The Omega x Swatch collaboration launched today, and went straight to the damn moon.
We knew it was going to be big when we received more than a thousand comments on our Introducing post a couple days ago. And sure enough, lines began forming outside of Swatch retailers in London, Singapore, and New York City well before the $260 piece officially went on sale. Since it wasn't available online, collectors pitched tents to be among the first to take delivery of the hottest watch of this very young year.
Starting as early as yesterday, reports started to come in. In Melbourne, the watches apparently sold out in under 10 minutes and the police were called due to heavy crowds. Cops also showed up in Singapore to handle the many eager future MoonSwatchers. London had to call off its proceedings due to health and safety concerns. In Toronto, more than a thousand people lined up, stretching three city blocks, in the cold and the rain, just to get their paws on this BioCeramic chronograph.
In New York City, crowds formed at every single Swatch location from downtown to Times Square. A colleague here at the 'dink noted a packed house at Grand Central Terminal. One of our own board members turned an early morning dog walk (we're talking 3 AM) into a spontaneous trip to his nearby Swatch store in lower Manhattan, where he remained far past dawn.
Rumors swirled about just how many watches were stocked in every store. The hopefuls on Fifth Avenue claimed their location only had 150 units total, not nearly enough to accommodate the fans queued up around the block. As a result, every store limited each customer to one watch apiece. And every New York Swatch location opened up early, at 8am, to help with the crowds.
It's worth noting that this isn't the last we'll see of the MoonSwatch. It's not limited, and it's really not even sold out. Each of the stores will get new shipments, and Swatch itself has said that it will end up selling the collection online in a few weeks. But the excitement generated by an in-store launch, and the turnout, suggest that this marks a moment of real mainstream crossover for watch collecting. It's very rare to see this kind of global excitement for any kind of non-limited product launch – even a Jordan or Supreme drop. You certainly never see it for a watch release. To find a precedent, you might have to go all the way back to when the iPhone arrived back in 2007.
I spent the morning in Times Square to see just how many people would show – and it far surpassed my expectations. But mine weren't the only boots on the ground. HODINKEE dispatched photographers across the globe – on three continents – to capture the most anticipated watch launch of the year – maybe of all time. From Toronto, where our own James Stacey stood at the ready, to London to Singapore, we were there.
I witnessed a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans stretched all around the nearby Broadway theaters. Each one of them with stickers on their hands representing their position in line.
By now you've heard that the MoonSwatch is fetching pretty insane prices on the secondary market, like eBay (the highest I saw was $187,000) – but what if told you that wasn't the only commodity? In the Times Square lines, enthusiasts were being offered cash for their stickers – for their spots in line. "People are just walking around proposing random amounts," said a fan who told me his name was Michael, and who had been in line since midnight the night before. "I heard someone say $1,000 … that's the market price," said another named John Smith, who also insisted that was his real name.
The author, holding a MoonSwatch Moonwatch for the first time.
Kasia Milton trying on the Mission to Uranus.
I was able to make my way inside the store and witness the lucky few, who'd spent all night in the city's brightest and loudest neighborhood, enter the inner sanctum – two groups at a time. I asked the store manager how many units they had available. The answer: Just 287. Definitely not enough for everyone. And no, I didn't get one either.
It was easy to be blinded by the moment, and to vicariously share in the excitement of the crowds. Some of the new MoonSwatch owners had put in serious work just to be there.
A photo so nice, we had to use it twice. Father and son Rhyan and Lynell Washington pose with their new Mission to the Moon models.
The coolest guys in the room kept this hair going for nine hours. Find them on instagram @andybearv8 and @barry_nadia
I even met a gentleman who paid someone to hold his place in line overnight. Anything for a MoonSwatch.
Oh, and about the watches themselves: Slipping inside the store meant I was able to get my first hands-on impressions of the little hotties. And I have to say, they are just as exciting as I hoped they would be. Sure, they're light, basically plastic, and come fitted to a Velcro strap – but boy if they don't ooze charm by way of the classic Moonwatch design ethos.
