Hundreds of shoppers have queued for hours outside Swatch stores on Saturday, March 26, across Hong Kong to get their hands on the highly coveted MoonSwatch collection. If you still don't know about this unexpected collaboration that has been breaking the internet, Omega, one of the leading Swiss watch brands and Swatch, known for their affordable, fun, colourful watches, joined forces to create a collection of 11 watches, inspired by the design of the famous Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, but Swatchified, and more reasonably priced.
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The Omega Speedmaster, also known as the Moonwatch, is an iconic watch – selected by NASA for use during the Apollo lunar landings – one of the most significant wristwatches of the 20th century that has the distinction of being the first watch worn on the moon. The watch features a unique asymmetrical case and tachymeter scale and comes in dozens of variants and special editions, with some of the rarest even breaking world record auction prices.
The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch collaboration recreates the exact proportions and design of the famous Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch but showcases Swatch's BioCeramic instead of the stainless-steel case that Speedmaster is known for. The collection comes in 11 colourways – representing the planets from our solar system, such as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – offering hues in pink and blue, which is not a typical Omega Speedmaster design. Retailing for $2,100 apiece, this new release is the most affordable Moonwatch yet.
The down-to-earth versions of the Speedmaster are now in such huge demand that Swatch announce a limit purchase of one watch per person until further notice. Though the Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection is not a limited edition, Hongkongers were seen lining up in Swatch stores since last night in hopes of being the first ones to snag the coveted collection. Similar scenes unfolded in other parts of the world.
The Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection is currently available in select Hong Kong Swatch stores in Causeway Bay, Mongkok, and Tsim Sha Tsui. But with the shopping frenzy, expect to put up with the long queue. According to Swatch, the collection will soon be available online, but no timeline was indicated. Collectors who were able to get the first pieces were already selling them online at a higher price. Tune in on Swatch's Facebook page for announcements.
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