This is big, really big! An actually good, interesting, relevant and affordable collaboration between 2 icons of the watch industry. But after seeing the news today I'm left in a bit of quandary -
You see, I've had my eye on a vintage Speedy for quite some time
and I have to be honest with you; The fact that there's a whole range of widely available, watered down versions makes me feel a little deflated at my potential purchase; (Selfish of me, I know!) I can't help but think it's taken a bit of shine off of a long term grail...BUT on the other hand, I'm well aware of the negative effects of gatekeeping in any industry and having something so iconic as the Moonwatch design available to so many can't be a bad thing (assuming there's enough available).
I guess you could liken it to Cartier's 'Must de' range. The unknown here though is the extreme difference in price points. A Cartier Tank Louis can set you back £9k and a 'Must' version you can pick up new for £2k. This contrasts to a Speedmaster which retails around £7k and the MoonSwatch at £200. There's also the fact that more people wear a sports/
tool watches than they do dress ones so we may see an over saturation in the market and a fatigue in the model which could jeopardise the Speedy's status as a god tier watch.
Having said all that, just look at them! Incredibly fun designs and the price point is so so good! Us watch lovers enjoy nothing more than running the rule over someones' Invicta or knock-off. Well now they really have no excuse; If these are a gateway drug to the wide-world of watches I'm all for it!
Overall my moral compass will always sway towards the greater good, but I can't help but notice the devil on my shoulder, tugging my head away from that vintage speedy as it just lost that bit of exclusivity he seems to crave so much.
I might just buy one of these instead.
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