Swatch's Mission to the Moon 1969: the MoonSwatch is Back

The Mission to the Moon 1969 is the gold-accented centerpiece of Swatch’s Bioceramic MoonSwatch line, built to mark the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. The dial, hands, crown, and pushers are made from OMEGA’s 18K Moonshine gold, a callback to OMEGA’s own gold Speedmaster from 1969.

Together the gold components weigh 11 grams, a nod to the Apollo 11 mission number. It’s the most premium material Swatch has ever put on a MoonSwatch, and with only 1,969 individually numbered pieces worldwide, this is by far the most limited release the collection has seen.

The Mission to the Moon 1969 is the culmination of Swatch and OMEGA’s MoonSwatch collaboration that launched in 2022. We’ve already seen previous versions flip for $1,000 or more over retail, and we’re expecting this latest version to set new records for resellers. Do not sleep on this watch.

Swatch is requiring interested buyers to answer 32 questions to even be considered for a chance to buy one of these wristwatches. The Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application, or ESTA, opened today and closes July 21 at 11:59 pm CEST. Once you start you’ll have 2 hours and 15 minutes to finish, timed to match how long Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent on the lunar surface.

The bulk of the quiz is a series of questions related to the Lunar missions with answers that can be easily Googled. Expect questions like: “What time was it in Beat Time when the Lunar Module Eagle (LM‑5) landed on the Moon?” (@877 .beats), but there are also quirkier prompts that require an essay response, so be creative.

Try to come across like an actual watch collector and not a disinterested scalper looking for a flip. One of the questions outright asks if you intend to resell the Mission to the Moon 1969. We recommend answering “no.”

Swatch’s internal jury will pick the 1,969 winners from the submitted ESTAs. You’ll also choose your pickup store when you apply, and that choice is locked in, so check the store locator before you start unless you’re prepared to travel.

Swatch’s website is a little slammed right now so you might not be able to fill your ESTA out at the moment. You have until the 21st to submit it, so don’t feel pressured.

If you’re selected, you get 48 hours to complete the purchase online before your slot goes to someone else, and you’ll need to show a photo ID matching your ESTA in person to collect the watch. Nobody else can pick it up for you.

It’s not exactly clear when buyers will be able to pick their watches up. Swatch has stated that they will be notified when it’s available, but whether that means a one day wait or a one month wait, we have no idea.

TL;DR: these watches are dope and representative of one of Swatch’s most successful product launches of the last few years. They will be highly collectible and resell for a shitload of money. Filling out the ESTA is easy, and it could be your ticket to some very nice profits.