MoonSwatch: Hundreds queue for hours outside Edinburgh watch store on Saturday as Omega x Swatch collab sparks shopping frenzy

Hundreds of shoppers queued for hours outside the Swatch store on Princes Street on Saturday, as they desperately tried to get their hands on what’s been billed as the ‘hottest watch on the planet’.

MoonSwatch is a long-awaited collaboration between Omega and Swatch, and Edinburgh is the only UK location outside London selling the watch.

Long lines began to form early this morning outside of Swatch on Princes Street, and soon the queue was snaking all the way up Frederick Street, onto Rose Street, and at one point as far as Charlotte Square.

In total, there are 11 MoonSwatch in the range and each is based on a space theme and titled after a planet or moon.

Long lines began to form early this morning outside of Swatch on Princes Street, and soon the queue was snaking all the way up Frederick Street, onto Rose Street, and at one point as far as Charlotte Square. Photos: Callum @Mullac42, Twitter.

All the names begin with the word 'Mission' – including 'Mission to Mars', 'Mission to Mercury' and 'Mission to Uranus'.

The watches have been designed so the colours and layouts reflect the planets they are named after.

The watches are priced at £207 if bought directly from Swatch, but some of the products are already listed on eBay for more than £1,000.

There were similar scenes in London where a watch store had to close amid chaotic scenes after large crowds turned up for the launch.

The Swatch shop in the capital’s Carnaby Street had warned customers to get there early in expectation of large queues.

But the store ended up opening for barely half an hour after police officers were seen speaking to store staff as crowds tried to get inside, a customer said.

Many in the queue – some of whom had been waiting outside the store since Friday afternoon – were left “angry” and feeling “let down”, according to the witness.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: “There were about three Metropolitan police officers. They were clearly not really prepared for it (the crowds). The Swatch company didn’t appear to provide any crowd control measures at all.”

He said those present were told the shop would not reopen on Saturday, and he believed only around 10 customers were able to make it into the store before it closed.

After hours of waiting in an orderly queue, late customers tried to barge their way into the store ahead of those who had been there overnight, the witness said.

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