When Swatch and Omega released its game-changing MoonSwatch in 2022, demand was so high that it wasn’t long before the pair produced the millionth MoonSwatch. In fact, Swatch made this particular MoonSwatch, a blue Mission to Neptune with just a few tweaks, the same year as the initial release but held onto this special version until the right moment. The collaborators were betting that the mania for its affordable take on Omega’s famed Speedmaster would be long- lasting. That bet paid off in a big way earlier this week when the millionth MoonSwatch went for nearly $80,000 at auction.
The right moment to release this special-edition MoonSwatch into the wild came earlier this week when Christie’s included it as a lot within its thematic Watches for ELA, an auction of 11 mostly one-off timepieces benefitting the European Leukodystrophy Association. This version of the MoonSwatch is mostly standard with a few special design features. Its status as the millionth version ever made is immortalized with an engraving underneath the battery cover and the watch’s seconds hand is coated in Omega’s Moonshine gold. It also comes with a fancy plaque engraved “1,000,000.”
The MoonSwatch in question hammered for an eye-watering 69,300 Swiss francs ($78,555) despite a high estimate of just over $1,000. That’s a lotta moola for a plastic watch that retails for $270—but it’s also a lotta moola to help fight a rare genetic brain disorder. This is the most expensive individual MoonSwatch ever sold, though a briefcase with 11 Mission to Moonshine Gold pieces went for $608,000 at auction earlier this year.
If you need a refresher, the MoonSwatch is a 42-mm chronograph shaped like Omega’s famous Speedmaster “Moonwatch” but made of bioceramic, a material derived from plastic and ceramic. Powered by a battery, which is accessible via a convenient hatch on the caseback, it comes with a hook-and-loop strap with keepers that match the case color. Each of the initial 11 references were named for a planet (e.g. “Mission to Jupiter”), though later additions have added complications and are named accordingly (“Mission to the Moonphase”). Initially available only in Swatch boutiques, several references are now available on the Swatch website.
When Swatch and Omega dreamt up its game-changing MoonSwatch, it was far from a sure thing. A quartz-powered Omega Speedmaster made from Swatch’s special bioceramic material priced at under $300 could have cheapened Omega in consumers’ eyes and elevated Swatch to a price point that few were willing to shell out for. But that’s not what happened. Rather, when Swatch and Omega released the MoonSwatch in its boutiques in 2022, lines formed around entire city blocks, people waited for hours in the rain, and fights broke out. It reminded me of Beanie Baby mania in the mid-’90s, except people were going crazy for timepieces instead of understuffed animals.
The Mission to Mercury, one of the original batch of MoonSwatches, is among the more fun references, aesthetically speaking: With its deep cobalt case and matching dial punctuated by white indices, hands, and bezel typography, it’s a distinctly handsome watch. The collaborative watches are complete with many of the Speedmaster’s defining features, like the “dot-over-90” bezel in the mode of the Speedmaster and the “twisted” lugs of the beloved original model. And while you can’t get your hands on the millionth version that just came under the hammer, the regular production models are starting to become more obtainable.
