Yet another MoonSwatch joins the ever-expanding family, and yes, we hear your moans loud and clear. When we thought the iterations had slowed, Swatch threw its latest curve ball with the new MoonSwatch Mission To EarthPhase. While cursory glances suggest nothing has changed, this version feels a tad fresher than the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase and MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase New Moon Snoopy editions.

Without beating around the bush any further, Swatch presents a new and quirky complication, as the watch’s namesake suggests, an earthphase indicator. Consider this the foil to the moonphase indicator: the phase of the Moon (depending on the Northern or Southern hemisphere) seen from Earth, while the Earth phase indicator depicts our blue planet as seen from the Moon. It is quite an unusual complication, but kudos to Swatch for thinking outside the box.

Since the lengths of a moon and earth phase are equal, albeit inversely related, at 29.5 days, when there is a new Moon, there will be a new Earth. The watch gearing takes this into account, with the earthphase indicator at 10 o’clock rotating counterclockwise as opposed to the clockwise moonphase indicator at two o’clock. Closer inspection reveals that both discs are coloured to capture the appearance of the cosmo bodies. Shades of brown, green and blue depict land and seas, while unique graining mimics the Moon’s craters.

Aesthetically, the MoonSwatch Mission To EarthPhase straddles between the original MoonSwatch Mission to Mercury and Misson to Moon. The non-limited edition watch features the same Bioceramic case which measures 42mm across, sports its mission statement on the back of the case, and the OMEGA X SWATCH logos on the dial and crown. An image of the Moon appears on the battery cover, bearing the footprint of Neil Armstrong–the first man to set foot there. The MoonSwatch Mission To EarthPhase hits stores on 2 November and is only available at Swatch ION Orchard and Marina Bay Sands.

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our October 2024 issue.