Sotheby's MoonSwatch Auction Day 1: £120K, Surprised?

The much-anticipated Sotheby's auction commenced today at 14:00 GMT, and the initial response has been nothing short of astounding! Sotheby's is currently auctioning off 11x sets of the highly sought-after MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold collections from February 12th to 24th. If you're just catching wind of this, feel free to check out our previous blog post for all the details.

With only 12 days left until bidding closes on Saturday, the 24th, anticipation is at an all-time high! These unique lots have already surpassed early estimates, sparking intense bidding wars and capturing global attention. As the auction approaches the end of the first day (GMT Time), excitement mounts for potential surprises and record-breaking bids. Stay tuned as we count down to the thrilling conclusion on February 24th!

In celebration of these extraordinary lots, we here at the MGB Team are thrilled to announce that we will be conducting a daily deep dive into each watch available in this remarkable collection! As we have queued for every single MoonShine Edition watch we wanted to share our insights and experiences on our journey of collecting these beautiful one off pieces. Join us as we explore the intricate details and the fascinating stories behind each timepiece, providing you with an exclusive insider's look into the world of MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold.

Our personal collection of all Moonshines listed below!

MoonSwatch Moonshine: Initial Estimated Values

Sotheby's set all lots with no reserve and provided the following estimated values for each.

• 5,000 - 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF)
• 5,305 - 10,609 Euros (EUR)
• 4,531 - 9,063 British Pounds (GBP)
• 5,712 - 11,423 US Dollars (USD)
• 20,978 - 41,957 United Arab Emirates Dirhams (AED)

Day One: Actuals

As we write this at 21:00 GMT, the total combined bidding values of all lots amount to £119,000, with a remarkable 424 bids placed!

Leading the way is the New York Lot, closely followed by the London and Swiss lots, both tied in second place at £12,000 each.

The first half a day has seen bidders smash through the early estimates already, and a fantastic amount of money raised for the Orbis Charity

The First MoonSwatch MoonShine: Deep Dive

After the ground-breaking 2022 launch of the MoonSwatch, the watch industry saw its boundaries redefined, opening up unprecedented possibilities and igniting excitement for a new take on the classic Omega Speedmaster Watch.

Following record-breaking sales of the 11x variations of the MoonSwatch, we fast forward to March 7th, 2023, the day the MoonSwatch MoonShine made its debut. With Swatch teasing the name "Mission to Moonshine Gold" on social media a few days prior, anticipation soared as enthusiasts speculated and made predictions.

@SWATCH OMEGA IMAGERY

This first MoonShine watch was exclusively available at four locations globally: Zurich, Tokyo, Milan, and for our UK readers, it was released exclusively at the Royal Exchange pop-up - situated in the beautiful financial district of London, just a stone's throw away from St. Paul's Cathedral.

As a team, we queued for this event and were blown away by the sheer number of people in attendance. While it's difficult to quantify, I would estimate that between 700 to 1000 people showed up to get their hands on this one-of-a-kind MoonShine timepiece!

@Hodinkee Imagery

The event was truly incredible, marked by a sense of occasion with the now famous MoonSwatch Fiat 500s and the epic London setting. There was a fantastic mix of watch enthusiasts, and the sense of community and excitement was palpable. Despite a five-hour queue, we finally managed to get our hands on the much-anticipated watch... and we weren't disappointed!

@OMEGA / SOTHEBYS IMAGERY

The inaugural Mission to Moonshine Gold series showcased a seconds hand coated in OMEGA's Moonshine™ Gold. These distinctive seconds hands were exclusively crafted during the full moon of February and were sold only at this event on this day of the March full Moon... well until now at the Sotheby's Auction.

With allegedly less than 750 of these first edition pieces sold worldwide, rumours suggest that this is the rarest and most sought-after MoonSwatch to now obtain! Of the 1000 people that queued in London only 150 watches were available and sold.

Little did we know that after this inaugural Moonshine Edition, we would find ourselves on an unexpected year-long Moonshine collection journey, filled with surprises and watches that continued to improve and evolve with each passing month!

If you're not keen on waiting for the auction to end or perhaps don't fancy spending your life 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!

Let's see what tomorrow brings as we embark on the first full day of the auction!

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/moonswatch-moonshine-gold?lotFilter=AllLots