After a quite cryptic Instagram post from Swatch, tongues were wagging over the next big release from the brand and when it was suggested to be a gold MoonSwatch, the excitement was palpable. Would it be an 18k Moonshine Gold watch? Is that what the Mission to Moonshine tagline was suggesting? Imagine how ridiculous it would have been for a watch like this to have a gold case, ridiculous and kind of cool. As it turns out, the Mission to Moonshine is a MoonSwatch with a golden chronograph seconds hand. That’s it. No please, hold your applause to the end.
So as stated the gold on this watch is limited completely to the chronograph seconds hand which does have a coating of Moonshine gold made from recycled material from the Swatch Group’s refinery. As an added gimmick, each seconds hand was produced under the full moon in February coming with a certificate saying so which gives the release a very New Age kind of feel. Wonder if this watch has a positive effect on crystals?
Thankfully they haven’t hiked up the price too much, only adding 25 CHF (~$40 AUD).
At least for us Aussies, we don’t even have to worry about it because these are only available in select locations in Japan and Europe. These locations were chosen due to their association with gold. Yeah, this release is that kind of over-the-top. London was chosen because that’s where the global price of gold is fixed, while Paradeplatz, Switzerland is known for its banks and gold reserves.
These are only available today with Swatch describing the supply as “not enough.” The brand have indicated that they may do another release of the Moonshine under another full moon. That’s real information, that isn’t something we made up.
Will this lead to the chaos and madness we saw last year? It’s kind of hard to see how it could given the limited nature of the release, but it is absolutely possible that despite the letdown these will go for crazy prices on the secondary market. That’s just the nature of limited releases, especially ones that come off the back of one the most talked about line of watches in recent memory.
For more, check out the new Jazzmaster’s from Hamilton.
At a Glance
Model: MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 13.5mm
Case: BioCeramic
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap: Velcro
Movement: Quartz chronograph movement
Price: 275 CHF
