Latest news with #MoonSwatch
Stuff.tv
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Swatch teases an AI tool that could let you design your own MoonSwatch
Swatch is teasing a new service that could let you design your own watch using artificial intelligence – and as a fan of its previous customisation efforts, I'm intrigued. I've used the Swatch X You platform in the past and loved being able to pick out my own colours and patterns. The idea of doing the same for a MoonSwatch? Yes please – especially if it means unlocking colour combos we've never seen before. According to a financial update from Swatch Group, reported on by Watch Pro, the new service is set to launch this summer and is being described as a 'world first' in personalisation. At the heart of it is something called AI-DADA, a generative tool developed in-house by Swatch. The idea is that customers will be able to interact with this 'artistic intelligence' to create unique watch dials. It's trained on more than 40 years of Swatch design history, meaning anything it generates should still look and feel like a proper Swatch. 'Swatch will launch the ultimate in personalisation,' the report claims. So far, though, the company hasn't confirmed whether this AI tool will work across all collections, including the MoonSwatch. In fact, it might not involve the MoonSwatch at all. This could be a brand-new model created specifically for the AI-DADA platform. Still, if MoonSwatch personalisation is on the table, it could mark a shift in strategy. Rather than releasing endless new editions like the Mission to Moonshine models, Mission to Earthphase, or Snoopy collabs, Swatch could hand the creative power over to fans themselves. There's no word on pricing, but if it mirrors the Swatch X You programme, we could expect a small premium over the standard model. Personally, I'd love a MoonSwatch inspired by the neon of the 1990s Grand Prix Chronograph – bright pinks, greens and yellows on a black dial. Sign me up! Liked this? AVI-8 and Peanuts team up for the Snoopy Flying Ace watch collection, and I want all five
Arabian Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Swatch Group Reports Steep Profit & Sales Fallout
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Swatch Group's first‑half figures underscore a deepening crisis in its key Asian markets after the Swiss watch‑maker disclosed a 7.1 per cent drop in sales, generating CHF 3.059 billion, falling short of market forecasts of CHF 3.2 billion. Operating profit plunged 67 per cent year‑on‑year to CHF 68 million, signalling an urgent warning to investors and management alike. China, alongside Hong Kong and Macau, remains the primary weak spot, contributing 27 per cent of total revenues. Falling demand across these regions continues to undermine core sales and profit performance. Despite encouraging double‑digit growth in North America and market share gains in countries such as Japan, India and the Middle East, these gains have yet to compensate for the shortfall from Greater China. ADVERTISEMENT Net profit attributable to owners collapsed to CHF 3 million, compared with CHF 136 million during the same six‑month period last year. This dramatic decline illustrates the scale of the downturn, making it Swatch's worst half‑year performance in recent memory. Analyst commentary has been scathing: Vontobel described this period as 'an ugly half year for Swatch Group in all respects'. The fallout from slowed Chinese consumer activity has been compounded by negative currency effects—Swiss franc appreciation cut CHF 113 million from turnover relative to constant‑currency comparisons. Adding fresh complexity, new U. S. tariffs threaten to raise costs on Swiss watch imports by up to 31 per cent. Industry stakeholders now warn that these levies could further weigh on margins, with retailers like Watches of Switzerland projecting a margin squeeze in the year ahead. Beyond external pressures, a growing number of investors are scrutinising Swatch's internal governance. Shareholder activism has surfaced, with calls for more oversight of the centrally controlled Hayek family, whose dual‑class voting structure remains a source of contention. Net profits collapsed by 75 per cent to CHF 219 million in 2024, but critics assert that this malaise runs deeper. GreenWood Investors, led by Steven Wood, has launched a push to join the board, advocating for brand revitalisation, governance reforms and a strategy pivot toward luxury exclusivity akin to Hermès and Ferrari. Management, though addressing short‑term volatility, emphasises Swatch's entrenched strengths. Its vertically integrated manufacturing, with over 150 production sites, and the success of the affordable MoonSwatch line demonstrate resilience. The company has pledged that cost‑cutting measures and a pipeline of new product launches—particularly in the U. S. and Japan—should drive a rebound in the second half of the year. The first‑half slump follows broader downturns last year, when revenue declined 12.2 per cent to CHF 6.74 billion in 2024, and operating profit fell 75 per cent to CHF 304 million. That drop reinforced trading floor rumours of governance fatigue and brand dilution at high‑end labels like Omega and Breguet. Economically, China's consumer landscape remains unsettled. A combination of property market stress, slower GDP growth and official campaigns discouraging conspicuous consumption have dampened luxury spending. Swiss watch exports to China and Hong Kong plunged by double digits in early 2024, while only the lower‑priced Swatch line bucked the trend in the region, gaining 10 per cent in sales volume. Swatch Group's corporate ambition to maintain full production capacity and avoid layoffs during weak demand, while strategically commendable, has weighed on margins—especially in the production segment. Management asserts this decision safeguards long‑term capabilities and is now beginning to bear fruit, with production margins improving since June. Mixed signs beyond China offer guarded optimism. North America posted record sales, Japan recorded robust growth, and emerging markets like India and the Middle East offered upside. These regions now form the central axis of Swatch's recovery strategy.
