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The MoonSwatch craze and the business of selling Swiss watches
Behind the Omega-Swatch collaboration hype is a history of challenges Swiss brands have faced, from Japanese watchmakers to Apple.
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The MoonSwatch, which comes in 11 colours, is a playful tribute to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, as worn by American astronauts including Buzz Aldrin.
PHOTO: REUTERS
John Gapper
(FINANCIAL TIMES) - It was just like old times last weekend, when thousands of people lined up around the world to buy a MoonSwatch. Not since the 1980s and 1990s has the launch of a new Swatch watch created such buzz.
The £207 (S$370) timepiece they all wanted was Swatch's tribute to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, as worn by American astronauts including Buzz Aldrin when he walked on the moon in 1969. The MoonSwatch, which comes in 11 colours, is a playful pastiche of a clockwork icon that retails for £4,200 or more.
