It's official: the followup to the MoonSwatch is coming. Last year's collaboration between corporate siblings Swatch and Omega more or less broke the internet, and Swatch now aims replicate its success for 2023. The formula this time is being applied to another Swatch Group brand, Blancpain. The watch will be revealed on Saturday, September 9, but excited speculation is already taking off. Here's what we know so far, and what we can predict.
Expect a Swatchified Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
With Swatch's teaser and everything we know about the MoonSwatch, there's little ambiguity about the direction this collaboration will take. The images on the Swatch site and social media show a simple Blancpain x Swatch logo with an ocean-themed backdrop. The Fifty Fathoms is Blancpain's most prominent collection and one of the most iconic dive watches ever. What else could it be?
Introduced in 1953 alongside the Rolex Submariner, the Fifty Fathoms was among the first dive watches in the modern sense. After Omega's Speedmaster and Seamaster watches, it's probably the biggest icon from any of the Swatch Group brands.
At the height of MoonSwatch madness in 2023, I traveled to Switzerland to speak with Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek and he showed me a prototype Blancpain Fifty Fathoms made of the same Bioceramic material as the MoonSwatch. He explained why the Speedmaster was chosen instead but noted, "you can see the potential here."
It's hard to imagine anything other than a Swatchified Fifty Fathoms for this collab, but as for its features and what it'll actually look like? There's still a lot of room for speculation.
What will it actually look like?
Like the MoonSwatch, we can expect multiple variants. The nine initial MoonSwatch models were based on our solar system, and it would seem that the theme for the new collaboration will be the five oceans, based on Swatch's teaser image (above) naming them each.
Whereas the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch has a highly defined look, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is a collection that has taken different forms. Among watch collectors the name might call to mind the original watch of 1953 made for military divers, the modern luxury variant or spinoffs such as the Bathyscaphe. One of the most famous Fifty Fathoms models was developed for military frogmen in the 1950s and featured a large orange and white dot at 6 o'clock that would change color if there were moisture in the case — expect one of the models to reference it.
Aside from the watch's inspiration and design, enthusiasts will also be scrutinizing its specs such as size (smaller watches are en vogue, and 40mm seems likely), water resistance (which probably won't be that of a real dive watch) and movement. Like the MoonSwatch, it'll probably be made of Swatch's Bioceramic material, a mixture of plastic and ceramic.
How can it stand apart from the MoonSwatch? An automatic movement
Instead of a quartz movement as featured in the MoonSwatch, many netizens have predicted that this collaboration will use Swatch's Sistem51. It's an automatic movement comprising only 51 parts, many of which are plastic, produced and assembled entirely by machines. They power Swatch watches mostly costing between $165 and $240. Some have guessed that the watches will be named "Sistem51 Fathoms."
Can it replicate the MoonSwatch's success?
It'll be hard to match the MoonSwatch's level of hype. When the MoonSwatch launched, it was unlike anything seen before in the watch industry. This time, it's going to look like a familiar formula. Moreover, Omega is a better known brand and the Speedmaster is a much more recognizable and approachable watch with a story that's easier for typical consumers to understand and get excited about. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is comparatively niche.
Even a fraction of the MoonSwatch hype, though, will be a success for Swatch — and for Blancpain if it raises awareness of the Fifty Fathoms in the same way the Omega Speedmaster's story reached a wider audience than ever before. If the brand does indeed use the Sistem51 automatic movement, it'll further be an opportunity to educate the lay-consumers about mechanical watches in general, benefitting the whole industry as Swatch has done historically.
Will stores around the globe be mobbed like they were in 2022? We'll see, but the Fifty Fathoms has something the Speedmaster doesn't: it's a dive watch, and people love dive watches.
Will I be able to get one?
Availability, or lack thereof, was a major part of the MoonSwatch's story. They were only available in person, at select Swatch locations, and you could only buy one at a time. We expect Swatch to take a similar approach this time. Of course, we'll keep you updated when we know more details including which stores you'll need to pitch a tent in front of to get one first.
Why now?
The extreme hype around the MoonSwatch in 2022 was never going to be sustainable. Special monthly editions featuring the likes of seconds hands in gold or with strawberry motifs were fun, but enthusiasm has been on the wane. Almost since the MoonSwatch was first released, fans had been speculating about what more Swatch could do with the concept and this is surely the moment to answer that question.
Another excuse to focus on the Fifty Fathoms instead of, say, the Omega Seamaster: it's celebrating its 70th anniversary this year (Swatch is celebrating its 40th). We'll share more on the Swatch x Blancpain release as soon as we have more details.
