In a move that would seem to indicate that no, they really never will stop with these things, Swatch has unveiled a new Bioceramic MoonSwatch featuring, you guessed it: Snoopy. This release has been teased for several weeks now, so it’s not exactly a shock, but it just kind of landing on a Wednesday night is, I have to admit, a little unexpected.
What we have here is an all white Bioceramic MoonSwatch case (inspired by the full moon, according to Swatch), a form factor that at this point is nearly as familiar as a Seiko SKX007 or a Cartier Tank. The “Mission to the MoonPhase” at first glance looks like a typical MoonSwatch, but in a stark white treatment. I can’t be the only one for whom it immediately conjured the Guilty Remnant, right? If there’s a watch better suited to that particular, fictional, doomsday cult, I’ve never seen it.
Anyway, this is most certainly not a normal MoonSwatch. No, this one not only features everyone’s favorite cartoon beagle in the subdial at the 2:00 position, but it’s a moonphase (yes, that’s Snoopy, apparently representing all of us, just trying to get some sleep in the moonphase indicator). I’m sometimes hard on the MoonSwatch, but Swatch has done something genuinely cool with the lume treatment here, adding a “secret” line of text that will only be visible under UV light. It’s charming, fitting with the Snoopy theme, and feels like the right way to execute something that could be perceived as gimmick. This kind of thing makes more sense here than on a luxury dive watch, for example.
With the moonphase indicator, lume treatment, and the inclusion of Snoopy, this watch has the feeling of a souped up, premium MoonSwatch. That could be an interesting direction for Swatch to take this line, but one wonders if these get more expensive whether or not they’ll have the same charm. The Mission to the MoonPhase has a retail price of $310, which isn’t altogether unreasonable in the grand theme of Swatches considering the novelty here, but it’s a ticking upward for sure.
Also worth noting is that similar to the initial launch of the first MoonSwatch watches, the Mission to the MoonPhase will only be available at select Swatch stores beginning on March 26. We all remember the intensity around that release two years ago, and the consternation of many that the watches weren’t more widely available. The limited supply led to a vibrant reselling market, and it’s likely we’ll see something similar here. It’s certainly par for the course with Snoopy themed Speedmasters.
More information on the latest MoonSwatch is available here.
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