15 minutes to complete the test and if you pass, you get a gold watch at the end of it.
So far, 2026 has been a banner year for Swatch and their collaborations with luxury watch brands. Their link up with Audemars Piguet to create the Royal Pop practically brought the watch world to a standstill earlier this year.
The pandemonium for a watch (which can’t be worn on the wrist) led to unprecedented chaos as fans and collectors worldwide scrambled to get a Royal Pop.
Thousands of people around the world camped outside Swatch retail spots in city centres in the hopes of being one of the first to nab one. But on the weekend of release, several Swatch stores in multiple countries were forced to close because of the disorder caused by crowds.
In the UK, police were called to stores in virtually every major city. One man in Cardiff was arrested and police dogs were used to control crowds in Battersea and Westfield. In Birmingham, a full dispersal order was issued. Full on fist fights ignited at Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
France didn’t fair much better with teargas used in Paris in an attempt to control a several hundred strong crowd that had damaged Swatch’s shop.
Things also got physical in New York with one man who stood in line comparing the atmosphere to a mosh pit.
In response to the chaos, Swatch called for calm.
They said in a statement: “To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product.
“The Royal Pop collection will remain available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”
Like this? The best Swatch Collaborations of all time, including the Royal Pop
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