Whether you like the Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch collaboration or not is of no importance to the topic of this article. We even have supporters and opponents within the Fratello team (although most of us want one), and that’s all fine.
In past years, at watch shows — be it the previous digital Watches And Wonders or the deceased Baselworld exhibitions — Rolex was the first place to go for many watch journalists, editors, and retailers. The curtains went up (I kid you not, there were literal curtains) at noon, and you’d see a crowd in front of the windows trying to catch a glimpse of the novelties. It was quite the spectacle to witness. Truth to be told, in my first years attending Baselworld, I was also part of that crowd. During the last Baselworld in 2019, however, the unavailability of Rolex may have killed the excitement already. That year, when the curtains went up, the Rolex booth was clearly not as crowded as it had been in previous years.
Falling silent
Now, of course, Rolex is still a big thing. So as soon as Watches And Wonders 2022 kicked off, people were eager to see the new watches. They almost instantly found their way to social media and online watch magazines too. But as suddenly as the wave rolled in, as quickly did it roll out. That first day, my Whatsapp and Instagram inbox was awash with questions and comments on the new left-handed GMT-Master II. On day two, however, it became very silent. Not one word.
The same thing happened with the Tudor releases, which went on display at the booth behind Rolex’s own. Yes, I received many DMs about the new Black Bay Pro. Even more than those about the GMT-Master II, in all fairness. But the messages were mainly about the thickness of that watch. People either wanted to ask whether I thought it was too thick or just leave a comment declaring it was. But with the Black Bay Pro as well, it seems that interest faded quickly. Other watches, like the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus in titanium and the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222, although in a completely different price range, received more attention and kudos every day throughout the show.
Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch — Incredible traffic numbers
But the one brand that ruled them all in terms of exposure and attention, be it from the media or from the end customers, was Swatch with its collaboration with Omega, resulting in the MoonSwatch. We noticed from the traffic to our site both before and during Watches And Wonders that the Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch is a big thing. It was even a topic of discussion on the floor of the Palexpo building in Geneva where Watches And Wonders was held. Whether it was our colleagues from other titles, YouTubers, or representatives of the exhibiting brands, everyone was discussing these watches and wanted to see them in real life (and several of our team members in Geneva proudly had them on their wrists).
I’ve never seen anything like it. Some hate it, some love it, and some think it will be bad for Omega. Others think it will be great for the world of watches in general. I’ve come across dozens of different opinions.
Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch discussed on TV shows
No one can deny that Swatch and Omega succeeded in creating a lot of buzz and attention before, during, and even after Watches And Wonders. I was interviewed by a Dutch TV show (RTL Boulevard) about the Watches And Wonders 2022 show. Although I kept it focused on the Geneva exhibition, in the TV studio, a discussion started about the MoonSwatch and lasted for quite a while. I can imagine the hype around this new Omega × Swatch collaboration received attention from general media outlets in other countries as well. Even on April 5th, the very last day of Watches And Wonders, I passed by the Swatch Boutique in Geneva just a few minutes before 9:00 AM and there was already a long queue.
For a brief moment, even I thought, “Shall I?”, because, besides the Mission to Mars, I’d also like to have some of the other models. But I’ve decided I will wait for them to become available online and add one or two more to the collection later on.
No Rolex talk, but MoonSwatch talk!
As my colleague Nacho wrote in his article, every morning in the hotel, a waiter or waitress asked about the MoonSwatch on one of our wrists. And even on the way back, at the Geneva airport, we overheard conversations about the MoonSwatch. We didn’t hear people talking about the latest Rolex releases as we had experienced in previous years. Instead, we mostly heard about this €250 cool and fun collab piece between Swatch and Omega. I even heard critics of the MoonSwatch saying that this was well played, regardless of the possible long-term effect on the brands. But we will only know these effects in due time. Everything we say or think we know now is an assumption. I covered my thoughts on that in this article.
If you’d like to read more about the MoonSwatch (or Swatch in general), follow this link. And has MoonSwatch mania reached your part of the world? Let us know in the comments below.