Swatch and Omega have launched a new gold-edition MoonSwatch, the Mission to the Moon 1969, using an application system designed to avoid the chaotic scenes that marred previous limited-edition launches. The watch commemorates the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing and follows the fraught release of the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop in May, after which experts urged the brand to adopt a lottery or vetting process rather than in-store queuing for future drops.

The watch features a dial, hands, crown and pushers made entirely from Omega's 18K Moonshine Gold alloy, weighing 11 grams in total and sourced from melted-down vintage Omega spare parts dating to around 1969. It is limited to 1,969 numbered pieces and priced at roughly $620, based on 1969 gold prices rather than current rates. To buy one, customers must complete a 32-question "Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application" (ESTA) by 21 July at 5:59pm Eastern time, with only 1,969 applicants set to be approved, though Swatch has not explained how successful applicants will be chosen.