Every watch nerd with even a passing interest in the space race has lusted after a gold Speedmaster at some point. Omega made the original in 1969 as a tribute to the Apollo astronauts, revived it in Moonshine Gold form in 2019, and both remain firmly in second-mortgage territory. Leave it to Swatch to democratize the formula.
Timed to the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, the new MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 puts real Omega gold on your wrist for $570.
Gold With a Paper Trail
The dial, hands, crown, and chronograph pushers are all crafted from 18K Moonshine Gold, Omega’s proprietary yellow gold alloy. There are 11 grams of it in each watch, a wink at the mission number.
The metal itself has provenance, too. Swatch melted down Omega spare parts dating back to 1969 and recast them in its in-house foundry, so the gold on your wrist was sitting in Omega’s drawers while Armstrong took his first steps.
Priced Like It’s 1969
Eleven grams of 18K gold carries a melt value north of $1,000 at today’s rates, yet the watch retails for $570. Swatch’s logic? It priced the gold at its July 21, 1969 value, roughly $11, and ate the difference. Swatch is losing money on the metal alone, and honestly, we respect the commitment to the bit.
Beyond the Bullion
The rest is familiar MoonSwatch territory in its dressiest form yet. The 42mm matte black Bioceramic case wears a glossy bezel with a gold-printed tachymeter, while the vertically brushed dial carries a period-correct Omega wordmark and gold indices filled with black lacquer.
Flip it over and the battery cover reveals a golden moon stamped with a bootprint and the July 21, 1969 landing date. Each piece is individually numbered out of 1,969 on the left case flank, filled in gold lacquer.
Paperwork Required
Getting one means filing an Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application, a tongue-in-cheek riff on the travel form. Applicants answer 32 questions within 2 hours and 15 minutes, the same amount of time Armstrong and Aldrin spent working on the lunar surface.
An internal jury then selects 1,969 winners from the pool of correct submissions, each of whom gets 48 hours to complete their purchase before collecting the watch in person. After the Royal Pop launch devolved into actual street brawls, we can’t blame Swatch for trying something different.
Spec Sheet
Model: Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969
Reference: SSX01B700
Case Size: 42mm
Case Thickness: 13.25mm
Lug-to-Lug: 47.3mm
Case Material: Black Bioceramic
Dial: Brushed 18K Moonshine Gold
Movement: Quartz chronograph
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap: Black rubber strap with Velcro closure and gold-colored lining
Limited Edition: Yes, 1,969 numbered pieces
Pricing & Availability
The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969 is priced at $570 and sold exclusively by application, with no in-store release. The ESTA form is live now and closes July 21 at 11:59 pm CEST; approved buyers pick up their watch at the Swatch store they selected when applying. Head over to Swatch’s website to file yours.
Recap
Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969
Swatch marks Apollo 11’s 57th anniversary with a 1,969-piece MoonSwatch carrying 11 grams of 18K Moonshine Gold recycled from 1969-era Omega parts, sold by application only for $570.
