To get this Swatch watch, customers must study and pass exams

Here's what it's all about

• The Moonswatch “Mission to the Moon 1969,” limited to 1,969 pieces, will not be sold on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
• Instead, interested parties must pass a 32-question quiz.
• Swatch will select the 1,969 winners from among all valid entries through a jury.
• Online, fans share solutions and discuss questions that are sometimes unclear. The time limit of 2 hours and 15 minutes is a reference to the first moon landing.

Summary created with

Anyone who wants to buy one of the new Moonswatch “Mission to the Moon 1969” watches doesn’t have to camp out in front of Swatch stores for hours this time—instead, they’ll need to use their wits.

The new watch from Swatch is limited to 1,969 pieces. The Moonswatch is a successful watch collection that emerged in 2022 from a collaboration between the luxury brand Omega and the watch giant Swatch. It pays homage to the 1969 moon landing. But this time, the Swiss watchmaker has come up with something special: To get your hands on one of these watches, you have to answer 32 questions.

Swatch requires a so-called Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application—ESTA for short—to purchase the watch. The name is a play on the U.S. travel authorization program. And just like with the real ESTA, interested buyers must fill out an entire questionnaire. Those who are ultimately selected as winners may purchase a watch for 500 Swiss francs.

No More Click Contests

With this, Swatch is breaking new ground. For previous special editions, fans sometimes waited in line outside stores for hours. This time, it’s not about who waits the longest—but who answers the questions correctly.

Even then, however, the watch isn't guaranteed. An internal jury will select the 1,969 winners from all valid entries. You can fill out the form until midnight on Tuesday.

Anyone who thinks this ESTA is just about your name and address is mistaken. At times, the test feels like a quiz for die-hard Swatch and Omega fans. Questions cover topics such as the brand’s history, the moon landing, and curious details from the world of Swatch.

Among other things, Swatch wants to know: What does the abbreviation "OM" on the gold Moonswatch stand for? How many parts does the SISTEM51 movement have? Or how many artists have stayed at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel?

Some of these questions leave even long-time collectors scratching their heads.

The quiz also includes questions about Swatch and Omega.

Swatch

The Internet Does Homework

Consequently, a collective "cheat sheet" effort has been underway online for days. On Reddit, fans are comparing their answers, discussing tricky questions, and speculating about which answer Swatch might accept.

In some cases, there is even confusion because certain questions can be interpreted in different ways—for example, regarding the number of “Rolling Planets,” that is, the number of past Moonswatch models paying homage to the solar system. Although the question is clearly phrased—“How many Rolling Planets does Swatch have worldwide?”—the answers are confusing.

Swatch appears to have provided the wrong answer choices for question 26.

Swatch

The quiz only offered the answer choices 9 or 28. However, the official Swatch website explicitly states that there are 11 Rolling Planets.

Almost as long as on the Moon

The time limit is no coincidence either. Candidates have 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the test. That is exactly how long Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent on the Moon’s surface during the Apollo 11 mission. Even the launch of the sales promotion took place at 3:32 p.m. CEST—a nod to the launch of the Saturn V rocket on July 16, 1969.

Is this process fairer than waiting in line for hours outside a boutique? That’s up for debate. One thing is certain: You’ve probably never had to learn so much just to get a watch.