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Moonswatch Madness Returns With The New Omega Swatch Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition

In Brief

Watch lovers are ready to take off yet again today with the new release of the Mission To Neptune Moonswatch.
The Bioceramic beauty is back with a vengeance and a slight tweak to mark the very rare Super Blue Moon, taking place on August 30.
Moonswatch Madness is only available for 24 hours across 99 stores spanning 86 different cities thanks to Omega and Swatch’s seventh limited edition watch.
No fancy strawberries, floral patterns or Swiss lanterns this time round, but a rather fetching new blue Mission To Neptune model that’s as rare as a Daytona ref. 6263.
Flexed by Daniel Craig, the Moonshine gold alloy proprietary seconds hand stands out against a horological backdrop that encompasses lots of Bioceramic and a 42mm case.
With prices around £800 currently on secondary watch marketplaces for the previous iteration of the rare Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold, no doubt many horophiles will be stocking up on tents, Thermos flasks and stools in preparation for long queues.

Clock Watch

Little time has passed since we brought you the exclusive Moonswatch Swiss National Day. But nothing can stop the Moonswatch in its way. Especially if you are debuting an oh so rare Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold…albeit dipped in Omega’s own golden Moonshine alloy.

Buzz Aldrin rocking the Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer, Source: Luxferity

Yes, the chronograph seconds hand may be a little grey in a world full of colour thanks to the emergence of rainbow watches, taking off faster than Buzz Aldrin in his Speedmaster. Nonetheless, this is a different take on the original grey and black watches that Omega and Swatch have dropped thanks to this new blue number. So where did it all begin?

Turn back to clock again for a second and the marketing boffins at Swatch and Omega dreamt up a bigger collab than Elton John and Ed Sheeran. And they struck gold! Seen by many in the industry, like it or not as one of the hottest luxury watches of 2022, The Moonswatch captured many would-be collectors and enthusiasts for the small price of £250 RRP. Let’s face it, this ain’t no Royal Oak, TAG Heuer Monaco or IWC Big Pilot.

But it is a global icon to rival Madonna with its Speedmaster aesthetics, Moonshine gold chronograph seconds hand and 42mm Bioceramic case. Launched in a number of different colours (11 to be precise), devoted Time Lords lapped up the Moonswatch like strawberries and cream at Wimbledon.

And this was a Grand Slam for both brands with planetary titles including not only the Moonswatch Mission to Neptune but featured other missions like Sun, Mercury, Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Uranus (another popular model though who would want to own something called Uranus!)Venus, Earth and Moon. Many of these watches were being flipped like pancakes on the secondary market for upwards of £1200…nearly six times over retail!

Mission To Uranus, Source: Brand site

Things have calmed down a little with many Moonswatch editions still over retail but not as high as last year. For example, at the time of writing a Moonswatch Mission To Uranus is selling for around £500 on the secondary market while a Moonswatch Mission To Jupiter weighs in around £700. Although this is still more than double the retail value, its strength is still undeniable.

But don’t feel blue…you just have to make time to seek one out. From March the 7th with a new edition Omega MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold to April 6th where the Moonswatch was unveiled across 14 cities globally, demand has been more hyped than Logan Paul. Or has it? This horological sensation to buy an Omega Moonswatch still firmly remains in Prime position!

Birds of a feather flock together as they say and on August 30th, many salivating time peeps will be squabbling, flying and gathering again in their horological hordes outside Swatch stores across 86 cities for a timepiece of the action. Be it stools, deckchairs (come on summer’s not over yet!) or gas stoves, many collectors and enthusiasts will be burning with anticipation for a new Omega Swatch Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition. Our tip? You are probably too late but be prepared to find a flipper when all is said and done when exiting the queue.

It’ll be money and time well spent.

Once In A Blue Moon

Here we go again with the blurb. To celebrate the Super Blue Moon on August 30th, Omega and Swatch are riding this gravy train all the way…until the next new release. As mentioned earlier, it’s nice we can look at a different version of the Moonswatch as compared to all previous watches that came in grey and black.

Source: UDN

With all the golden chronograph seconds hand manufactured under the first full moon on August 1st, the seventh edition of the Moonswatch will have many crooning “Blue Moon '' the song of the same title, popularised by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934. And of course the anthem of Noel Gallacher’s club…Manchester City.

It’s not a wonder someone hasn’t legged it down the patent office yet! However the blue Mission To Neptune case makes it stand out more than Erling Haaland’s flowing golden locks. This follow up sequel to last year’s MoonSwatch Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold might have a more dramatic impact than all of the TOP GUN movies.

