Hands-On With The New MoonSwatch Mission On Earth Models (Live Pictures)

What a surprise! After the two Mission to Moonphase “Snoopy” releases earlier this year, I did not expect to see an additional set of MoonSwatch models. Only the teasers on Swatch’s Instagram account a few days before June 11th gave away the idea that we could expect something new.

The MoonSwatch success

The first 11 MoonSwatch models were introduced two years ago, just a few days before Watches and Wonders 2022. Honestly, they stole the show even though they were not part of the Geneva exhibition. The queues were insane, bringing a whole new crowd to the world of watches. The MoonSwatch was the talk of the town, and the crazy demand and long lines got coverage on the 8 o’clock news. It was a brilliant move by Swatch that put the brand back on the horological map.

MoonSwatch with a Moonshine Gold-plated hand

Since the MoonSwatch introduction, I noticed that Swatch has returned to the street scene. After the huge success of Swatch in the 1980s and 1990s, the brand slowly started to disappear in the 2000s. Over the last two years, however, the MoonSwatch has become quite a common sight on people’s wrists. In 2023, Swatch introduced the MoonSwatch with a (Moonshine) gold-plated chronograph seconds hand, and this series featured 11 variations in total.

Earlier this year, the more creative MoonSwatch Mission to Moonphase came out. It shows Snoopy on the moonphase disc at 2 o’clock. The watch is available in all white and all black.

The new MoonSwatch Mission On Earth models have been on display since last week but were not for sale (yet)

Mission On Earth Editions

Last week, Swatch introduced three new MoonSwatch Mission on Earth editions — Lava, Polar Lights, and Desert. These three watches are available in selected Swatch boutiques around the world as of today, June 15th. We had the pleasure of visiting the Swatch boutique near the Fratello headquarters and had a few moments with the three new MoonSwatch models (a big thank you to the staff there!).

As always, these MoonSwatches come in funky square boxes, each with an outer sleeve matching the watch’s color. These Mission on Earth variants are not fundamentally different from the previous MoonSwatch models, so they have the same dimensions and use the same materials for the watch and strap. The only things that are different are the colors and printing.

Radial dials

The radial numeral layout for the sub-dials is found on all three MoonSwatch Mission on Earth watches. This type of printing dates back to the Omega Speedmaster Project Alaska II and III models developed and produced for NASA purposes.

Unlike the first MoonSwatch editions, these three new models all have the same battery cover with a depiction of Earth.

Mission on Earth Lava

The MoonSwatch Mission on Earth Lava was the first model that caught my attention thanks to its nod to the Omega Speedmaster Ultraman model. I mentioned this in our introduction article this week.

In real life, the orange hue was a bit darker than I expected, but it helped give the watch a special presence on the wrist. The dial of the Lava model is similar to the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman model from 2018 but without the Ultraman details (profile in the sub-dial and the orange-marked minute counter).

Mission on Earth Polar Lights

The Polar Lights impressed most of my colleagues the most, not only because of its turquoise color but also because of the faux-aventurine dial. And I must admit, the case’s color looks good on the wrist and is quite different from what we have seen before.

The dial is a nod to the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonphase (albeit in a 44.25mm size), which came out in 2012 with a stunning aventurine dial. The turquoise color makes this MoonSwatch look almost Tiffany-esque, and I have noticed some people already referring to this watch as the “Tiffany MoonSwatch.” Of course, it has no connection to the New York-based jeweler, but it is a fresh-looking colorway for the summer.

Mission on Earth Desert

Lastly, the MoonSwatch Mission on Earth Desert has a sand-colored Bioceramic case, much like the Mission to Jupiter version from 2022 (a slightly different tone, it seems). This one also offers a darker taupe dial.

The light rings around the sub-dials create a bit of a reverse-panda look. This is the model I feel the least connection with because it’s very similar to the Mission to Jupiter. That said, the details on the dial, such as the radial sub-dials, are very much to my liking.

I still believe that Swatch should have reversed the Velcro strap to make it more comfortable on the wrist, but that’s something you can easily try.

Love it or hate it

I find it very interesting that we encounter many negative comments on these MoonSwatch models, be it under articles or on social media. Most are about “milking the cow” or the lack of availability. Despite this, the number of reads our introduction article got was truly insane. So I guess those who like them and show interest are not the majority of commenters. It also shows that perhaps these watches might not be for you, but there is a huge audience for them out there regardless. I am happy for the people who like these MoonSwatches and want to pick one up.

Price and availability

I expected the Mission on Earth Lava edition to be my favorite, and it is. The watch is a bit more orange than I would have guessed from the press images we received last week, in which it appeared almost red.

All three watches are priced at €275 (only the Snoopy versions retail for a bit more) and are available in Swatch boutiques as of today, June 15th. You know the drill by now — only one per customer, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be in stock when you make it to the boutique.

That said, many Swatch boutiques do have most of the first 11 MoonSwatches in stock. We suspect these new three MoonSwatch models will be hard to get initially, just like the MoonSwatch Mission to Moonphase. Good luck!

PS — The box with all three is not available for sale. It’s just there for presentation purposes. And, as a disclaimer, we did not buy these watches, nor did we get them for free. Our local Swatch boutique gave us access to them for our photo shoot. We will have to queue up too.

Let us know in the comments which one is your favorite of the three!