Every Single MoonSwatch, Ranked
Photographs: Swatch, Getty Images; Collage: Gabe Conte
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Omega and Swatch are always full of surprises, but the new Snoopy MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase feels like it might be the climax of the MoonSwatch era. The two collaborators have milked everything they could out of this line, releasing a new limited-edition version nearly every month last year after dropping the original 11 models in 2022. The release of the Snoopy watch—which is still driving enough hype to shut down stores two years after the line’s initial release—makes 22 MoonSwatches in total. Human nature demands that we rank anything we can, so I’ve gone ahead and done that with every single MoonSwatch.
22. MoonSwatch Mission to Mercury
The Mercury doesn’t bring the vibrancy and verve of the more colorful MoonSwatches, while also placing second in the Best Imitation of the OG Speedmaster competition.
21 - 16. MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold Swiss Lantern, Beaver Moon, Snowflake, Flower Moon, Harvest Moon, Pink Moon
I’m not a huge fan of the Mission to Moonshine watches as a concept. The MoonSwatches are supposed to be balls-to-the-wall fun, so adding a tiny gold-coated adornment to one feels like trying to class up a piece of American cheese (which is great!) with a single bead of caviar. Many of the designs, which generally appear only on the gold-coated hand, don’t hit for me either.
The Swiss Lantern is reminiscent of the Red Cross logo.
Why do I want a beaver imprint on my Moonwatch lookalike again?
December’s Snowflake is a winter novelty item.
June’s Flower Moon design shows up as harmless doodles on the golden hand.
The Harvest Moon’s “barley” pattern ends up creating a nice texture.
The Pink Moon adds the most zest out of this bunch.
15. Mission to the Moon
I understand the Mission to the Moon’s appeal as the version that best apes the original Moonwatch, but that’s really not what makes this collaboration special to me. These MoonSwatches aren’t meant to be pieces racked with provenance and history—and they’re certainly not built to be worn as daily drivers. Sorry, but I don’t think the MoonSwatch is passing NASA’s extreme battery of tests. In the end, this is just a regular black watch that looks an awful lot like a Moonwatch but… isn’t one.
14. Mission to the Moon Moonshine Gold
Same as above + a lil’ gold hand.
13. Mission on Earth
This is where the fun begins. The Mission on Earth, with its navy blue dial and seafoam green case, is my least favorite of the good stuff. I still really like the combination, though, and think it’s a clever use of the Earth’s seen-from-space colors. The rankings got very difficult from this point on.
12. Mission to the Sun
Even for me this watch might be having too much fun. And we all know what they say about the guy who flew too close to the sun, right?
11. Mission to Moonshine Gold Strawberry Moon
Omega and Swatch hit a solid triple with this version of the Mission to Moonshine Gold. The playful strawberries would fit right in at the Sanrio store (positive).
10. Mission to Jupiter
If Dune: Part Two is the best menswear movie of the year so far, this watch is the Lisan Al-Gaib. What really wins me over is those tangerine accents paired with the sandy dial and case.
9. Mission to Pluto
While I’m usually not a huge fan of fauxtina, it looks great here with those burgundy subdials.
8. Mission to Venus
Barbie’s year of dominance might have come to an end, but I’m not over this powder-pink case. A watch as delicate and delightful as a cloud of cotton candy.
7. Mission to Saturn
The image of Saturn at 6 o’clock is the type of detail every MoonSwatch could use. The planet’s really big ring makes for a perfect graphic sprinkling.
6. Mission to Neptune
The Mission to Neptune’s release coincided with the blue ceramic craze, making this one of the best original MoonSwatches—even with all the shenanigans around it. (About those shenanigans: original versions of this variation left a blue mark on the wearer’s wrist. It was temporarily removed from production until Omega and Swatch could fix the problem leading to a scarcity effect that ironically made the initially defective piece the most desirable of the OG selection.) Even without the unintentional rareness of this piece I think it still would have been a bestseller. It hits a sweet spot: the dark navy makes this the safest choice of the more colorful variations.
5. Neptune moonshine
Above + a lil’ gold hand.
4. Mission to Uranus
Depending on your maturity level, you’re either choosing this watch because you think it transcends the inevitable Uranus jokes or because you want to make the inevitable Uranus jokes. Opting for baby blue over navy blue requires taste and Austin Powers-level mojo.
3. Mission to Moonshine “Lollipop”
My highest ranking Mission to Moonshine, because this watch delivers so much more than a tribute to the Beaver Moon. The lollipop-style hand is a sacred piece of design in Omega’s toolbox. This MoonSwatch plays direct tribute to the Speedmaster CK 2998-3 FAP from 1961 with a similar lollipop hand. (Hands are a big deal!) This is what the MoonSwatches should be doing: educating collectors and whetting their appetite to maybe own the real thing one day.
2. Mission to Mars
Inarguably the best of the original MoonSwatches. You get serious nods to Omega history wrapped up with Swatch’s incredibly fun pops of color. This model is a tribute to Omega’s iconic “Alaska Project” watch, which came with a bright-red aluminum shield built to help the piece endure Alaska's extreme temperatures. The unique shape of the red hands, modeled after Mercury Space Capsules, also come from the Alaska Project Speedmaster. It’s the Swatch collaborations at their best: enabling customers to get a morsel of the bonafides with a lot more of the wackiness. (This is the same reason I like the Arctic Ocean Blancpain x Swatch with the radiation symbol best.)
Mission to the Moonphase “Snoopy”
The Snoopy MoonSwatch is on another tier for me. It really has it all:
Historical grounding in the tribute to Omega’s “Silver Snoopy Award” Speedmaster, which is awarded to NASA astronauts
SNOOPY
A sleek, Swatch-y, all-white aesthetic that is both fun and wearable
A moonphase complication, brand new to the MoonSwatch line but as fitting as a dog serving as a WW1 fighter pilot
If this really is the end of the road for the MoonSwatch, I couldn’t ask for a better note to end on.
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Originally Appeared on GQ
