Swatch Group is gearing up for another out-of-this-world launch. The company is planning a sequel to its wildly popular MoonSwatch and teased the second chapter on its Instagram over the weekend. The new watch is slated to be released on 7 March, in very select locations around the globe, suggesting Swatch is planning to tighten its control on the hype, which resulted in stores being overburdened with last year’s releases.
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The video on Swatch’s Instagram suggests the new version will be coming in Moonshine Gold, which is Omega’s proprietary 18-karat yellow gold alloy, a softer version of the traditional metal that’s said to be resistant to fading over time. Considering last year’s US$260 versions were made of a material dubbed “bioceramic,” which is plastic made from caster bean oil and zirconium oxide, this sounds like it could be a considerably more elevated drop. Could the case really be made of Moonshine Gold or just look like Moonshine Gold? We won’t know until tomorrow, but if it is, it will be a considerably more expensive proposition. Even if it isn’t, however, you will still have a very hard time getting your hands on one.
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The new Moonshine Gold Moonswatch isn’t even scheduled for release in the US. Locations where one can be purchased include: Paradeplatz in Zurich, Switzerland; the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan; Piazza Affar in Milan, Italy; and The Royal Exchange in London, UK And they will all drop at varying times from 6 p.m. GMT in London to 7 pm CET in Switzerland. (You can find all of the times listed in the video on Swatch’s Instagram.)
Considering last year’s releases were selling for up to US$1,200 on the secondary market (they have since petered out to an average of $450 but that’s still well above retail), you may want to check your schedule for Tuesday and start making plans if you live in or around any of the areas where the release is scheduled to drop. Expect Hunger Games-level competition.
Previously published on Robb Report.
