Will MoonSwatch owners "belong" in the club?

First off, I'm biased.  This is to me the most exciting watch release in my lifetime.  Anyone that has ever walked into an Omega boutique as a young person with only dreams in their wallet will understand, this is still very Omega.  They're the brand that will still be there for you when you finally make it.  Now, it seems many more of us are going to get a chance to own something with that legendary name on the dial, and for others this is apparently a problem.

WatchCrunch to me stands for inclusivity.  Every watch is a nice watch if it's loved by its owner.  What concerns me is that in comments all around the web, I'm starting to see people saying "yeah, the MoonSwatch is cool, but just because you can buy one doesn't mean you belong in the Speedy Club."  There's a lot of this.  Now I'm certain that at the very least, soon to be owners of the MoonSwatch will find themselves in a club of their own.  Everyone seems to have a favorite, and they're not all Moon and Mars watches, each one seems to have it's own desirable charm and it will be great to see people enjoying their special MoonSwatch.

As to the other word on the dial, Speedmaster, I truly think anybody who buys a MoonSwatch and calls themselves a Speedmaster owner deserves to do just that.  There's no bar set for owners of Reduced, Racing, X33 or bullheads.  So far, if the dial says Speedmaster, it's been a-okay.  In my eyes, I see this watch as a special edition run of Speedys.  The fact that they are priced attainably is simply an incredible win.  I have a feeling that if these were priced more akin to the Speedy Pro, people would still buy them up and the "club" would be much more accepting.  This doesn't seem to be about owning a quality product for those owners, it seems to be about deciding whether others have "earned" the same thing they have.

I get it, when the Swiss watch industry moved to luxury status, watches became symbols rather than tools.  However, we as a group of fanatics always have the chance to change the conversation.  As for me, should I be lucky enough to own one of these or even just see one on the street, it's a Speedmaster.  If everyone on earth had their own taste of the Moon story on their wrist, even better.  After all, we all in a way went to the Moon, even though one country's flag is planted there.  Welcome to the club, future MoonSwatch owners.  It's you're choice whether you stay or go, not anyone else's.

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Incredibly well said!

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Of course they are welcome, it’s a watch forum after all. It’s not a watch I am particularly fond of, but that applies to many other watches I see in here. I just know there is going to be a hell of a lot of content on these for the next few weeks so I might just pop in less often. Good luck for Saturday, I hope you get the model(s) you want.

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Personally I love the history and looks same reason I bought a Bulova Lunar Pilot. Me personally do not care if it belongs or not. I'm just grateful I can be part of a hobby and literally throw money at a watch addiction that 0000.1% cares about. I do agree this is the biggest release in probably a decade. Making a speedy affordable maybe makes other companies take notes to bring historic watches to the masses. 

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Oh dear! I didn't see any 'they aren't real speedies you can't be in our club' posts, I haven't been closely following all the threads though. It makes me sad 🥺 I never really thought of there being an 'omega club' or a 'rolex club' etc. I thought we were all just in the watch-lovers club and actually owning a watch isn't a requirement for entry? ❤️

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I agree with all of this! I'm sick of seeing YouTube videos like "I don't know how this will effect the brand?" I will tell you how with great admiration and profits. Not everyone can afford £5,700. And now people can have something special for a fraction of the price. 

We lambast Omega for being like Rolex and here they're being the opposite. An affordable entry level solution which is fun. Taking away the stupid interviews I've had to endure for Rolex. 

We never talk about the worst parts of this hobby. The expensive barrier to entry and the stupid flex culture of insecure people talking about money rather than these incredible tools/art. Additionally this hobby is meant to be fun! 

And hey forget Speedy Tuesday we will do MoonSwatch Saturdays to celebrate the release date! 

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May have to get one for work and mountainbiking, no swatch outlets near me so will have to wait till fuss is all over then pick one up 👍

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Not to worry my Friends,

I will post a super positive video on the MoonSwatch once I get my hands on it 🌚⌚💪!

I'm use to dealing with this kind of pretentious attitude at work when it comes to describing and suggesting Wine 😂🍷.

Some go for the higher price tag right away without any knowledge of why. By doing that they miss out on other available pleasures of life that are all around us.

Je suis un Bon Vivant, tous les plaisirs sont bienvenue!

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I hope do the watches look fantastic I don't own any high end watches myself I don't have the cash and have only been in hobby for a few months I really think people should be open minded and this hobby should be for everyone weather your watch cost £20 £200 £2000 or £200000 

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I ain't got no time to be a gatekeeper and I have no time for gatekeepers either. :)

If it says "Speedmaster" on the dial, as far as I'm concerned, welcome to the club! 