Angel Higareda and his new Mission to Mercury
In real life the watch that stuck out was the Mission to Mars, with the classic Mission to the Moon coming in close second. Both were my favorites in press photos, so I was glad they delivered IRL. The surprise watch was actually the Neptune – the entirely blue design just works.
But before I close out this chapter of the MoonSwatch mythology, I have to give a shoutout to Zhao Daviddy, one of the first in line in Times Square who waited all night to pick up his Mission to Uranus. Good for you, buddy. Don't let anyone's juvenile jokes about Uranus ruin this moment. Not even mine.
Zhao Daviddy poses with his Mission to Uranus
Now let's see the sights from the other cities around the world.
New York City photographs by Kasia Milton (@kwmilt)
Lines Around The World...
Miami is always nothing short of a fun scene and the line at the Lincoln Road store was packed full of great watches, smiles, and more than a handful of happily newly-minted MoonSwatch owners. I suppose it comes as no surprise that if you need to wait in line, you might as well do it in Miami Beach, right?
Miami photographs by Ysa Perez (@ysaperez)
Thao from Orange County in line at the Swatch Store in Las Vegas wearing her G-SHOCK. She drove in with her husband and has been in line since yesterday afternoon.
The dry desert heat didn't keep these folks from the Vegas Swatch shop. In fact, with the time difference, they had ample notice of what the crowds would look like ... and went anyway. That's dedication, and it certainly beats the cold damp, early spring chill of New York and Miami. There's something different about a MoonSwatch under the Las Vegas sun.
Tim Tietjen drove into Vegas from Los Angeles and was first in line at the Swatch Store inside the New York-New York casino. He opted for the Mission to Mars version.
Tim Tietjen drove into Vegas from Los Angeles and was first in line at the Swatch Store inside the New York-New York casino. He opted for the Mission to Mars version.
Brandon from Los Angeles with his ticket for the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch at the Swatch Store on the Las Vegas Strip. He came sporting his Rolex Datejust 41.
Las Vegas photographs by Joe Buglewicz (@joebuglewicz)
The scene at the Carnaby Street Swatch boutique in London featured a crowd of more than 500 people and a line that had been forming for more than 48 hours. Police had some trouble managing the growing crowd, especially as the 9AM opening grew close. The store took one customer at a time, but later closed citing "health and safety" concerns stemming from the large and unwieldy crowd. Word on the street was that the store had as few as 100 total units.
The third customer to get a Moonswatch at the Carnaby Street location (@houdeifathephysio).
The growing crowd at the Carnaby Street location.
Our friend and consummate watch enthusiast Justin Hast rocking the Mission to Venus, his prize for camping out at the London location.
London photographs by Jide Smith (@spottedbymrsmith).
Similar in some ways to the scene in London, a massive crowd formed at Ion Orchard location in advance of the shop's opening. Police officers were on site to keep as much order as possible as fans waited and snapped photos of the new MoonSwatches.
Singapore photographs by Ore Huiying (@orehuiying).
The front of the line on Yonge St at Toronto's downtown mall, the Eaton Center.
The line at Toronto's Eaton's Center wrapped around Yonge St and then progressed beyond the length of the entire shopping center. Inside, at the Swatch boutique, the staff were forming a contact list for future availability. Word among the crowd was that there were less than 100 units available when the doors opened this morning. Our man James Stacey described the mood as "cold, wet, and hopeful."
The line stretched around the corner of Yonge and James and continued north, passing the far side of the shopping center.
At 10AM this morning when the doors finally opened, the line had grown all the way down James Street and into Trinity Square.
Inside the Eaton Center, those not waiting for one of the few available watches look through the front window at the complete Moonswatch collection.
Toronto photographs by James Stacey (@jestacey)
Keep your eyes on HODINKEE for our continuing coverage of the MoonSwatch launch.
The HODINKEE Shop is an authorized retailer of Omega and Swatch watches. For more information, visit the Swatch website.
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