I still remember the media frenzy in early 2022. Just a week before Watches & Wonders Swatch announced the MoonSwatch, and they immediately won the publicity battle over all the novelties that followed a week later. While the marketing approach was close to brilliant (only buy at the stores) and the effects very visible (long queues in front of those stores) the reception of the product raised eyebrows. A Speedmaster-looking, Omega-branded quartz watch for around $400, non-repairable? And what is that bioceramic?

Amongst my watch-loving friends in the industry opinions were divided. We were all quite unanimous about the concept and the marketing and less so about the actual product. The watch purist in me rejected the watch at first. “I will not wear this”, said my snobbish self and I moved on expressing my acquired taste in watches.

Now, we are two and half years and 26 different iterations later. The Moonswatch (and its Fifty Fathoms Scuba cousin) are part of everyday horological life and everywhere. New versions, such as the Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase (to be released this week) keep getting attention and sell well as Swatch manages to keep the fire burning.

It’s amazing to see how my non-purist friends and family have embraced the concept and the products. I imagine this will have happened on a larger scale. If you’re not an insider you’re less likely to overthink on “how it would effect the Omega brand” and “it’s devaluating the Speedmaster” and more initial observations like that. No. You just enjoy a fun product that looks good, is affordable for a large group of people and has some hype factor. You feel the spirit of one of the most iconic watch designs in history. My brother-in-law, not a watch collector at all, has collected all the Blancpain Scubas and really enjoys it.

So, two and half years after the introduction I have to revise my position. My appreciation for the concept and the marketing has only grown. People still queue up at the boutiques and a new audiences get introduced to horology in general and Omega and Blancpain in specific. As for the product I finally got off my high purist horse and started to appreciate the MoonSwatch. Now I only need to find out what model I should start with. The forthcoming Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase maybe?..