At the end of the day if you have a watch that excites and thrills you, I will "Ooo" and "Ahh" with you and thank you for sharing some of your joy.  It doesn't matter to me what it says on the dial or how much it cost.

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hoffman010

I agree with all of this! I'm sick of seeing YouTube videos like "I don't know how this will effect the brand?" I will tell you how with great admiration and profits. Not everyone can afford £5,700. And now people can have something special for a fraction of the price. 

We lambast Omega for being like Rolex and here they're being the opposite. An affordable entry level solution which is fun. Taking away the stupid interviews I've had to endure for Rolex. 

We never talk about the worst parts of this hobby. The expensive barrier to entry and the stupid flex culture of insecure people talking about money rather than these incredible tools/art. Additionally this hobby is meant to be fun! 

And hey forget Speedy Tuesday we will do MoonSwatch Saturdays to celebrate the release date! 

MoonSwatch Saturday makes me feel things... happy things.  Outstanding idea!

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The words on a dial do not a watch make.

I'll be the guy.

I assume that you're new to watches if this is the most exciting watch release in your lifetime.

If you like the watch that's a good thing and I hope you are able to eventually get one and enjoy it. Don't pay a penny above retail when they start showing up at stupid high prices on the secondary market. Curb your enthusiasm until they become available to everyone.

Bottom line is that this is all marketing. "Speedmaster" is just a word. This watch is , in no way,  like the iconic Speedmaster that many WIS cherish.

Looking beyond the words it's a  plastic Swatch quartz watch. And there's nothing wrong with that. But we shouldn't elevate it to a level it doesn't belong on.

Flame suit on!!

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I am so excited to see the Speedmaster become democratized. I think a lot of people who aren't into watches would buy this watch. I have still never seen a Speedmaster in the wild, but I can imagine there will be higher chances now with these. I would definitely expect to see these on "SpeedTuesdays" and would not be surprised if in the future there is a "SpeedTuesday" MoonSwatch.

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It may say Speedmaster but comes with a caveat. No automatic movement, no fantastic case finishing. 

Do I like it? Absolutely. Will I buy one? Yes. Is this another Omega, well not really. 
 

Is like when the BMW 3-Series came out. Shares a badge with the siblings but if you have ever driven the big brothers, that 3 series isn't in the same league. 

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See the watch, like the watch, can afford the watch, watch is available = buy the watch.

Don’t like the watch = don’t buy the watch.

‘Clubs’ ‘cliques’ ‘gatekeepers’  = mean zero to me

Simple but effective equation

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The only group those people belong in is in the pretentious stuck up crowd. I have a speedy and will be getting one or two of these as well. And i only have the speedy because my dad gave it to me if not, I’d be saving up for one. 

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My only complaint with these watches is that demand will be so high I won't be able to get one.  And I say that as somebody wearing a Speedy right now.

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Bobofet

Excellent post. This is a brilliant move for Omega and Swatch and their customers. 

I remember when Porsche 914s (now collectible) we’re viewed with disdain as a VW being arrogant. Same with the 924, which was a transaxle Audi being arrogant. Then the water-cooled 986 and 996 were more of the same from the elitists in the community.

Here‘s the thing, though. They were ridiculously popular. They stoked passion and dreams. They gave an entry point to a lifelong relationship with the brand. What was Porsche thinking? Fools.

Thanks for being an accessible fool, Omega. I’ll buy these and many more of your more expensive watches for it. 

I agree, however, the interesting thing, is if you wanted that arrogant Audi or VW, you went to Porsche to buy it, and Porsche built a new customer. Here, you are effectively going to Audi and VW to buy a car that looks exactly like a Porsche, and they built a new customer.

So this will be a positive for both brands if it works out, but far more positive for Swatch.

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So glad that they aren't limited edition and will be readily available online down the road. That way anyone who wants one can get one. I'm not a speedy guy and I'm not a chrono guy, but I do like to infuse a lot of color into my more affordable watches and there are certainly a few watches in this collection that do that, so color me (pun intended) intrigued. Very likely I'll end up getting 1 or 2 of these.

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GoingTopShelf

So glad that they aren't limited edition and will be readily available online down the road. That way anyone who wants one can get one. I'm not a speedy guy and I'm not a chrono guy, but I do like to infuse a lot of color into my more affordable watches and there are certainly a few watches in this collection that do that, so color me (pun intended) intrigued. Very likely I'll end up getting 1 or 2 of these.

This is about my take on them as well. I'm not into chronographs, but the Speedmaster style, for less than $400 CAD all in, and in fun colours is too much to pass on. 

