After Swatch teased the existence of a black edition of the Snoopy MoonSwatch last week, all eyes have been on the look out for the fabled timepiece to emerge. Perhaps “fabled” is a too much hyperbole but it is true that after the MoonSwatch fatigue of 2023, there has been a renewed interest in the collection. At time of writing, the Snoopy MoonSwatch Full Moon is being list on the pre-owned market at £600 – £720, more than double its retail price. Will the new black Snoopy Mission to the Moonphase New Moon have the same level of success?
First of all, let me specify that I am fully aware that the MoonSwatch is the marmite of the watch world at the moment. Some people love being able to purchase accessible interpretations of their favourite luxury watches and others believe that Swatch is whittling away any credibility of the brands they’re collaborating with. On that argument I’ll plead journalistic neutrality and say that whichever side you fall on, you can’t deny that it’s been a hugely successful campaign in terms of interest and sales. No such thing as bad publicity and all that.
Focussing in on the new watch, its official name is the Bioceramic Moonswatch Mission to The Moonphase – New Moon but being realistic it’s going to be known as the Black Snoopy. The concept behind it is that the original white Full Moon edition represents the bright disk of the moon at its largest while the black New Moon edition is inspired by the other end of the phase cycle where the moon is completely hidden. It’s actually quite a fun way to produce a pair of watches based on the moon while also being an excuse to produce two of the most popular colourways.
Beyond the change in colours, the new edition is identical to the original. It has a 42mm diameter case with 30m water resistance and houses a quartz chronograph movement. Its signature complication is the moonphase indicator at 2 o’clock featuring Snoopy taking a nap on the moon alongside Woodstock.
As with every MoonSwatch, it’s available only from select Swatch boutiques globally. In the UK specifically, those boutiques are: London (Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, Harvey Nichols, Oxford Street, Westfield White City), Glasgow (Buchanan Galleries), Liverpool (Paradise Street), and Edinburgh (Princess Street). Notably London Battersea Power Station has been removed from that list whereas it was included for the Full Moon. For details on the closest boutique to you, we recommend visiting Swatch’s website.
The Black Snoopy MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase New Moon is due to go on sale on April 8th (next Monday at time of writing) at a price of £270. So, are you going to be joining the queue in the morning or are you stalwart in your belief that the MoonSwatch is uncool? Sound off in the comments below.
Price and Specs:
More details at Swatch.
They are out there…
I noticed some Blancpain Swatches in the Covent Garden boutique’s window yesterday (alas no 50 fathoms), so I nipped in to ask whether they’d done any other watches inspired by some of the premium brands they own? They said there was a Snoopy MoonSwatch but they didn’t have any. A quick Google in the evening and the Black one looked interesting (I wear an Apple Watch too much of the time to make a Dark Side of the Moon, or other “real” Speedie, a sensible use of money.)
Anyway I was passing near the Oxford St. boutique early this afternoon, nipped in to see if I could catch a glimpse of one and they said they had one left in stock.. “which colour?”… “Black” 😀 … Tried it on. Looked good. Sold!
No queue! Although the next person to arrive asked for a look at it, which was fine with me, but perhaps meant I cut it quite close…
I hadn’t realised the White one came first and the Black one just a few days ago until after I’d bought it…
Also didn’t realise they do free battery replacements for the life of the watch. Oh and it comes with a teeny key ring UV torch for the Snoopy stuff.
Not going to sell it on, just happy to have it…