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The reason we have the MoonSwatch is the Moonwatch—and the reason we have the Moonwatch is the industriousness of an Omega Speedmaster from 1965. As the story goes, NASA asked several watchmakers to send over their best models to endure a battery of tests for a chance to become the space agency’s official timepiece. Only Rolex, Longines, and Omega answered the call. The watches were exposed to extreme temperatures, intense pressure changes, high humidity, and random vibrations, among other tests. On March 1, 1965, the testing was completed and the Speedmaster emerged as the only watch to check every box. It became NASA’s only certified timepiece, a distinction that’s still true today. Now, exactly 60 years later, Omega and Swatch are commemorating the brand-making occasion with the new MoonSwatch 1965.
No, they will never run out of reasons to keep making new MoonSwatches. Which I think is terrific news, especially if they’re honoring such a significant milestone and the new pieces are as inventive as this one. Funnily enough, Omega and Swatch made a few tweaks to this watch, which means it’s not an exact homage to the black-dial piece that was blasted with heat and humidity—that’s Florida for you, am I right?—six decades ago. Instead, the partners went with a white dial, satiating fans of the new white-dial Speedy that was released early last year (and which our guy Daniel Craig teased at an Omega soiree). That watch was long anticipated by the community and immediately became a fan favorite. Swatch and Omega were no doubt eager to hit those same notes for MoonSwatch fanatics. But the white dial isn’t the only notable design feature here.