Stuff.tv
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
The MoonSwatch is finally available to buy online in the UK
It's only taken forever, but the MoonSwatch is finally up for grabs online in the UK. No more visiting your local Swatch store, hoping they'll have the model you want in stock. No more asking your aunt in Barcelona to pick one up. Now, you just click, pay, and wait for the postman. This move has been a long time coming, especially after Swatch started selling the MoonSwatch online in the US and China back in September. It really is great news for people who want a MoonSwatch (which, in our opinion, is one of the best watches you can buy if you're on a budget) but can't get to a Swatch store. You can order four of the most popular models: Mission to Earth (green), Mission to the Sun (yellow), Mission to Mars (red) and the iconic Mission to the Moon (grey). Yes, they're still plastic. Yes, they're still quartz. But it's the same playful Bioceramic cases and colourful dials that made these watches a cult classic. If you're more into diving than daydreaming about space, Swatch has also added three of its Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms to the mix. These are the colourful homages to Blancpain's legendary diver. The models available online are the Atlantic Ocean (blue), Pacific Ocean (yellow), and Indian Ocean (mint green). You can find the MoonSwatch models available now on Swatch's website priced at £240. The Scuba Fifty Fathoms models are also available now on Swatch's website, priced at £350. Liked this? Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss might be the best version yet
Stuff.tv
03-06-2025
- Business
- Stuff.tv
Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss might be the best version yet
It's fair to say the Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms collab hasn't made quite the same splash as the MoonSwatch did with Omega. But quietly, patiently, Swatch has been chipping away with hit after hit. Ocean of Storms, Blue Lagoon, Pink Ocean… all solid. But the new one? Green Abyss. It might just be the best yet. The Green Abyss is a stunner. The case and bezel come in a deep, swampy green Bioceramic with a black resin insert. There's a splash of sandy beige on the water contact indicator, a proper military-issue-style complication originally used in 1950s Blancpain MIL-SPEC models to detect moisture and ensure water resistance. It's right there at 6 o'clock on the black-green dial, and I think it looks great. The lume is a vintage radium-style Super-LumiNova, giving the watch a military-inspired retro dive watch vibe. Swatch's SISTEM51 movement ticks inside – mechanical, self-winding, and made with just 51 parts. It's not haute horology (like the pieces found in our best watch guide), but it is a clever bit of mass-produced Swiss engineering with a solid 90-hour power reserve and anti-magnetic tech, thanks to the Nivachron hairspring. Flip it over and you'll spot the Felimare picta nudibranch – also known as the Regal Sea Goddess – digitally printed on the rotor. Not just a fancy name; it's a bright sea slug that lives deep underwater and ties into the whole ocean-explorer vibe of the Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection. The strap is a two-piece NATO made from recycled fishing nets, and features the same colours as the case, dial and lume. The Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss is available from June 7 in select Swatch stores (it's still one-per-person-per-day). At $400 in the US and £350 in the UK, it's not exactly cheap for a Swatch, but I can see this latest Scuba Fifty Fathoms model being very popular indeed. The Blancpain x Swatch collab has finally found its groove – and Green Abyss is my favourite model yet. Liked this? Omega boss teases new Swatch collab, but who's getting the MoonSwatch treatment next?
Stuff.tv
29-05-2025
- Business
- Stuff.tv
Omega boss teases new Swatch collab, but who's getting the MoonSwatch treatment next?
