This Is the Fanciest MoonSwatch Yet

Skip to main contentThe new Mission To The Moon 1969 is heavy on gold and packed with Apollo 11-related Easter eggs.While Swatch has been wrapped up with its mega-hit Audemars Piguet collaboration, the Royal Pop, things have been eerily quiet on the MoonSwatch front. It wasn’t so long ago that Omega and Swatch were releasing a new special edition every month, looking to Earth’s natural wonders and Snoopy for inspiration. But there hasn’t been a new version of the OG Swatch collab since the “Cold Moon” Mission to Earthphase last December. That changes today with one of the most special MoonSwatches ever produced: the Mission To The Moon 1969.The watch was released at 9:32 a.m. EST today, exactly 57 years after Apollo 11’s Saturn V rocket left Earth. It’s a highly specific historical nod for a watch that’s full of them. What really makes this watch special is that its “Moonshine” gold dial, hands, crown, and pushers were made using leftover Omega parts from around the period of the moon landing. The brand melted these spare pieces down in their own foundry and upcycled them for this new release. Other versions of the MoonSwatch have used Moonshine gold—typically on the hands—but the combination of the full gold set and the fact that they come from old Omega parts makes this a really compelling release.The rest of the release is built around more Speedmaster- and NASA-related easter eggs. The gold used in each watch weighs exactly 11 grams, a reference to the Apollo 11 mission. The caseback also features an ornately drawn reference to the lunar landing with an image of the moon, the date when the astronauts first made contact with the surface, and a footprint.Even without all the extra pizzazz, though, this is a straight-up handsome iteration of the MoonSwatch. The gold accents and matte black case are a classic color combination that has appeared on elegant timepieces for decades. Add to that all the historical nods, and you’re looking at an edition that will place very highly in my personal MoonSwatch rankings.Since Swatch and Omega launched this partnership in 2022, both the watches and release methods have become increasingly complex. The “Cold Moon” that debuted in December was only available for purchase in Swatch stores on days when it snowed in Switzerland. Only 1,969 pieces will be produced of the new Mission To The Moon 1969, and they will be allocated exclusively to folks who fill out a 32-question survey that Swatch is calling an Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application (ESTA). The questions will mirror the ones travelers visiting the US are required to fill out. The survey is available on Swatch’s website now. It’s silly, but certainly beats camping out at your local mall.Cam Wolf is GQ’s Watch Editor. He joined the magazine in 2017 after working at Racked (RIP) as the site’s (first!) (and only!) Menswear Editor and Complex in the role of Style News Editor. Shortly into his GQ tenure, he immersed himself in the world of watches and quickly fell ... Read More