[HN Gopher] Omega Swatch Speedmaster
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Omega Swatch Speedmaster
Author : kwikiel
Score : 16 points
Date : 2022-03-26 10:44 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.swatch.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.swatch.com)
| nimbius wrote:
| these watches are gorgeous, but so are "real" omega watches.
|
| unpopular opinion but crossing over these brands only makes sense
| if you think youre capable of targeting a lower income customer
| without risk of damaging your existing luxury brand, or if your
| existing luxury brand is floundering.
|
| I suspect its the latter, and i suspect its confirmation that the
| last decade of rennaisance for Rolex is starting to impact the
| bottom line at Swatch. younger customers are going to gravitate
| to a smart watch, older customers are going to look for the
| pedigree of the movement and its lineage so where does this even
| fit?
|
| Bioceramics and bioglasses are ceramic materials that are
| biocompatible, full stop. throwing this in is just a buzzword
| Swatch hopes its customer wont take the time to investigate too
| thoroughly. theres no real reason to have it on a timepiece.
|
| call me a cynic, but mark my words...in 10 years time youll see
| the same phenomenon with these watches as you saw with Timex.
| repair shops wont touch them, and they exist as a valueless
| testament to disposable faux luxury.
| inyorgroove wrote:
| Wish I had heard about this sooner. Are they going to produce
| more or is this it?
| chank wrote:
| It's not a limited release.
| Stampo00 wrote:
| Sign me up for the mission to Uranus!
| pkulak wrote:
| lol, I downvoted you before I actually scrolled down the
| product page and realized that yes, I 100% agree. Guess that
| just proves that I'm the juvenile here...
| Sporktacular wrote:
| Juvenile is good. Upvoted.
| jp0d wrote:
| Apparently there was a huge queue outside the Swatch store here
| in Melbourne and they sold out all of those "Omega" models in
| less than 7 minutes. As far as I can tell, this is just another
| Swatch with quartz movement. Does anyone know why this is so
| popular apart from the Omega branding?
| chank wrote:
| It's your typical Flippers (Already showing up on 2nd hand
| marketplaces for 10x the price), FOMO, Hypebeasts, See and be
| seen people, people who gotta have it first. It's not even a
| limited release and will be available online in a few weeks.
|
| An official quartz version of one of the most iconic watches of
| all time and super cheap comparatively. Though some serious
| collectors would still say overpriced for what it is
| (quartz/plastic).
| jp0d wrote:
| Yes, exactly my thoughts. You're right, a bunch of these
| appeared on Ebay the next day with 1000% mark up.
| benjamin-lee wrote:
| I'm a huge fan of the moonwatch both for its beauty and history
| with the space program. Ever since I was 10 I've wanted one.
| However, I'm a PhD student and there's no way I can afford to
| get a "real" one. The Swatch release is really attractive to me
| since it captures the spirit of the watch while making it
| accessible.
|
| For reference, there's a very popular variant of the
| Speedmaster Professional that uses a sapphire crystal rather
| than a hesalite (basically plastic) crystal. Despite never
| having been used in space (since the shattering crystal is a
| risk) the sapphire model is still considered a "professional"
| edition and highly sought after. People who wear it enjoy the
| aesthetic of the spacefaring version with the earthly
| practicality of scratch-proof sapphire. The Swatch version's
| desirability is just the same logic a taken a few more steps.
| It's made by Omega, has the same basic design, and evokes the
| imagery of the space race.
|
| Alternatively, consider the popularity of the Tesla toy car for
| kids. It's not anything like the real Tesla in terms of
| functionality but is still a cool electric vehicle, especially
| if you already have a Tesla.
| pkulak wrote:
| Probably just because they are fucking gorgeous.
| jp0d wrote:
| Yes, but Swatch watches are beautiful without the Omega
| branding. :) I own an Irony model that I bought in 2007 and
| it's quite beautiful just with the Swatch logo.
| chank wrote:
| Swatch owns Omega.
| jp0d wrote:
| Yes, I know. :)
| maxclark wrote:
| I don't get why Omega would do this - my initial reaction is it's
| dilutive to their brand and I'm happy I've never bought one.
| asjldkfin wrote:
| I agree, but to be fair:
|
| 1. It has generated significant attention- which has value.
|
| 2. Like a BMW 1-series, I imagine the idea is that once people
| have the "beginner" version, they'll aspire to upgrade to the
| real thing. It gets people "on the boat".
|
| 3. Rolex sells a cheaper version of their flagship watch under
| the Tudor brand- it's virtually identical and hasn't diluted
| Rolex's brand value.
|
| 4. The funky colors is probably less to do with style and more
| a guarantee it'll never be confused for the "real" version.
|
| That all said, I would definitely still be salty if I owned a
| Speedmaster. But I applaud Swatch for making bold and
| interesting moves- which doesn't exactly happen much in the
| luxury industry.
| throwawaycities wrote:
| Omega (along with all other luxury Swiss watches) have had
| record years/sales since the the lockdowns started in 2020.
|
| Omega specifically can't meet demand and while that might sound
| like a good problem to have, they can print these moonSwatches,
| I'm sure the upside to this is significantly greater than any
| perceived knock on their luxury brand.
|
| The industry is talking about this as a marketing tactic to get
| new watch buyers in the market, but I think that is a bigger
| unknown than any potential perceived dilution of the brand only
| if because retail has prepurchased Omega's future production
| for the foreseeable future.
| pkulak wrote:
| Huh. So you're glad you didn't buy a really expensive watch
| that people may no longer think is really expensive?
| throwmeariver1 wrote:
| xyzzy_plugh wrote:
| I don't understand this sentiment. I own an Omega Speedmaster
| and I could not care less that they did this. It's great. They
| look great.
|
| Don't worry, I just went to check, and it's still a good watch.
| jp0d wrote:
| Omega is owned by Swatch group.
| throwmeariver1 wrote:
| Sold out and for 10x the price on ebay...
| buryat wrote:
| used to wear lots of automatic watches but switched to apple
| watch completely 4 years ago
| GrifMD wrote:
| I have a two nice mechanical watches, one which used to be a
| daily wear. Once I got my Apple Watch I just never wear them
| anymore. The few times I'm at a black tie event and wear the
| nicer mechanical one I feel slightly limited. It's a dumb
| little problem, but I kinda feel like my Apple Watch ruined
| other watches for me.
|
| I've got a few bands I rotate on it to make it feel a little
| more special though.
| Ancapistani wrote:
| Still all I wear. I have one very simple auto that I wear every
| day, and no desire for anything much more complex. It's a
| Maratac Mid-Pilot.
|
| I kinda-sorta want a Hamilton with a day/date complication, but
| I'm not in a hurry for it.
| NKosmatos wrote:
| Beautiful looking, nice branding with nice colors and small
| details in the different models that make you want them all. In
| the age of NFTs, these Omega Swatch space themed watches are a
| nice investment.
| chank wrote:
| Maybe if you keep one for 50 years it would be a good
| investment. It's not a limited release and swatch has said
| they're not going to artificially limit supply like other well
| known manufacturers do.
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