OMEGA x Swatch: “Next Stop MARS!”
This project is a speculative advertising campaign inspired by the iconic Omega Speedmaster, the first watch worn on the Moon in 1965. In 2022, Omega and Swatch collaborated to produce a series of bio-ceramic watches, each themed around a planet in our solar system. Building on this concept, I developed an imaginative campaign that draws on the Speedmaster’s spacefaring legacy, reimagining the Omega x Swatch collaboration as the first watch to be worn on Mars.
GOODBYE HOME.
This image showcases the Omega x Swatch Earth Watch and marks the beginning of a visual journey beyond Earth. The image shows our planet with the Earth coloured watch wrapped around it, symbolising time, departure, and the moment of leaving something familiar behind. As the first image in the series, it sets the narrative direction, inviting the viewer to travel to other planets, each paired with a different watch, where time and place become intertwined.
The composition closely follows my initial sketches, which played a key role in shaping the final outcome. I chose a landscape format to introduce variation within the series and to better suit the angle and scale of the watch as it wraps around the Earth.
MISSION TO THE MOON.
Mission to the Moon continues the journey beyond Earth. The image presents the Moon suspended in space, with the Moon Swatch wrapped around its surface, creating a literal yet symbolic connection between product, place, and history. The concept was intentionally kept simple, allowing the idea to read instantly and giving the watch a clear, commanding presence within the frame.
Throughout the process, I stayed closely aligned with my original concept, as its clarity and strength required little alteration. A subtle but meaningful addition was the Omega logo formed from stars in the background, a detail introduced later to reinforce brand identity without distracting from the main subject. The watch was photographed using a single light source, carefully positioned to create directional lighting that matched the lunar environment it would be composited into, ensuring the final image felt cohesive and realistic. The result demonstrates how a restrained concept, combined with precise lighting and thoughtful compositing, can communicate a powerful message with confidence and clarity.
Time On The Moon.
This image places the Omega Moonswatch Mission to the Moon watch floating above the Moon’s surface, with the lunar terrain and a flag below it: a nod to the historic moment of human exploration and the iconic planting of a flag on the Moon. The flag is adaptable, able to be replaced with the Omega logo, the Swiss flag, or any regional emblem depending on where the advert is shown, allowing the piece to resonate immediately with its audience.
The floating watch above the landscape, creates a sense of weightlessness, context, and depth. . The result is a clean, focused composition that visualises the product within a believable, imaginative environment, suggesting both material lightness (the watch is made from a lightweight bioceramic blend of ceramic and bio‑sourced materials) and symbolic weight in its homage to human achievement.
NEXT STOP, MARS!
This image concludes the series with a wide, cinematic view of Mars, framed through a spaceship window, with the Omegaand Swatch Mission to Mars watch wrapped around the planet. The concept imagines the Omega x Swatch collaboration as the first watch on Mars, blending product, narrative, and exploration into a single, immersive image.
The warm tones of the planet enhanced the red of the watch, creating a bold yet harmonious composition. Every detail, from the atmospheric glow of the planet to the subtle glare on the spacecraft window, was designed to add depth, realism, and narrative context, making the viewer feel as though they are truly looking out into space.
This image reflects the culmination of the series: experimentation with composition, color, and environment to transform a product shot into a cinematic, otherworldly scene. It demonstrates how creative risk-taking, careful planning, and attention to detail can combine to create a conceptually strong and visually striking final piece.
As this was one of two of the final projects that I produced as part of my Commercial Photography degree at Arts University Bournemouth I decided this image was the image that I would feature in our graduate gallery in Hoxton, London in July 2025.
Photography & Retouching: Matthew Brown
CGI + Rendering: Matthew Brown
CGI Moon Textures: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, Ernie Wright & Noah Petro
CGI Earth/Mars Textures: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
Earth Shader: Christopher Fraser
Mars Window Model (Adapted by myself) - Tycho Magnetic Anomaly
