Watch collectors are kind of an odd bunch. I’m talking about “dumb” watches specifically - watches that only tell time and don’t have any sort of smartphone connectivity or biometric tracking. Some of the fancier models might have a timer on them, but you’re certainly not going to be getting text notifications. Watches have evolved over time from being a tool to basically men’s jewelry. A few key terms to know first:
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Mechanical - a watch that keeps time and is powered by a complicated series of springs and gears (this is called the movement). Due to the relatively high amount of niche skilled labor involved in making them, even the most basic mechanical watches can be fairly expensive.
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Quartz - a watch that keeps time via a quartz crystal oscillator and is powered by a battery. They are much less expensive AND more accurate than mechanical watches, but are frequently looked down upon by watch collectors as not being “real” watches (they don’t have a mechanical soul or some dumb shit like that).
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The Swatch Group - the Swiss watchmaking industry was seriously threatened in the 70s and 80s by the “Quartz Crisis”, when significantly cheaper quartz (mostly Japanese) watches began to completely dominate the market. Several Swiss companies survived by merging together to form the Swatch Group. Mechanical watch brands moved even more upscale, with a greater focus on luxury, artisanal craftsmanship, and brand heritage. They also launched a new brand, Swatch, which made inexpensive, but still Swiss-made, quartz watches in an attempt to the re-capture the entry level market share they had lost.
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Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional - the “Speedy” is one of the most popular watches made by Omega, a luxury brand owned by the Swatch Group. It’s notable for being the watch that was given to all Apollo mission astronauts and was heavily used in the early NASA days, so the majority of its branding is based around the fact that the Speedy has been to the moon.
In early 2022, the Swatch Group announced a new watch model that was going to be a collaboration between two of its brands - the Omega X Swatch Bioceramic MoonSwatch. The MoonSwatch would have the same appearance and dimensions as the Speedy, with a few key differences:
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The Omega X Swatch branding.
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A quartz movement instead of a mechanical one. The Speedy is known for having an especially complex movement since it’s a chronograph (i.e. an analog stopwatch).
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The casing would be made of “bioceramic” (basically plastic) instead of stainless steel.
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Price would be $260, compared to the $6000+ of the Speedy.
Immediate reactions were heated. While some people loved the idea, a loud contingent hated it. The main complaints:
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It was quartz and thus not a real watch.
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It was made of plastic and thus not a real watch.
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The MoonSwatch devalued the real Speedy, since it was effectively an officially sanctioned counterfeit made of cheaper materials.
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The watch devalued the entire Omega brand, since they were putting their logo on a watch that even the poors could afford (the least expensive Omega is around $2500, which is actually on the low end for luxury watches).
The MoonSwatch came out shortly afterwards, and it turns out that demand far exceeded supply. The watch was only available in select Swatch boutiques (for example, only 11 stores in the USA carry it), so if you didn’t live near one of those stores you were SOL. People were lined up for hours to buy one. The MoonSwatch also came in 11 different colorways (themed after the planets, the sun, and the moon), and some of the models were limited to certain stores or even countries. A lot of the watches immediately ended up on Ebay with huge markups. Since it was sold out everywhere, that ended up pissing up the people who actually liked the watch. Some of the things they were upset about:
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It was easier to buy the real Speedmaster than the MoonSwatch. Speedy sales actually increased by 50% immediately after the launch.
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The distribution model meant you had to live in a major metropolitan area or be okay with buying one from a scalper online.
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The different colorways not being available everywhere upset the completionists who wanted to have one in every color.
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Accusations of favoritism where a few Swatch stores were taking bribes to let people have access to them early (favoritism is an issue with the watch industry in general).
Anyway, it’s been a year since the launch of the MoonSwatch. Hype has died down a bit, but they’re still hard to buy (Swatch stores will sell out in an hour whenever they get new stock). Swatch has said they aren’t planning on doing online sales, but it’s not intended to be a limited edition watch. There’s still criticism (I’ve seen complaints that the plastic feels cheap), but even the detractors had to admit it was the hottest watch of 2022.
