Why Omega just auctioned off 11 of its rare MoonSwatch sets
11 suitcases full of 11 MoonSwatch watches, with all proceeds going to charity.
IT’S 2024 and we’re still not done talking about the MoonSwatch—you know, the epic collaboration between Omega and Swatch that was announced on the eve of Watches & Wonders in 2022 (you can thank Nick Hayek Jr., Swatch CEO, for that mic-drop moment).
In 2023, the range was given an uber-luxe update with in the form of the ‘Mission to Moonshine Gold’ versions, which each featured second hands coated in 18 karat Moonshine gold—an alloy created by Omega’s own watchmakers, which offers a more subtle yet long-lasting gold glow. And now, two years on, this collection of colourful bioceramic timepieces remains just as exciting and enticing as its initial release and update. Only now, watch collectors have been made privy to something exceptionally limited and rare: 11 suitcases with 11 MoonSwatch sets.
Omega and Swatch have teamed up once again to auction 11 complete MoonSwatch ‘Moonshine Gold’ suitcases in 11 different cities, all in the name of charity. You can bet some serious watch aficionados have made it their mission to get their hands on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a notion that has piqued our own curiosity, as an auction of this nature is incredibly rare. It marks the very first time that these rare models are offered together in one set and likely the last time we’ll see an opportunity to own the collection come available.
The auction, which was conducted by Sotheby’s and was accessible globally online, started on February 12 and concluded on February 24—the date of the full ‘Snow Moon’, no less. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will be going to Omega’s long-term partner, Orbis International, which fights avoidable blindness and vision loss around the world. In particular, Orbis helps to preserve the vision of children, allowing them to see phenomenons just like the moon for the very first time.
If you were in Sydney this month—or any of the 11 cities including Paris, Milan, Zurich, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, and London—and walked past an Omega boutique, you would have likely come across the complete MoonSwatch set in the flesh, as they were presented to the public before being auctioned off. The ‘Mission to Mars’ suitcase the collection comes in is also no ordinary trunk. Equally impressive as the goods it holds, the case contains a golden monocle with the Omega x Swatch logo, and a one-of-a-kind coin engraved with the 3-letter aviation code from their displayed city. This same code will be etched on the side of all 11 timepieces within the suitcase for that particular city. It is a truly unique and interactive way to house all 11 MoonSwatch pieces that pays clear homage to Omega’s history of space missions.
With the auction now over, we can officially say that Omega sold all 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold suitcases at auction, fetching a total of $920,400 from all 11 sets, proving the craze for MoonSwatch is clearly yet to subside. To find out more about this special initiative, visit Sotheby’s website below.
Find out more about the auction and pieces here.
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