Reply With QuotePretty sure main reason behind this was to revive the Swatch brand that has been flagging because of smart watches.
Just passed through London and visited the Carnaby St store. No need to go in, as I could see from the outside that the display case used to show the tray off was empty and I remember someone mentioning that as the 'key' to whether they are in stock.
I noticed 2 or 3 people loitering around outside and looking in from time to time. Wouldn't have noticed it at all if I didn't know all the story around these. With the 1000s of profit to be made, it pays to wait outside a shop all day, pretty dull though.
Pretty sure main reason behind this was to revive the Swatch brand that has been flagging because of smart watches.
With the debate on whether it devalues or raises omegas brand profile I think it actually raises it. I was discussing this with a bunch of friends: some of us are watch enthusiasts some of us aren’t. What is very clear is that we all want one.
And even then those of us that are watch enthusiasts would still look to get a proper omega moonwatch at some point.
Are there really 1000s to be made though? How many of these watches supposedly selling at that level are actually being sold?Originally Posted by VoleBoy
Only the insanely wealthy wouldn't miss that kind of money for something, really, worth about £50-£100 surely?
The RRP is a not unreasonable price for something a bit different and maybe double that if you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want one right here, right now, but £1000s?
I can't see it myself...
Expect the internet to break, though, when they go on sale online!
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I think what a lot of the devalue the brand comments above miss is the SWATCH branding on the watch.
it's a swatch, you buy in a swatch shop.
Yes it has omega branding but it's not an omega. it's an swatch x omega
It's not a cut price omega, it's an expensive swatch.
Fair enough if the lovely ambience of an omega boutique is suddenly overrun by people who don't know the difference between a 2500 movement and an 8500.....but it's not.
I have grads who work for me who don't see the point in wearing a watch, or at best don't see the point in a non-smart watch. 3 of the 4 of them have had a chat with me about this watch. That's the impact and it's universally positive.
EDIT : I've said it before but i've got a speedie, other omegas, cheap seikos, expensive seikos and a few g shocks. it massively appeals to me and i can't wait to get one.
Last edited by Lazydonkey; 5th April 2022 at 12:09.
I’ve messaged a few people on EBay for “best price” as I figure if I could get one for £400-ish it would be worth it for me.
I have the idea it would be decent value, as being in the NW it would mean using my day off plus the cost at around £70 on the train to London, I’ll probably take my lad with me so that’s another £70, plus lunch or whatever and I’m into it for probably £400 anyway (including purchase price). Then I could travel there and find no stock……
Why not cut out the middleman?! Hence the £400 budget.
Anyway, I’ve learned that most people (who replied) would actually sell for about £600…… so I don’t think there’s many making “Brewsters” from it unless they snagged multiple watches.
I think I’ll wait now but I did think about it.
Last edited by RJM25R; 5th April 2022 at 13:52.
Online order will remove your hefty travel fees, so your patience will be rewarded!
Assuming the online sales thing happens soon, but we will see!
Some people are saying this Friday. Others are saying June/July.
How can we judge it's only worth £50-£100 though? What would we judge so called "luxury" watches to be worth in reality by the same token? A lot of their worth is thin air (marketing).
It may seem a lot for a "plastic" watch (if that's what it is) but other Swatch Chronographs are selling for £100-£150 and the MoonSwatch looks infinitely nicer than those.
I'd be happy to pay £200 for one of these based on how good it looks alone.
I’d heard online sales would start a few weeks after launch. Given the demand they’ve created they’d be mad to delay it
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Some people said last Friday!
Actually if you look at the dial it is not a swatch x omega it is an Omega x Swatch. The Omega branding leads and is more prominent and so is the Speedmaster mark; the Swatch logo is minor in comparison to both. Similar prominence on the strap too ...
I'd describe it as an Omega watch. Manufactured and retailed by Swatch.
Would make a really interesting case study to understand the strategy and the relative sizes of the Swatch / Omega businesses ... still think this is a good move for Omega; but does reposition the brand a bit less luxury and more available ... and that may be their drive to maximise profits.
Last edited by Montello; 5th April 2022 at 18:11.
Interestingly, the crystal has an S on the inside instead of an Ω
Im going to say that its most definitely, first and foremost, a swatch.