TL;DR - Watch brand releases a watch that’s kind of a copy of a way more expensive watch made by the same parent company. This angers half of the watch collecting community. The other half is angered because the watch is sold out everywhere and a pain in the ass to buy.
Credit where credit is due; This is a repost from reddt
I’ve never liked communities based around buying certain products. So much gatekeeping and drama… and for what, to spend money? It’s a marketer’s wet dream.
I don’t see any value in celebrating the fact that someone went out and spent money to get something, or stood in line to get something.
Consumerism at it’s finest. We get so worked up for things that should never get much emotions out of us. Watches, cars, console wars, fashion brands, mobile OS 🤮🤮🤮 We should make the effort not to care so much about brands, and just buy less. No one needs a watch
Well a train conductor probably needs one, but I get your point haha
No one needs a watch
Not buying a watch is not going to solve consumerism. As someone who owns a (non luxury) watch I think that they’re really useful, and that more people should give them a chance
My experience has been the complete opposite over on the watch subreddit. I never saw any gatekeeping and if you posted a picture of your new $10 watch there absolutely were plenty of comments on how awesome it is and how happy everyone is for you to get something you like. Also a lot of talk about the history and inner workings of watches not just circlejerking over brand names. Overall a pretty positive and encouraging group in my experience.
The community is based around the objects… For enthusiasts, watches are neat. It’s an interesting thing because they are functional jewelry, and you can’t actually own that many cause they are expensive, and you can use even fewer at a time cause you only have two wrists (and even watch people will make fun of you if you wear two watches at once).
So the real community is talking about new things, what’s coming up, what you like and dislike, surprising history, a lot of stuff. In my group, we absolutely celebrate when someone gets a new watch, but not cause they’ve passed some kind of gate, but because they now have something they can enjoy and build memories with.
The truth is, marketers will take advantage of any hobby
Also, watches are frequently a guy hobby. It’s better than it used to be but men don’t have as many jewelry choices or ways to accessorize their style especially when dressed up or for work.
Most dudes could get over the thought that jewelry is for women or “gay” and just bling up.
Bro idk shit about watches and this is at the top of /all for me and you just transported me into this world so I could experience the drama.
10/10 upvoted on multiple accounts
Oh man have you found your community, assuming this settles into a continuation of the original subreddit. Obscure interests lavishly produce “inject this directly into my veins” drama.
As someone who grew up in the '80s, when I heard Swatch I immediately thought of those inexpensive wrist watches that had wildly colorful designs and interchangeable wristbands. They were hugely popular and if you didn’t have 40 bucks to spend on one, you were not with the “in” crowd, mainly dominated by yuppies.
Knew this would be about the MoonSwatch lol.
I love watches but have a hard limit at about $200-300. I live in Japan and you can get extraordinarily good quality mechanical (i.e. “real”) watches that are made domestically for that price or even less from great brands like Seiko and Orient.
Anything beyond that is IMO just pretentious and tacky in the sense that you’re kind of just flaunting your wealth.
My point is that yeah watch fandom kind of really sucks, I unsubbed from r/Watches and never looked back.
The whole premise is a miss for me. The idea that $260 is cheap (because Omega’s cost $2500) is, frankly, stupid.
A watch should primarily display the time (in a permanently visible face) and possibly add the option for some audible reminders.
Changing batteries is a big problem, and so Solar (or Kinetic IDK) is an essential concept.
Casio with bold analog face, I can see the time without my glasses, and without even directly looking at the watch face (peripheral vision when riding my bike).
It has a digital inset with options for hourly chime, automatic day/date, and enough accuracy so I only adjust it once every 6 months or more…
It cost 1500 THB (maybe $25) and never needs a battery change…
7 years later it is always there for me to see the time.
So it is much more reliable than any smartwatch, and more functional then the majority of watches on sale.
I don’t have much to say about watches but THANK YOU for bringing hobby drama to the fediverse!
Good write up.
You know… I don’t agree with it, but I totally get it. For people outside of the community, many people have INTENSE relationships with their watches. I think they tie part of their identity with certain milestones, and when a watch is also so tightly bound to said milestone - certain jobs, certain incomes, certain life events - any perceived cheapening is seen as a direct assault to their identify.