I was shopping for a Swatch before I saw the announcement, so all this has done is push back my first Swatch purchase. 

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Jeremy

They might not be part of the speedy club, as they are not really a speedy. They are not Omega's. You can't go to Omega and buy one. They are swatch watches. However they are awesome watches, and I want one, and anyone who buys one is absolutely in the watch club.

Also keep in mind, that the total number of Swiss watches sold each year, is less than 10 million. In the 1980s, swatch sold over 500 million in just a few years. If this does anything to revitalize swatch to just a fraction of that, I can see Omega owners wanting to join a club they are not in as well :) 

You know, you put this in a perspective I hadn't considered.  If somebody like me outside of Omega range is worried they won't be accepted by Speedy owners, doesn't that make me guilty of the same bias?  Shouldn't I love my purchase for exactly what it is?  If I believe in it, shouldn't I expect others to join me?  

At the end of the day, the Speedy Pro isn't a legendary watch inherently, it happened to be part of a story.  The movement and design aren't special or functional, it was just one of a small sample of watches that happened to pass an arbitrary test that nobody bothered even preparing for, nothing like the Comex trials.  And anyone pretending their brand new Speedy has anything in common with the original, even a 321... it doesn't.  In fact it's better.  But it's the story.  These new watches allow others in on the same story, and that should be satisfaction in itself.  Any modern Speedy is supposed to remind us of the time we went to the moon.  These do as well, and more than that reference our future as a spacefaring race.  That's even more than I could ask for from a Speedy Pro, and more than Omega itself is qualified to offer.  Screw it, they should want to join MY cool club of "plastic" watch fanatics!

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Just echoing a lot of what others have said I think: I don’t know about being in the “speedmaster club”, but I think the best part of this interest is people, meeting new people, talking to people. 

The more diverse the people you meet in this hobby, the better that experience of people seems to be. I enjoy seeing and talking about watches at all price points, and with people from any and every kind of background, and personally I don’t judge people by the watches they have….(no I judge them by their terrifying profile pictures on WatchCrunch instead)… but my point is, if you have an interest in watches, I’d welcome you into any watch community or sub-community that I’m a part of.

Those I’d rather not talk to are those who see some sort of difference between people based on the value of watches they own, and see themselves better than someone who can’t afford a certain price point. Sure we can all have our preferences but we don’t have to be militant about those preferences and draw a line between “us and them”. Just because someone isn’t in a position to buy a watch that costs thousands, shouldn’t make anyone think any less of them.

So please, for the good of everyone, lets all respect others in the hobby for who they are, their opinions, preferences and financial limitations, and not draw arbitrary lines in the sand over if someone belongs in your group or not.

Let’s just talk and have a fun conversation about watches?

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coaxial_thamuel

You know, you put this in a perspective I hadn't considered.  If somebody like me outside of Omega range is worried they won't be accepted by Speedy owners, doesn't that make me guilty of the same bias?  Shouldn't I love my purchase for exactly what it is?  If I believe in it, shouldn't I expect others to join me?  

At the end of the day, the Speedy Pro isn't a legendary watch inherently, it happened to be part of a story.  The movement and design aren't special or functional, it was just one of a small sample of watches that happened to pass an arbitrary test that nobody bothered even preparing for, nothing like the Comex trials.  And anyone pretending their brand new Speedy has anything in common with the original, even a 321... it doesn't.  In fact it's better.  But it's the story.  These new watches allow others in on the same story, and that should be satisfaction in itself.  Any modern Speedy is supposed to remind us of the time we went to the moon.  These do as well, and more than that reference our future as a spacefaring race.  That's even more than I could ask for from a Speedy Pro, and more than Omega itself is qualified to offer.  Screw it, they should want to join MY cool club of "plastic" watch fanatics!

"Any modern Speedy is supposed to remind us of the time we went to the moon."

What will be interesting, is what is this going to do to that story. The original swatch came in thousands of colors, and patterns, but they all were the same physical design. 
 

Swatch - The Last Great Innovation in Horology | Read in The Journal – A  COLLECTED MAN

If this takes off and becomes a huge success, millions of kids will buy this watch and think of it as "the new swatch design" When they get older and want to buy the more upmarket one in metal, with a mechanical movement, I suspect they will think of it as the fancy swatch, and not the watch that went to the moon.

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There's a club?  Either way, I think I'd rather be in the Swatch club (as cool as Speedmasters of all flavors are).

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I’m not concerned with what anybody else wears.  To me, at the end of the day, these are Swatches, with Swatch materials, movements and quality to go with the Swatch price. If that floats your boat, have at it.

