Just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in. Last we checked, in December, the Omega MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold replica watches for sale had seen its final act – a lunar curtain call. The year 2024 came, and in turn gave us a new Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty, and just last week, Swatch teased on Instagram what appears to be an announcement for an upcoming Silver Snoopy MoonSwatch. Moonshine Gold was a 2023 thing. Or it was until this most recent Moonshiney announcement.
Next month, 11 complete suitcases of Mission to Moonshine MoonSwatches will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Orbis – a charity dedicated to blindness prevention with which top Swiss Omega fake watches has been associated since 2011. The auction will take place from February 12 to February 24.
The 11 suitcases will each include all 11 MoonSwatch replica watches online released last year. This includes the highly desirable and ever-elusive “Blue Moon” model based on the Mission to Neptune MoonSwatch. The suitcase imagery goes back to the original MoonSwatch launch in 2022 when Swatch first placed closed cases in the window displays of its stores across the globe prior to launch. Since then, you’ll find that most Swatch stores have a briefcase filled with every regular production version of the MoonSwatch models (though they aren’t sellable).
We saw the suitcase return late last year when Swatch put up a teaser to show there was one last copy watches wholesale yet to be released before 2023 came to a close. Now that the Moonshine initiative is complete, Omega and Swatch are selling the full collection via Sotheby’s. This represents the first time any MoonSwatch has been sold as a set, let alone the Moonshine Gold iterations.
This is particularly interesting because of the limited nature with which they were released last year. Every one of these cheap replica watches was limited by the number of Moonshine Gold-covered hands that Swatch could manufacture under a specific full Moon and the resulting stock was then sold for only a single day. Even if you are one of those people who claim to have had MoonSwatch fatigue, it’s neat to see all of these models together in one set, as they are so emblematic of 2023.
Before the auction ends on February 24th, the 11 suitcases will be on display at 11 Omega boutiques across the globe from February 1 to 11, including Zurich, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, Milan, Paris, and Sydney.
According to Omega, the suitcases will contain a golden monocle with the Omega x Swatch logo and a coin engraved with the three-letter aviation code from their displayed city (i.e., HKG for Hong Kong). This same code will be engraved on the side of all luxury fake watches within the suitcase designated for that particular city.
That last bit is probably the most surprising to me because it fundamentally changes the high quality US replica watches from their original form. I assume (hope) that each suitcase auctioned will be identified by its city code before the bidding begins. I could see someone being genuinely bummed out if they had their heart set on New York (JFK) but ended up with London (LHR) or vice versa. In the end, they should feel good that the proceeds, in full, are headed to such a good cause.
And look, as much time as I’ve spent covering MoonSwatch mania these last couple of years, even I am aware – despite the hands being different – that these are 11 cases filled with 10 (out of 11) super clone watches for men that are practically identical. But that’s hardly the point. These are going to be in demand, all 11 will be bought, and likely none of the 11 will ever be worn by the winning bidders. The case, the Swiss movements replica watches, and the other ephemera represent one massive collectible. Whatever results come from this sale only further the story of MoonSwatch – a story that looks to be continuing this year with Snoopy and whatever comes next.
We’ll be monitoring the sale until it ends on February 24 – the next full Moon – and will report back with results when they’re announced.