Another month, another full moon, another Moonswatch for everyone to get (kind of) excited over. But by combining a fun little twist on the classic lunar complication and the collector-centric Snoopy colours (and Peanuts mascot himself), the Mission to Earthphase – Moonshine Gold might just make you change your plans come August 9th.
The new watch includes a new complication Swatch launched last year, which illustrates how the Earth looks from the moon, fittingly dubbed the Earthphase. As a complication that sounds pretty intense, but all that means is showing the opposite of a moonphase. When there’s a new moon, you’d see a full Earth and vice versa.
What Swatch have done to represent that is added a second moonphase disc, but cut it out at certain points to block out and reveal the static, painted Earth behind at the right, lunar-appropriate points. It’s a novel watch to do more with the same function and it’s a lot of fun, even if it’s more conceptually cool than it is mechanically.
It’s also something we saw last year with the previous, monochromatic grey Mission to Earthphase. But while it’s mechanically identical, it’s aesthetically a lot different. For one, the dual moon phase indicator has an odd little quirk in that one of the twin Moonshine Gold moons is caught in a net. Rather than the Dreamworks mascot finally upping his game from an old fishing rod, it’s a nod to the Sturgeon Moon that the new watch will be launched under.
The rest of the watch colouring is the blue and white Snoopy look we’ve come to know and love. Snoopy himself is lounging like a chilled-out Neil Armstrong below the Earthphase at 9 o’clock in a genuinely charming illustration. What’s also cool is that all of the dialside blue – from the moon and Earthphase discs to the hands to the minute track are all in a sparkly, aventurine-like blue. It’s relatively subtle but works incredibly well with the clean, crisp white.
The 42mm bioceramic case is in the same shade of blue, just without sparkles and like other Moonswatches is water resistant to 30m, with a quartz chronograph movement inside. Basically, business as usual for the ever-growing collaborative collection. Finished on a blue, astronaut appropriate Velcro strap (that I’d love to get on one or two of my military-style watches), it’s one of the best-looking Moonswatch models yet.
The hype may have died down a bit, but this is still one I can imagine people queuing for – especially given it’s only available on this month’s full moon on the 9th august. It’ll set you back £335, which for even a flash of Omega’s proprietary Moonshine gold, is worryingly tempting.
Price and Specs:
More details at Swatch.
When Moonswatch available online, I will definitely purchase one. I live too far from a Swatch store and don’t drive long distances. Beautiful watch – congratulations
The aventurine sparkle is an eye-catching finish. I think you meant Neil Armstrong not Lance. Also, why is the trailing link text to Biarritz and not Swatch?
As Sam says in the intro, another month, another Moonswatch, it’s all getting a bit boring.
I guess people can argue, “an Omega for 300 quid, what a bargain”, well, I guess £300 is not a lot of money in the watch world, but it’s not really a true Omega is it, it doesn’t have the kudos of a mechanical movement and whist it has a ceramic case, it is still reminiscent of the 1970’s plastics cased offerings from Swatch, that were cheap and cheerful, and now, still with the cheap look, well, is the Moonswatch (whatever version or format it takes), aimed at reaching a target audience that can say “I own an Omega”, I’d personally rather not have one, or, if I were to go for an Omega, it would be a classy one, – a dress watch from the 1960’s. As you may have guessed already, Omega’s don’t really float my boat, generally too “in your face” for me, quiet luxury is my bag. Each to their own I guess.