Timely boost for Orbis International's battle against blindness thanks to Omega
Orbis International has received a great boost from its long-term partner Omega through the sale of 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold suitcases of watches.

The dedicated Sotheby’s online auction raised a total of CHF534,670 (RM2,797,837) for Orbis, a global eyecare non-profit organisation that has been fighting against avoidable blindness and vision loss around the world for over four decades.

Omega, which has been a supporter of Orbis since 2011, auctioned unique cases containing the 11 OMEGA x Swatch “Mission to Moonshine Gold” watches – the first time these versions have ever been offered as one set, and the first time that the special MoonSwatch suitcase was available for purchase.

All of the auction proceeds are given to Orbis, which provides eyecare for millions of patients while also training hundreds of thousands of eyecare professionals in areas with the greatest need globally via its programmes and on board the Flying Eye Hospital.

Founded in 1982, Orbis mentors and trains local eyecare teams – from health workers in rural clinics to eye surgeons in urban centres – so that they can save and restore vision in their communities.

Orbis International runs the world’s only ophthalmic teaching hospital onboard an MD-10 aircraft.

Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies, and health ministries, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure, and advocates for the prioritisation of eye health on public health agendas.

Orbis also operates the world’s only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft and the award-winning telemedicine platform Cybersight as well as programmes in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which transmits live surgeries around the world in 3D, is equal parts teacher, envoy and advocate. It helps to bring local governments, global organisations, major donors and everyday people together in the global fight to end avoidable blindness.

The partnership with Omega began with an insightful documentary called Through Their Eyes, which followed Omega brand ambassador Daniel Craig on his visit to the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in Mongolia. The film proved to be such an effective tool in raising awareness of Orbis International’s sight-saving work, that The Hospital in the Sky documentary was produced in 2015 featuring Omega brand ambassador Cindy Crawford who visited the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital with her daughter in Peru.

The hands of the 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold watches for the Omega x Swatch charity auction have their own special detail, such as a strawberry pattern for the Strawberry Moon in July.

Additionally, a series of print advertising featuring Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, Chad le Clos, Michael Phelps and Sergio Garcia was released to highlight Orbis’ work.

The brand’s support is extended to providing teddy bears to young patients and the donation of vital funds.

In 2021, Omega became the exclusive Title Sponsor of a virtual Orbis Flying Eye Hospital project that trained ophthalmic nurses across Mongolia. The project focused on the treatment of cataract, the leading cause of blindness globally.

A year later, Omega furthered its support as the Title Sponsor of a training project on board the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in Doha, Qatar, aimed at female ophthalmologists and nurses from conflict-affected areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The women took part in simulation training using cutting-edge technology.

Every suitcase has a coin engraved with the three-letter aviation code from their display city such as JFK for New York.

The year 2022 also saw the watch brand and Orbis announce their renewed partnership for a five-year period.

This year’s auction was preceded by a travelling exhibition where the 11 “Mission to Moonshine Gold” suitcases were displayed at 11 Omega boutiques -- Zurich, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, Milan, Paris and Sydney.

The “Mission to Moonshine Gold” models are a radiant twist on the original Bioceramic MoonSwatch timepieces.

Each one is crafted with a seconds hand coated in 18K Moonshine Gold – a distinctive alloy created in-house at Omega that offers a more subtle and long-lasting form of yellow gold.

11MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold watches in one suitcase for the Omega x Swatch charity auction.

Each of the hands also reveals its own special detail, such as a strawberry pattern for the Strawberry Moon in July, or a flower pattern for the Flower Moon in May, and even a lollipop design that follows the Speedmaster CK2998 watch from 1961.

The suitcases themselves are unique too, containing a golden monocle with the Omega x Swatch logo and a one-of-a-kind coin engraved with the three-letter aviation code from their displayed city (such as HKG for Hong Kong).

This same code is engraved on the side of all watches within the suitcase for that particular city.

Omega president and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, says, “This unique auction really captured the imagination of MoonSwatch fans around the world.”

Now, they are in the hands of 11 successful bidders, he adds.
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Non-profit Orbis International gets all proceeds from Omega’s auction of 11 MoonSwatch suitcases.