Its disposable, colourful and plastic. And, despite the omega branding bumping the price up, its fairly cheap.
It most certainly uses the same design as a certain omega watch but, as you say, its not made by omega.
Its a little bit like when a clothes designer lends their design and name to a mainstream sportswear brand.
I dont think anyone who buys one of these should ever think they own an actual Omega - and certainly not a moonwatch - hence "moonSWATCH". Even the swatch website clearly differentiates between the two.
Id wear one at list price though - no problem.
If you put the moonswatch under the nose of 10 random members of the public and asked them to tell you the brand of the watch I’d bet the majority would say Omega.
I think you're splitting hairs. It's a watch manufactured by The Swatch Group Ltd, using brand names owned by them.
An Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is manufactured by The Swatch Group Ltd, as is the MoonSwatch.
Well, I DID say they "shouldnt" think they owned an actual Omega - not that they wouldnt think that.
At the end of the day its a swatch - made by swatch, in a swatch factory, with swatch components - with a case that looks like a design made famous by Omega.
If it fails under warranty you'll send it off to swatch for replacement. Omega wont touch it - because its not an Omega - the swatch site is very careful not to say it is.
So, a longines is an omega with a different badge? Like a skoda is a volkswagen?
My planet ocean is no breguet - the moonSWATCH is no omega. It just dresses up as one...
Again though - people should just decide if they want one or not - up to them. Id have one as a bit of fun.
Time will tell what effect it will have, if any, on either brand long term...
Not quite, Swatch Group Ltd. is a company that manufactures watches, who also own many brand names, and manufacture watches under those different brand names. Each brand has its own market segment, and target customers (with some overlap), and each brand has its own vision and values, as set by the parent company. So no, a Longines isn't an Omega, they're both Swatch Group Ltd products with different badges – which reflect the aims, ambitions, vision and values of the brand name it displays.
A Skoda isn't a Volkswagen, nor is it a Seat, or Audi even though a; Golf, Octavia, Leon, and A3 are mechanically the same thing, they're aimed at different audiences and carefully designed to reflect the brands they represent.
Imagine for a minute that brand names were outlawed and manufacturers had to simply display their company name on the products they made. We may value products slightly different for a while, but there would be still no mistaking that a Volkswagen AG Aventador was a different animal to Volkswagen AG Fabia. And unlikely to confuse a Swatch Group Ltd. Quartz Dinsauritos to a Swatch Group Ltd. Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Anniversaire 5365 in Rose Gold.
I think this discussion just goes to show how you can potentially confuse the market by transplanting branding across different products.
The whole thing reminds me of something that happened a few years back, was always motorbike mad and still am. I worked in a bike garage at the time briefly to help a friend out. One day this guy comes in with a at the time 30 odd year old bike, less than a thousand miles on the clock. He'd bought it from that garage brand new, barely rode it for the first year even. Rode it from his house to the bike garage once a year for maybe the first three years for it's annual service. After that it was trailered down once a year, every year for it's annual service.
Said guy, quite elderly now decides after it getting trailered down again, maybe he should let it go. The wasn't in bad condition really, couple of dings in the tank from being sat in his garage for years, bit of corrosion but nothing really. Think he got about £1500 for it.
The parts guy buys it from the shop, spruces it up a little aesthetically, makes sure it's fit for purpose and safe etc and sticks it on eBay. Think it got up to a few grand, guy from Germany I think it was messages him and offers him something nuts like £6-8k for it sight unseen, done deal. Comes on the ferry with a van and picks it up three days later beaming smile ear to ear, off he pops. We're all pretty much flabbergasted, general manager just looks around at us all and says 'It's worth whatever someone wants to pay for it' and walks off.
To this day, I can't work out if I agree with him or not.
But the point is that this release is a Swatch (in the sense of the Swatch watches of yore, a monoblock plastic cased quartz watch with relatively cheap materials, and unmaintainable, or disposable).
But it genuinely has Omega and Speedmaster on the dial.
The Fabia has got the Auto Union interlocked rings all over it.
That's the genius. Those tiny inky names printed on the dial persuade everyone that it is a bargain, and that they must have one.
When in fact it is demonstrably just a Swatch, using the normal Swatch chrono movement. The type of thing that repeatedly sells on Ebay for £30.
