If you’re a watch enthusiast on social media, over the last week or so you’ve certainly seen cryptic teases from Omega and Swatch about some kind of mystery project. Instagram stories from both brands hinted at a collaboration, which seemed, honestly, kind of strange. Omega is one of the kingpins of luxury watchmaking, second only to Rolex in terms of Swiss brands that are household names associated with the proverbial “nice watch.” Swatch is, how can I put this, something else entirely. Now, I love Swatch, don’t get me wrong. But mass produced plastic watches with quartz movements (or mechanical movements that are literally designed to be thrown away) don’t exactly make for prized family heirlooms, which is kind of Omega’s bread and butter. That said, the Swatch collecting market is hot and unlike any other in the space right now, but that’s another story. Anyway, if it was going to be an actual collaboration, it raised a ton of questions about what it could be, how it would work, and, to be blunt, how Omega could come out of it without looking like they’ve lent their name to a product that diminishes them.
