The ‘New MoonSwatch’ – Swatch’s next big collab – is launching in less than two weeks

Something big is coming from Swatch. The Swiss watchmaker has taken out newspaper adverts over the weekend, showing abstract fragments of its Sistem51 watch movement alongside a date: 16th May.

This, comes after Swatch dangled the phrase “The Real Wonders are happening in May” on its website, along with the ‘X Swatch’ logo.

First of all, I think the Saturday points to something big. It’s the same day of the week the original MoonSwatch launched, and a ideal for reaching a wider audience when people aren’t at work.

This is also the first time since the MoonSwatch that Swatch has built hype this far in advance. A cryptic message on its website and now full-page newspaper ads – whatever this is, Swatch clearly thinks it’s worth the fanfare.

Now, I originally thought we might be seeing an eight wonders of the world theme – guided by the eight coloured loops and ‘Wonders’ text. But the new ads have shifted my thinking – the dotted backdrops, the bold “WONDER” font, the graphic fragmented layouts – it’s all starting to feel less ancient history and more comic book to me. Pop art, even. Think Roy Lichtenstein (we know Swatch loves art from the recent AI-DADA launch).

Then there’s what’s actually being shown. A focus on parts of the Sistem 51 moment and is intricate mechanical detail. Could that mean we’re going to see a high-horology collab – possibly with Breguet, Jacquet Droz, or Glashütte Original, all of which are in the Swatch Group stable.

Swatch also dropped something intriguing on Instagram – a closer look at what appears to be a leather loop. I doesn’t look like a strap in the traditional sense, but more like a leather strip designed to let you wear the watch as a pendant around your neck. It’s an odd detail, but Swatch has never been afraid of odd.

Personally, the pop art angle is the most exciting possibility here. A collaboration that blends cartoon graphics with a serious high horology brand would be genuinely unexpected.

We’ll know everything on the 16th – I can’t wait.

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Spencer Hart Buying Guide Editor

About

As Buying Guide Editor, Spencer is responsible for all e-commerce content on Stuff, overseeing buying guides as well as covering deals and new product launches. Spencer has been writing about consumer tech for over eight years. He has worked on some of the biggest publications in the UK, where he covered everything from the emergence of smartwatches to the arrival of self-driving cars. During this time, Spencer has become a seasoned traveller, racking up air miles while travelling around the world reviewing cars, attending product launches, and covering every trade show known to man, from Baselworld and Geneva Motor Show to CES and MWC. While tech remains one of his biggest passions, Spencer also enjoys getting hands-on with the latest luxury watches, trying out new grooming kit, and road-testing all kinds of vehicles, from electric scooters to supercars.

Areas of expertise

Watches, travel, grooming, transport, tech