It’s like… your dad handed down his Speedy when you got married. You bought your first Speedy when you made partner at your law firm. Whatever it is, now there’s this perceived slight that some 15 year old now owns a bastardised version of something you achieved and they didn’t.
All of it’s made up. It’s jewellery. I’m sure the Hayeks are sitting in Biel/Bienne laughing their asses off. But still… my dream watch is the VC 222, and when they did the rerelease, I was kinda like - wtf, guys. Even though I have zero affiliation with the original 222 and will never own one, I tricked myself into an emotional attachment with it.
TIL there are people that take the collecting of expensive, single-purpose watches more seriously than any hardcore gamer takes their favorite game. Now I want to see somebody to bombard their community with ads for the cheapest shit-tier kids’ wristwatches and Chinese knockoff brands available.
I wouldn’t say that I’m a watch collector. But a watch enthusiast? Definitely. I love watches of all types even though I have my own personal taste.
So what was it about the whole Omega x Swatch debacle that upset me? The fact they were basically gatekeeping a plastic watch that was a homage to the moon watch.
I stand by the fact that the price of a watch doesn’t really matter in terms of true value. Which is why budget timepieces have a high place on the list of many watch enthusiasts (see Timex or Casio).
This watch should have joined that list. It should have been a catalyst to introduce more people into the hobby of collecting or simply admiring these wrist worn works of art (occasionally lol). Instead, it’s another case of fomo and splintering of a community of people who already find ridiculous reasons to gatekeep each other (the write up points to this fact very clearly).
Anyways. My two cents.
Me, who likes buying dirt cheap vintage watches:
Where do you buy them if you don’t mind sharing?
Ebay. I just have a saved search for “watch” and look for something interesting. The best deals are from estate sales where the seller isn’t an expert and just posts pictures and lists the item “as-is”. Of course you’re taking a risk, but a good percentage of time you get something nice that has just been collecting dust on a shelf or in a drawer somewhere.
Fair enough. I live in Japan and there’s a massive second hand market for mostly Japanese watches (most of which are Seikos lol). Nobody uses eBay here, it’s Mercari, and only knowledgeable people sell stuff. It’s still definitely cheap, but not ‘I have no idea what this is actually worth’ cheap.
I’m surprised that Omega would allow such a massive devaluing of their brand. That’s about the only thing that keeps the value of these watches, the perception that a brand is worth so much. When everyone can have it for 5% of the price, it seems as though it would be harder to sell the real thing. People who want the status of such a high end brand would likely look towards other brands which hadn’t devalued their brands so much.
It doesn’t seem to have had that effect. Omega’s selling more Moonwatches than ever at the highest prices ever. Nobody’s buying a $200 plastic quartz watch instead of a $6,000 automatic.
Read my comment again. I’m not inferring that someone is buying a moonwatch instead of a real Omega. I’m saying that people will stop buying real omegas and buy something else that is still perceived as something rare and elite. Which Omega no longer will be as a brand.
I’m in the anti-Moonswatch camp. I’ve thought about getting an Omega Moonwatch for a while, the Grey Side of the Moon in particular (https://www.omegawatches.com/en-au/watches/speedmaster/dark-side-of-the-moon/grey-side-of-the-moon/product). It’s around $13000. Yes, a lot of money for a watch, but it’s more than a watch - it’s a sign to myself that I’ve worked hard and it’s a reward. Most people won’t be able to afford one, and will have different priorities and would think it a terrible waste of money. It’s not to show off (like a Porsche or Ferrari), it’s discreet and most people wouldn’t know what it cost if they saw it. It’s for me. It’s also an investment; my brother has a Rolex that he paid around $1000 for in the late 80’s, it’s now worth around $30000. The Moonswatch diminishes the brand in my opinion.
It’s around $13000. Yes, a lot of money for a watch, but it’s more than a watch - it’s a sign to myself that I’ve worked hard and it’s a reward.
No it really just is a watch, they’ve just got you brainwashed into thinking giving them all your money will make you happy.
