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Ed Sheeran shows hardcore watch collectors are also on the MoonSwatch hype train Ed Sheeran shows hardcore watch collectors are also on the MoonSwatch hype train
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Ed Sheeran shows hardcore watch collectors are also on the MoonSwatch hype train

Time+Tide

The raging hype over the MoonSwatch has provoked a maelstrom of opinions. Some people believe it’s a bold collaboration that has reinvigorated the appeal of both Swatch and Omega. Others dismiss the MoonSwatch as little more than a marketing stunt that cheapens Omega’s iconic Speedmaster and even risks diminishing its long-term appeal. As the discussion gets increasingly polarised, it’s interesting to see how elite watch collectors feel. After all, these are the people with the financial muscle and contact list to secure almost any watch they choose.

Ed Sheeran definitely qualifies as a hardcore collector. And the pop star is clearly a MoonSwatch fan, too, after being snapped this week wearing the “Mission To The Moon” reference while sending a video message to a 15-year-old Australian boy battling cancer.

Ed Sheeran
Picture Credit: @CelebWatchSpotter

There’s no doubt that Sheeran is a man who boasts a truly formidable watch collection. How formidable? Well, highlights in his watch box include the Patek Philippe Ref.1518 – the first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph in the world of which just 281 were produced – and the Patek Philippe Ref.5208P-001, a platinum-cased grand complication that is valued north of $1.5 million AUD.

Ed Sheeran

Not that Sheeran restricts himself to grail dress watches. He also owns a RM 38-01 Manual Winding Tourbillon G-sensor Bubba Watson in Quartz Tpt and and the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk in white gold.  We could go on (and on), but you get the idea. Sheeran is a collector with the means and disposition to enjoy a full spectrum of horological treasures.

Ed Sheeran

What Sheeran’s enjoyment of the MoonSwatch suggests is that this is a watch that, despite its modest $380 price tag, can happily co-exist alongside the most baller timepieces that money can buy.

Ed Sheeran

Clearly, the pop star appreciates the MoonSwatch for what it really is – namely a harmless bit of horological fun.

As Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann said on the MoonSwatch collab: “It’s important to keep it in perspective. It’s a fun project and adds some light to an industry that can take itself too seriously.”