In the five hundred year long history of watches, there has never been anything quite like the release of ‘the watch that broke the internet’ - the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch. It seemed every man, woman, child and dog, was lining up for the watch. But this wasn’t just Sydney or Melbourne; every single Swatch boutique in the world managed to attract hundreds, if not thousands of people all desperately trying to buy a Speedmaster for only $260 USD / $380 AUD.
One of the one hundred and fifty or so people in Sydney lucky enough to buy a MoonSwatch when they were released on Saturday was Apprentice Bobby; here’s how he managed to get the watch you all want:
It’s Thursday, I’m scrolling through Instagram and forums, all I can see are posts about the new MoonSwatch. Having had the opportunity to see and touch most of the coolest Speedmasters ever produced, being a massive fan of almost all of them, seeing this gets me over the moon with excitement. A quirky bio-ceramic quartz Speedmaster for less than the price of a leather strap for the real thing - I just know people are going to go insane for this. I plan to get to the swatch boutique at 4am, knowing how crazy some people can be for releases. 6 hours early should be enough. Right?
4:30pm Friday (T-16hrs), I walk past Swatch on my way back from the post office and my heart sinks, two camp chairs already been placed eagerly at the corner of the main entrance to Swatch - the business day not even over yet. Panic sets in, I realise if I am to have even a slim chance of getting the watch the day of its release, I would have to bump that 4am arrival back until as soon as I can make it back to the city. After finishing up, rushing home, and grabbing any supplies I have at my disposal, I jump back onto the train and eventually arrive back at Swatch.
I arrive at 6:40pm, about 20 people have already formed a queue, it is very orderly and everyone is lined up single file along the Microsoft store. That is when I am greeted by a slender man with tattoos and a beard, wearing some cool shoes and speaking with authority - let’s call him ‘John’.
“Hey man, what’s your name? I’m going to put you down on the list and we are doing roll call at 9pm” says John.
At first I assumed that Swatch had hired him to organise the chaos that was brewing, but then I realised that, no, this man was part of the ‘drop’ community who Pitt st regulars will recognise as those usually wait outside shoe shops for Nike and Yeezy releases. At this moment it dawns on me like a cold moon-rise.
I have unknowingly made one giant leap into the world of scalpers and flippers. |
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