I‘ve learned (the hard way) to be very careful with my watch budget.  For the price of two or three of these, I could get myself into a nice Hamilton, Tissot, Doxa, Seiko, etc.  I think I would enjoy one quality piece more than a collection of Swatches.  This is more likely where my budget will be directed.  If someone else wants to have two or three Swatches rather than one Swiss automatic, wear them in good health.

Here’s my vintage Swatches, btw.  Purchased unworn NOS.  My AD found them in the back of his safe.

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Jeremy

"Any modern Speedy is supposed to remind us of the time we went to the moon."

What will be interesting, is what is this going to do to that story. The original swatch came in thousands of colors, and patterns, but they all were the same physical design. 
 

Swatch - The Last Great Innovation in Horology | Read in The Journal – A  COLLECTED MAN

If this takes off and becomes a huge success, millions of kids will buy this watch and think of it as "the new swatch design" When they get older and want to buy the more upmarket one in metal, with a mechanical movement, I suspect they will think of it as the fancy swatch, and not the watch that went to the moon.

I... really don't think so.  For one, we young people aren't buying watches to begin with, let alone Swatches.  For those of us into watches, in a world with Casios it's hard to justify a Swatch most of the time.  The market for the moonswatch is pretty clear, it's for those that already know the Speedmaster.  For me personally, this was the final nail in the coffin that cemented me actually wanting a Speedmaster, especially with the new Coaxial movements including all the luxuries I've gotten accustomed to, like hacking seconds.  Many people grossly overestimate the popularity and prevalence of Swatch.  Today, they're mostly for people that lived through the 80's and 90's to run across in the airport and buy for the sake of nostalgia.  Secondly, people aren't stupid.  If there's an increase in interest after this, it'll be from people that already knew and liked the Speedmaster story.  We wouldn't say that BB58 owners are going to look at a Submariner and say "oh that's just an expensive Tudor (which might actually be closer to the truth) but rather a BB58 owner is much more likely to dream of  a Submariner when they have something on their wrist constantly reminding them of the halo model.  Among the watch wearing youth, remember, you have those in the majority that say "gucci?  Oh I know them they're nice, this must be a nice watch" and the rest could cite reference numbers in their sleep.  Negative attributions are unlikely.

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coaxial_thamuel

I... really don't think so.  For one, we young people aren't buying watches to begin with, let alone Swatches.  For those of us into watches, in a world with Casios it's hard to justify a Swatch most of the time.  The market for the moonswatch is pretty clear, it's for those that already know the Speedmaster.  For me personally, this was the final nail in the coffin that cemented me actually wanting a Speedmaster, especially with the new Coaxial movements including all the luxuries I've gotten accustomed to, like hacking seconds.  Many people grossly overestimate the popularity and prevalence of Swatch.  Today, they're mostly for people that lived through the 80's and 90's to run across in the airport and buy for the sake of nostalgia.  Secondly, people aren't stupid.  If there's an increase in interest after this, it'll be from people that already knew and liked the Speedmaster story.  We wouldn't say that BB58 owners are going to look at a Submariner and say "oh that's just an expensive Tudor (which might actually be closer to the truth) but rather a BB58 owner is much more likely to dream of  a Submariner when they have something on their wrist constantly reminding them of the halo model.  Among the watch wearing youth, remember, you have those in the majority that say "gucci?  Oh I know them they're nice, this must be a nice watch" and the rest could cite reference numbers in their sleep.  Negative attributions are unlikely.

I agree with the Swatch being something that GenX is probably most familiar with, but not that many young people identify with. I further agree that the generations who grew up with the smartphone either don't want a watch at all, which includes my own kids, or are really into watches. What is largely absent is a younger person wearing a watch to simply tell the time.

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biglove

Before the 3 series, the big BMWs were luxury sedans made for the Autobahn. The 3 series was "the poor man's BMW." BMW saw a hole in the market and went for it. 
 

Swatch/Omega is doing the same here. 

 Not that car analogies matter, but I would be of the school of thought that the 3 series grew out of the 2002, which preceded the larger cars like the 5 series. To me they are the quintessential BMW. If anything the hole in the market BMW went for was the large luxury sedans for the Autobahn. 

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I own a Speedy Pro Hesalite 1861 and look forward to a few new MoonSwatch owners joining us. If even 5% of the purchasers develop an interest in watches, that’s good for Omega, Swatch Group, watch manufacturers and watch enthusiast.

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s0ckpupp3t

There's speculation that the latest batch of cosmonauts that went up to ISS this week were wearing the Mission to the Sun version.

Cosmonauts you say, probably why Swatch haven't mentioned anything about that. 👍