I've come to the conclusion that this bubble is really emperor's new clothes.
These little things are pretty much worthless.
When I first considered these, I looked at the Speedie similarity, and I thought Omega was leaving money on the table, I thought they could easily sell boatloads of them for £500, let alone £200. And in limited batches, I still believe they would. But longer term, when these are commonly available in all outlets? I now think the price is about right. And despite initial desire, I won't be bothering. I can get a much better made watch for very similar money. A watch I can maintain and use for ages. Why waste money on these plastic throwaways, when something much more sustainable is hardly any more money. The Wolbrook mecha-quartz chronos for instance.
It maybe a cheap plastic swatch with some omega branding on it but one thing is for certain, It’s a far more desirable watch at present than the actual moonwatch which are available in AD’s today!
Desirable, or accessible?
As is a Greggs steak bake, compared to an M&S scotch egg............
Both I would say with queues outside the stores and selling for over retail.
The same can’t be said for the Moonwatch.
I have been a Moonwatch fan for years, having had at least 40 over the past 25 years. I now have a core collection of 3, comprising a ‘68 Transitional, a first generation Snoopy and a regular late ‘70s daily.
If this Swatch thing had happened years ago and the majority of these had now been trashed/died/lost, would I want one or two as part of the Moonwatch story? Absolutely, and so would most Moonwatch collectors.
So would I, I was thinking in terms of cost, not retail.
At the end of the day, it's a quartz, plastic watch, you can buy those for pennies on eBay.
Anything above that is a premium for styling, branding, etc.
People, you and me included, will pay something for that, but I don't think many will pay £1000s.
The same is true of 'luxury' watches, although it seems many people are prepared to go nuts about one brand in particular, but percentage wise, even if the Moonswatch is sold as high as a Submariner, you're still only in hundreds.
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Looks like Richemont couldn't resist..
Here's some more earlier coloured ceramic for you
Always much preferred the more luxury Avocado lookHere's some more earlier coloured ceramic for you
You're mixing accessible with desirable. It's harder to get the Swatch sure, but it's not a more desirable watch than the Omega, it's just less than 5% of the price.
How many people would choose the Swatch over the Omega if offered to choose one at zero cost and no option to sell? That's a test of desirability.
Mission to Uranus version I guess?Here's some more earlier coloured ceramic for you
I said earlier in the thread
Both of you are right. It was a rather clueless observation.
Undoubtedly the unit cost will be below £50 but that will be the case for any watch selling for £200. It's all about margins, small absolute differences in the cost can have
a big impact on selling prices (which will always be way above unit costs at any market level).
There are very cheap plastic watches out there but not with Swiss ETA chronograph movements though. A lot of attention has also clearly gone into the dials, to me they look much nicer than most watches at this price point.
If someone wants the highest quality watch possible for £200 the Moonswatch isn't going to be anywhere near first choice but it's the good looks that are drawing me to these watches. I'm interested to know how durable these watches will be though (based on reality not conjecture) and the fact they cannot be serviced is a negative.
Paying multiples of the retail price is pretty crazy given supply will increase massively but now we're right at the top of the price / demand curve due to the limited supply and there will always be people willing (and wealthy enough) to pay very high prices in this situation.
Here's an interesting honest review:
https://youtu.be/35fDCvlmR_g
My stepson & his girlfriend was in that shop today and sent me a WhatsApp of the Mission Earth and Mission Pluto they were packing in their cases to bring back home for me and his mum tomoz. We wait and see.
The Covent Garden branch had stock in this morning btw and they are getting regular restocks.
When did you stay with my in-laws?
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Just the less popular ones though by all accounts - Sun & Pluto I think.
London stores now out of stock as of Thursday lunch time, but adamant they will be getting plenty more in over the coming month.
Said their delivery dates (understandably) aren't disclosed, so its a simple ring them before you turn up job.
Update, wife and I just picked the kids up from Heathrow, here is our reward. Unpacking later.
First one unpacked, nice!
Oh you should have heard the things they said about you. Your ears must have been burning!
Nice one. Let us know what you think of them please.Update, wife and I just picked the kids up from Heathrow, here is our reward. Unpacking later.
Looks good :)First one unpacked, nice!
Looks good, Jimboy.
More available in Carnaby street today.
Let the goose chase begin !
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