When Swatch and Omega dropped the MoonSwatch in 2022, chaos ensued. Queues snaked around city blocks. Watches sold out instantly. People flipped them online for double, sometimes triple, the retail price. And all for a $270 / £240 plastic watch inspired by the legendary Omega Speedmaster (one of the best watches around). It was, by any metric, a phenomenon – the kind of marketing moment brands dream of. Not only did it inject a bolt of fun into the luxury watch scene, but it also pulled a younger crowd into horology who might've otherwise bought a smartwatch. Two years on, and while the MoonSwatch is still popular, the hype has died down. But a new collab is coming… At an event in Biel to celebrate Omega's 60-year partnership with NASA, CEO Raynald Aeschlimann dropped a tantalising hint. During a roundtable discussion with journalists, he was asked whether any new Swatch collaborations were on the cards. 'Even today, I saw something different. A collab. Not with Omega, by the way,' he replied, according to Esquire's About Time newsletter. Cue speculation. If it's not Omega, then who is next up for a plastic makeover? Could we be on the cusp of another MoonSwatch moment? Here are a few brands that could be lining up for a shot: Breguet If we're talking anniversaries, Breguet is top of the list. The grand old brand turns 250 in 2025 and that's not just a 'cake in the office' birthday. It's also just had a leadership shake-up. Gregory Kissling, the former head of product at Omega, is now running the show. That's a serious signal that something new is coming. The Classique Souscription was recently relaunched, and a stripped-back Swatch version would bring a slice of horological heritage to people with regular salaries. Imagine getting that gorgeous single-hand design on your wrist for under $300 / £300. Maybe even a Type XX chronograph in bright colours? Sign us up. The only hitch: Breguet is very premium. Possibly too premium. It's Swatch Group's crown jewel, and they might not want to risk diluting that prestige with a plastic twin. But hey, if they do… I'll be camping outside to buy one. Blancpain Technically possible, but unlikely. Swatch already did a collab here – the Scuba Fifty Fathoms series launched in 2023 to celebrate the dive watch's 70th anniversary. It was fun, bright, and unexpectedly educational, thanks to their ocean-themed packaging and bioceramic cases. Blancpain's 290th birthday is this year, but going in for a second collab so soon feels like a stretch. Then again, we didn't expect the first one either. Still, we'll put this in the 'probably not, but never say never' pile. Glashütte Original This could be an inspired pick. Technically, the brand was formally founded in 1990, post-reunification, but its roots in German watchmaking stretch back much further. Plus, it flies under the radar compared to its Swiss siblings, and could use a bit of spotlight. A Swatch version of the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date? That would be glorious – retro curves, bold colours, and a large date window. Or what about a simplified PanoMaticLunar? That might be a bit too fiddly to recreate with Swatch tech, but we'd love to see them try. A SeaQ diver makes more sense practically – solid, simple, and not a million miles from the Swatch Scubaqua recently launched. But it may feel a little too close to the Blancpain collab. Still, if Swatch wants to champion a lesser-known in-house gem, Glashütte Original is an excellent shout. Hamilton Now we're talking fun. Hamilton already leans into nostalgia and pop culture more than most of its Swatch Group peers, featuring in Interstellar, Oppenheimer, and Death Stranding 2 (to name a few). Swatch could riff off that with a collection of vibrant, plastic Khaki Fields. Imagine military-style dials in ice-cream colours. It would be absolutely perfect for summer. One issue: Hamilton just released its own budget-friendly Khaki Field Quartz line last year. A Swatch tie-in might undercut that or confuse the offering. But if they can find a creative way to separate the two, this feels like an easy win. MB&F Here's where things get truly wild. MB&F, the mad scientists of modern watchmaking, turn 20 this year. And while they're not part of the Swatch Group, we do know that Maximilian Büsser isn't afraid to think outside the box. They've already proven with that they can take that fantastical DNA and make it (relatively) affordable. A Swatch x MB&F collab would be bonkers – not just another watch with cool colours, but something totally unexpected. Unlikely? Sure. But if Swatch wants to flex its creative muscles, this would be the one to watch. Vacheron Constantin And now we're truly in fantasy territory. But hey, if we're dreaming, let's do it properly. Vacheron is celebrating its 150th anniversary. It's already launched a lot of stunning celebration models, including the steel 222 (which has become a bit of a cult icon lately, especially after last year's solid gold reissue). A fun, affordable Swatch version would be a dream come true. The problem? Vacheron is under Richemont, not the Swatch Group. So unless someone's planning an industry-shaking handshake, this one's staying in my dreams. Whatever's coming next, we're all watching, waiting, and wondering. If Swatch can have another MoonSwatch moment – whether with Breguet, Hamilton, MB&F, or someone completely unexpected – it'll be great for the watch world. Let us know which brand you think is most likely! Liked this? TAG Heuer launches a trio of Monaco watches for the Monaco GP, and I'm having trouble choosing a favourite
