The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch has received a big sales boost on the back of a collaboration between Omega and Swatch for a budget-friendly timepiece collection.
The pair joined forces to launch the Swatch X Omega Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection in March. Priced at $250, it sold out within days.
Since the launch of the Swatch collaboration, sales of all Speedmaster models have “risen by double digits”, Swatch Group chief executive Nick Hayek told Bloomberg.
Both Omega and Swatch are owned by the Switzerland-based Swatch Group conglomerate.
The Speedmaster Moonwatch model sells for about $7,000 and was the first watch worn by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their journey to the Moon in 1969.
Sales in Omega stores were up by more than 50 per cent since the launch of the MoonSwatch in March, Mr Hayek said.
The MoonSwatch collection is made from bioceramic, a material originally developed for space travel, that mixes two parts zirconium dioxide ceramic with one part bio-derived plastic, usually from bio-based castor oil. It is now used across a variety of industrial and medical processes, including bonding broken bones.
Each watch is named after a different planet in our solar system, carries the moniker “Mission to” etched on the back and pays tribute to its namesake with colouring.
Such was the frenzy around the launch of the MoonSwatch that timepieces were being sold online in the UAE for more than 20 times the original retail price.
There were chaotic scenes at The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates as hundreds waited for two Swatch stores to open on launch day.
Similar scenes were reported at shops in Singapore and Hong Kong, among other cities.
In London, Swatch’s Carnaby Street store closed after large crowds gathered outside and some people reportedly pushed towards the front.
All 11 models are currently out of stock on Swatch's UAE website, where they are retailing at Dh940 ($256). They are being sold on Dubai-based online marketplace Dubizzle for upwards of Dh2,000.
“What they did with the Swatch version of the Moonwatch was genius,” Brian Duffy, chief executive of retailer Watches of Switzerland, told Bloomberg.
“It has undoubtedly positively impacted sales demand.”
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
