Jeremy White
2024-06-12 06:22:49
www.wired.com
Less than three months after the launch of the Snoopy MoonSwatch, Swatch has this morning dropped not one but three new models, this time all based on our home planet.
The new watches, according to Swatch, have been inspired by the fact that “all throughout history, people have wondered what the world looks like from above”.
Mission on Earth Lava takes its bright red hue from volcanic molten rock, with the chronograph seconds hand in orange, as a nod to the Omega 1968 Speedmaster Moonwatch “Ultraman” model.
Mission on Earth Polar Lights is vivid, almost neon turquoise representing the Aurora Borealis—the natural phenomenon where charged particles from the sun interact with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere to produce the signature light show. Its dark blue dial has tiny silver-colored flecks inspired by aventurine glass dials, something of a trend in watchmaking right now. The distribution of these flakes is different on every model.
Mission on Earth Desert is the least striking of the three, as its beige tone is supposed to evoke the seas of sand on the planet’s surface. The key hook for Swatch is that all three natural phenomena can be seen clearly from space.
The news comes right after TAG Heuer released a revamped F1 watch, which some consider to be its reply to the MoonSwatch, despite it costing $1,350, considerably more than Swatch’s offering. TAG’s Formula 1, which appeared in 1986, was at the time viewed as the brand’s answer to the cheap, original Swatch which had revolutionized the market three years earlier—but boasting a much higher spec.
The reborn TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith is a limited-edition collaboration with Kith, which marks the first time TAG Heuer has ever co-branded a watch dial. Featuring Kith’s “Just Us” slogan on the dial, it’s a clear nod to the watch company’s keenness to engage with Gen Z consumers.
