The MoonSwatches, which have arguably become the greatest horological hit of the decade so far, have offered folks lots of different reasons to pick one up. They’re relatively affordable, highly collectible, and offer a much more accessible version of Omega’s iconic Speedmaster—the only NASA-approved timepiece. Omega and Swatch have also pumped out limitless special editions. But never before has the line claimed to invent a new complication entirely, even if it is just a reworking of the not-exceedingly-rare moonphase.
Still, the new earth phase complication is a lot of fun to play with and look at. The moon and earth each take 29.5 days to complete their phases, just in reverse order. So while the moonphase depicts the moon waxing, the earth phase will show the planet waning. The design is also pretty: the Earth is rendered in a vivid blue UV paint that will glow in the dark. It brings a necessary injection of color to an otherwise monochromatic color palette.
The new Mission to Earthphase resembles the Mercury-inspired watch from the original set with its grayish face. However, this dial features a grainy texture meant to replicate the surface of the moon. Elsewhere, the design is classic MoonSwatch: black bezel with a tachymeter scale and matching black track around the dial. This watch is much more fun conceptually—imagining a useful complication for moon dwellers—than it is aesthetically.
More than two years after its initial release, the MoonSwatch continues to be one of the few watches that routinely breaks out from the hobby and into the mainstream. It’s no surprise to see that Swatch and Omega keep finding ways to iterate on this massively successful collaboration. And when they’re dreaming up ideas as fun as this one, it’s hard to complain.
The Mission to Earthphase will be available in Swatch stores starting November 2.
