Omega has sold 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold suitcases in a dedicated Sotheby’s online auction for a total of CHF 534,670 (AUD$935,763), with all proceeds going to the Swiss watch brand’s long-term partner, Orbis International.
The online auction was held February 12 – 24, managed by the auction house’s Geneva staff. Each case contained 11 OMEGA x Swatch “Mission to Moonshine Gold” watches – the first time these versions have been offered as one set, and the first time that the special MoonSwatch suitcase was available to buy. The suitcases are normally used as store displays for the MoonSwatch in Omega and Swatch boutiques.
All auction proceeds will be given to Orbis International, which fights avoidable blindness and vision loss around the world. Through its programs and on board the Flying Eye Hospital, Orbis has provided eye care for millions of patients, while also training hundreds of thousands of eye care professionals in areas with the greatest need globally.
Orbis’s work is especially valuable for children, allowing many of them to see their parents, the moon, and the stars for the very first time. Omega has supported Orbis since 2011, and this auction’s success will help advance the organization’s mission to put eye care within reach of everyone.
“This unique auction really captured the imagination of MoonSwatch fans around the world,” said Raynald Aeschlimann, Omega president and CEO. “We’re so thrilled that the proceeds can now go to Orbis. We believe whole-heartedly in their eye care mission, and we’re so pleased to have raised money as well as awareness for their work.”
The “Mission to Moonshine Gold” models are a radiant twist on the original “bioceramic” MoonSwatch timepieces. Each 42mm watch is coloured either in black or blue and crafted with a second hand coated in 18k “Moonshine Gold,” an Omega proprietary gold alloy that the company says is a more subtle and long-lasting form of yellow gold.
Its composition includes silver, copper and palladium. Each of the Moonshine Gold hands also reveals a unique detail, such as a strawberry pattern for the Strawberry Moon in July, or a flower pattern for the Flower Moon in May. The 11 models draw their colourful inspiration from space and the planets and the Omega Speedmaster design.
Each suitcase measures 18.4 x 13.7 x 4.3 inches. Each of the 11 suitcases recognizes a major international city where Omega has a boutique. They contain a monocle with the Omega x Swatch logo, and a coin, engraved with the three-letter aviation code from their displayed city (such as HKG for Hong Kong). This same code is engraved on the side of all watches within the suitcase for that particular city.
The suitcases are also produced in the same bioceramic material as the watches. The material consists of two-thirds zirconium oxide ceramic powder and one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil, Swatch Group said.
The prices obtained for each suitcase ranged from CHF 38,100 ($43,308) for the “Singapore” suitcase to CHF 60,960 ($69,300) for the “Beijing” suitcase.
Before the auction concluded, the suitcases and watches were on display at the same 11 Omega boutiques around the world: Zurich, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, Milan, Paris, and Sydney.