Who needs a secretly etched “3” on the chronograph second hand, floral patterns or pink strawberries when you have a striking blue dial and case with a subtle golden seconds hand. Don’t believe us? Here’s the official video teaser from Swatch just to prove it. Nevertheless, the original Neptune Moonshine Gold wasn’t without its issues.

It was alleged that the watches left a slight blue stain that rubbed off on your wrist. Unfortunately, Swatch and Omega rubbed their noggins and decided the best course of action was to halt the Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition from production. This was in order to amend the tint within the Bioceramic leading to even more scarcity and overwhelming demand. To this day, secondary market prices for the initial Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold are still commanding outlandish prices at more than £2,000. Nearly ten times above retail!

Source: Brand site

Now who said the one thing we cannot control is time? Seems like Swatch and Omega are the masters at it when it comes to the Moonswatch. And then there’s the pull from Daniel Craig who is a proud owner that saw prices rocket for this sought after edition.

However, if you are looking to buy a watch that’s a totally sexy blue ink free piece to rock, we’d go with the Rolex Smurf or Submariner “Bluesy”. Despite its uninspiring black strap, the blue case and dial sets this iteration apart from other Moonswatch editions and styles.

Rolex Bluesy, Source: Reddit

Yes, the chronograph second hand in Omega’s Moonshine gold alloy is ever present, but let’s hope you don’t end up with lycanthropy syndrome if you are standing in the queue for that long! At least you can admire the standard certificate attesting to the fact that the chronograph second hand was “produced only during the full moon of August 1.”

Lycanthrope lovers and hardcore horologists around the world will be no doubt howling with delight on August 30th and beyond. But remember, this is only available from select Swatch stores. Unlike COVID protocols, this is not a question of hands, face space, rather more stay in line and stay awake. This might be a once in a blue moon opportunity.

We are predicting queues longer than many British holidaymakers attempting to return home after the chaotic air traffic meltdown.

Why Do They Call It A Blue Moon?

The new Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold edition release goes hand in hand with the Super Blue Moon on August 30th. Why exactly is it called a blue moon? Well, it has nothing to do with its colour but actually relates to the second full moon in the same calendar month.

Source: Universe Today

Occurring every couple of years according to NASA, the moon apparently can take on a blue tinge if there are certain airborne particles measuring one micron wide. The term blue moon itself derived from the 1500s terms entitled “the Moon is blue”. Later in 1883, over a period of two years after Mount Krakatoa erupted in Indonesia, many individuals started reporting uncommon sunsets with a blue tinge.

Astronomically, blue moons are quite common but not impossible.

Is A Blue Moon Rare?

Once in a blue moon may be a turn of phrase but is a blue moon rare? Funnily enough, this has to do with timing and how the full moons come together across the year. The new Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition debuts to mark the Super Blue Moon on August 30th in a rare celestial event.

Clearer than an IWC dial (possibly) the Super Blue Moon will be visible to many people worldwide and is considered to be one of the brightest over the course of twelve months. Rarer than Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona or Jay-Z’s indescribably rare 39mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “Yves Klein Blue” ref. 25820ST he sported recently, a Super Blue Moon only happens once every 10-20 years.

A unique combination of a supermoon as well as a blue moon i.e. the second full moon within a month, a Super Blue Moon is nearly 10% bigger in comparison to a standard full moon while it’s almost 15% greater than a full moon.

How Much Is An Omega Swatch Mission To Neptune Edition?

Available in Swatch stores across 86 cities in 99 Swatch stores on August 30th, you can buy an Omega Swatch Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition for around £240 retail…at the time of writing.

What’s Our View?

Ballers will ball and time keeps on rolling for the Moonswatch. This one is no different as this cultural institution keeps causing monumental waves in the watchmaking world. Today is the day so don’t miss out. Again, the subtle planetary model change will certainly drum up fevered interest among collectors and enthusiasts alike.

As for the lines, you may well have to draw one of your own if you want to bag the new Mission to Neptune Moonshine Gold Edition. Whatever queue you are in…we wish you Bonne Chance, viel Glück and Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn.

Conclusion

On the surface, it appears the blue dial versions of these watches are still garnering the most attention as in the Mission To Uranus. It’s no surprise then that the Swatch Group posted impressive results in their 2023 six month annual sales report, demonstrating net sales rose nearly 20% to CHF 4,019 million.

With lower priced sectors faring the best with a high volume of sales from the Moonswatch, it goes to show this Bioceramic bad boy has many more horological miles on the clock left.

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