CELESTIAL WONDERS ON YOUR WRIST: SWATCH UNVEILS TRIO OF EARTH-INSPIRED MOONSWATCHES

Once more, at a time when we live in a planetary universe spun on an axis of newness and nostalgia, Swatch has ignited the horological firmament with a new launch: MoonSwatch, Part II. After the success of the Snoopy MoonSwatch saga, Swatch has once again reached deep into its multiverse of creativity to gift us with three vibrant new MoonSwatches, all three inspired by the glorious natural wonders of planet Earth.

THE ALLURE OF EARTH THROUGH TIME

It is evidence of mankind’s enduring imaginary, of how the view from above never ceases to wow. The Swatch presentation was broadcast live on every mobile phone and computer in the room. The future of the company’s profits depends on how appealing it can make this idea, of Earth from space, to the enduring and enticing male gaze. Swatch’s new trilogy of timepieces is a narrative masquerading as a product range; a packaging of astrological wizardry into electronic resources for lifestyle distinction.

INTRODUCING THE EARTH-INSPIRED TRIO

• Earth-bound Mission Lava This is the hot-headed model, burn with excitement, its bright red case and orange chronograph hands honoring the flow of lava on earth’s surface, and the beloved Omega 1968 Speedmaster Moonwatch ‘Ultraman’.
• Mission on Earth Polar Lights This watch glows just like the northern lights in a dusky neon turquoise, and the polished black dials, speckled with tiny silver-coloured flecks, are all different. Dark blue dial with white numerals, speckled with silver-toned dust, available from June. 113,000 yen ($1,735). By Mission on Earth.
• Mission on Earth Desert: Beige is better than blue, if you prefer Earth’s lesser-known deserts to its great oceans, and you’re not into garish colours.

A NOD TO COMPETITIVE SPIRIT AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

In the wake of these releases, Swatch’s subtle references to the ongoing saga of rivalry and cooperation in watchmaking make an appearance when these garish new offerings land on the watch market. With the release of its new F1 watch, carrying heritage from TAG Heuer’s earlier take on the Swatch offering that prejudiced the market for cheap watches in the 1980s, the industry’s efforts to tell a new story, albeit one that celebrates tradition, have drawn Kith and TAG Heuer together to release a limited-edition watch in collaboration. The TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith collaboration is about Gen Z: the children of the McFly kids.

EXCLUSIVITY AND THE CHARM OF THE PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE

Priced at $270 (around £240 in the UK), these colourful MoonSwatches are as distinctive in distribution as in design. They are sold from 15 June at selected Swatch stores around the world – and Swatch is not budging from its ‘no online’ strategy, making the watch a discovery for those willing to search for it in person, and forging a connection between the watch, its future wearer and the history of interaction that the Swatch store represents.

E-COMMERCE: A HORIZON STILL UNEXPLORED BY MOONSWATCH

Even in this era of digital logistics, Swatch Group’s CEO Nick Hayek Jr has been resolutely coy about introducing e-commerce for the MoonSwatch line, allowing the power of the physical retail experience persist and keeping the line special in an otherwise online world. By doing so, he’s creating a halo of desirability around the MoonSwatch by giving it the finish and je ne sais quoi of exclusivity.

WHERE NEXT FOR SWATCH'S CELESTIAL INSPIRATIONS?

With the Earth-branded series representing the latest instalment in the MoonSwatch chronicles, where might Swatch’s thematic excursions take us next? From the planets of our own solar system to the comic strips of Charles M Schulz and now the natural wonders of our home world, the possibilities are endless.

EXPLAINING THE "VIBRANT"

This adjective – ‘vibrant’, which we’ve woven our way through the storyline of this tale – is descriptive not only of the energetic and colourful visuality of Swatch’s Earth-watch MoonSwatches, but of the daring, spirited and creative way that Swatch talk themselves into watchmaking, with extra helpings of colour, materials and imaginations. ‘Vibrant’ also speaks eloquently to what we believe is at the heart of what Swatch as a brand and a maker of watches is all about: a dynamic (vibrant!) pump of renewable energy, innovation, and a continuous and celebratory re-engagement with the contemporary world.