While the best watches have always been products of the ever-changing tides of fashion, the two seem more in tandem than ever right now. Top timepieces have soared in popularity, creating a market which is simply brimming with brilliant watches.
While the industry as a whole can often be accused of being a little full of itself, that's certainly not the case for the MoonSwatch. Born to pay homage to the iconic Omega Speedmaster, these watches have offered a cheap way to get the look which has proven to be immensely collectable.
Now, the latest addition to the range is here – and it has a complication you've never seen before! That's because the new model features an Earth phase complication.
What is an earth phase complication?
Similar functionally to a moon phase complication, the Earth phase flips the script, showing the Earth as seen from the surface of the moon. Similar to how we perceive the moon from the terra firma, the Earth appears to move through phases when viewed from our orbiting planetary body.
This complication simply details that on the face of the watch. Handily, it works on the same 29.5 day cycle as the moon phase, making it easy to pair the two on this watch.
You'll find that the Earth phase moves in a counter-clockwise manner, where the moon phase moves clockwise. The Earth phase also changes its appearance thanks to a moving cover, with the Earth itself staying put. The moon phase works the opposite way around – the moons move and are covered by static pieces to give the appropriate effect.
Is the Mission to Earthphase the best MoonSwatch yet?
By and large, the rest of the spec sheet is pretty similar to other MoonSwatch models on the market. A 42mm case is crafted from BioCeramic – Swatch's proprietary blend of ceramic and plastic – and sits 13.75mm tall. A lug-to-lug measurement of 47.3mm should help to keep this nice and tidy on smaller wrists, too.
A light grey case colour is stylish here, with a resemblance to stainless steel. Otherwise, it's all black and white, aside from the Earth which is depicted in colour. That really does pop on the dial, and looks killer. Speaking of the dial, you'll find a trio of sub-dials there – the Earth phase, the moon phase and a small seconds dial.
Priced at £288 – and with the usual MoonSwatch caveat of being about as easy to find as Shergar's mane hair – this is almost certain to be a smash hit. The Earth phase is perfectly suited to this model, being something which space-enthusiasts will truly enjoy.
More than that, though, it's the first MoonSwatch which has really piqued my interest. It's 'normal' enough to pass in a range of scenarios, with something genuinely cool going on under the hood. I'm sold, and I'm sure many others will be too.
