On the third day of the Sotheby's MoonSwatch MoonShine gold auction, marking the second full day of the event, things are really starting to ramp up. Running from February 12th to 24th, Sotheby's is showcasing 11x sets of the coveted MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold collections. For newcomers to this auction, we invite you to delve into our previous blog post for a detailed overview.
As part of our celebration of this auction, the MGB Team is conducting a daily in-depth exploration of each watch within this remarkable collection! As a Team we have queued at Swatch stores around the world for these pieces and we're excited to share our insights and experiences gathered throughout our journey of acquiring these exceptional one-off pieces.
If you'd like to recap Day 1 or day 2 click through
SOTHEBY'S DAY THREE: AUCTION ROUND UP
As of 19:00 GMT, the total combined bids for all lots have reached an impressive 169,000 Swiss francs, representing a remarkable surge of +19,000 CHF in additional bids for the day across all lots.
All lots are now into double digits, and all above 10,000 CHF each. The Italian lot now takes the lead commanding an impressive 18,000 CHF (£16,100)! Following closely behind are the lots from both Switzerland and New York.
Day three wraps up on a high note, with a significant sum raised for the Orbis Charity, highlighting the generosity and enthusiasm of the bidders. Which country will be the first to break the 20,000 Swiss Franc milestone?
THE THIRD MOONSHINE EDITION: PINK MOON
After the success of the first two limited edition Moonshine watches, the third edition of the Moonshine timepiece was unveiled for the following months full Moon - Pink Moon! The event now expanded to span two days and included three additional locations. With 19 locations for this launch, up from 16 the previous month, it marked a significant increase in scale. The event took place on the 5th and 6th of May.
The Pink Moon's name doesn't come from its color. Instead, it's named after a wildflower called Phlox subulata, also known as creeping phlox or moss phlox, which was referred to as "pink moss." This flower's widespread bloom marks the beginning of spring, leading to the Pink Moon designation.
This one-off limited Pink MoonShine release stood out for us because, for the first time, it wasn't available in any England stores. Surprisingly, Scotland was the only location within the UK where it could be purchased. Additionally, some key European countries, including England, France, and Italy, were unexpectedly missed in the distribution. To this day, the reason for this remains unknown.
Furthermore, the Swatch Instagram teaser was released on May 3rd without any prior images of the watch, a departure from their usual practice. As a result, tens of thousands of fans globally, including ourselves, queued without knowing what to expect, adding to the anticipation and excitement surrounding the release.
Unfortunately, not all of our team could attend this event, but our buyers thought Valencia would be a great destination due to some family connections. The event took place at the City of Arts and Sciences, serving as yet another Fiat 500 MoonSwatch pop-up event. Set against the stunning backdrop of this architectural marvel designed by Santiago Calatrava, it showcased the scale and influence of the Omega x Swatch Brands. The complex, known for its blend of scientific and cultural attractions, offers an ideal setting and is well worth a visit!
As you can see from the above video the event was sun drenched and full of smiles, despite enduring another long overnight queue; we only laid eyes on the watch for the first time when we went to purchase it. To this day, the Pink Moon remains my absolute favourite from the collection of 11x and you can totally see why...
This time, the standout feature was much more pronounced: the pink luminescence at the tip of the chronograph seconds hand made a bold statement. The pink detail contrasted against the 18kt coated OMEGA's Moonshine™ Gold seconds hand made this truly a stunning watch, and a sophisticated homage to the Pink Moon release.
I'm sure you'll agree the Pink Moon edition is an absolute stunning watch. It's difficult to determine exactly how many were sold across these events. Some of our team made it up to Scotland to join the end of the queue, but unfortunately missed out after the first 150 or so people. With 150 watches per 19 locations, it suggests there are less than 2,850 pieces out there globally... well.. until now with the Sotheby's auction!
If you're not keen on waiting for the auction to end or perhaps don't fancy spending your savings on all 11x (despite the Noble cause), explore our collection of Moonshine Edition Watches to own one for yourself. All obtained directly by our team queuing at these one-off Moonshine events!
What new milestone will the auction reach tomorrow? Which country will lead? Join us tomorrow for day four to find out!
@OMEGA
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/moonswatch-moonshine-gold?lotFilter=AllLots
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