After two and a half years of queues outside stores, Swatch’s successful watch is once again causing a surprise.
With Swatch, you should definitely never say never… In two and a half years of existence, the Swatch MoonSwatch collection has undoubtedly been the major watchmaking event of this century. A surprise launch, the fusion of a Swatch Bioceramic and the design of an Omega Speedmaster, millions of copies sold, endless queues in front of Swatch boutiques (unheard of, especially for non-limited editions!)… Shortage? You have to have visited Swatch’s high-tech production lines to understand how far their production is from obvious, and how increasing volumes cannot be done with the snap of a finger. Manufacturing MoonSwatches takes time, hence the fact of distilling them into boutiques according to deliveries. And Nick Hayek, head of the Swatch Group, had basically remained faithful to the house’s habits: to be disruptive, to produce in-house, and to sell in its own boutiques, and not online.
But times are changing: finally, the MoonSwatch, the astronauts’ watch, as well as the Scuba Fifty Fathoms, which takes up the lines of Blancpain’s famous diving watch, are offered for sale online. In any case, in the United States and China, which is logical: given the size of these countries and their low density of Swatch stores, what could be more logical than to end up offering it for purchase online? Certainly, but what about Europe, and especially France? For the moment, if you want to treat yourself to the latest incarnations, such as the very successful Snoopy versions or the Mission on Earth, you will have to continue to queue. At least for the moment…
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