If you joined any of the two long lines for the launch of Blancpain X Swatch after nine this morning, it would have been too late
The queue—here, one block of three—outside ION Orchard
Forty-five minutes after the Swatch store at ION Orchard opened for the sole purpose of selling the Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms in the first two hours or so, it poured heavily in Orchard Road. Those in the four-line-deep queue that had formed outside the shopping centre, on the walkway alongside Patterson Road, just outside Bacha Coffee, were not the least bothered by the downpour, even when it was clear rain water could not be held off by the shelter. We arrived at 9.30am at the Swatch store and were redirected, as everyone appearing here was, to outside of the mall. The line had by then filled the narrow space allotted to hold the shoppers eager (or desperate) to have first dib of the by-now well-publicised watch launch. Social distancing was such a thing of the past. The throng was made to stay in place with a larger-than-usual presence of security personnel. When we asked one of them if this was in response to the shouting match with the police of last year (then, the line was formed outside the Swatch store in basement 2), he said grumpily, "I don't know," and then added in a huff, "downstairs there is no place to stand. It's a public space." But where we stood was public space too. He looked at us with the patience of the dealing with the mad, and walked away.
People had started queueing the night before, we were told. We spoke to a fellow from mainland China, standing beside the first-in-line (who refused to be talked to). He told us that he was there at eight. That was early, we remarked. He rejoined, pointing to the guy next to him, that first chap: "他更早；他昨晚就排了 (he's even earlier; he queued from last night)." Before we could carry on with our conversation, a stern female security officer came to command that we "join the queue". Oh, talking is not allowed? She was adamant: "Join the queue!" (Looking back, did she think we were trying to cut the line?) And then suddenly we heard someone shout at the top of his voice, "Hey, you! Don't take pictures!" He appeared to be directing his disapproval at a guy who looked like a press photographer. Then suddenly, a woman appeared next to us and stretched her hand out towards the female security officer. Nothing between them was spoken, but the former was given what looked like a ticket. We asked if that was a queue number. She replied, "No, this is a pass to go to the toilet". And each toilet break, we later learned, was limited to ten minutes.
See no touch. The five Blancpain X Swatch timepieces in a showcase to ensure you keep your distance
There is only one watch to purchase in the store: the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms. But first, join the queue... upstairs
When the time came for those in line to head to the store, they will be, another security staff grudgingly told us, "escorted downstairs". Who would be doing the escorting? "One of us, lah!" Sorry that we had to ask! And later, downstairs, in the small Swatch store with an entrance that was half opened, another queue was seen, leading to the cashier. No other shoppers, it seemed, were allowed inside, not even those buying the now-available but no-longer-in-demand MoonSwatch (as one bewildered chap found out) or the 'Rainbow' Swatch, now a banned item in Malaysia. A curious onlooker asked a guy in office attire, standing guard at the narrowed entryway, if there was a sample of the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms that he could "touch and try [on]". "Come back after one," the smart sentinel said helpfully. "We will have one for you to touch." It looked like what one had to go through to purchase a less expensive version of a normally high-priced watch was this much of an ordeal. You want cheap, deal with it, we sensed the message communicated. Shopping could not have been more trying, or unpleasant.
The Blancpain X Swatch launch came hot on the heels of the KAWS X UT release yesterday. While one, too, had to get in line at Uniqlo, it did not seem more of an ordeal (to be fair Uniqlo opened many more points of sales for the adored collab). We did not join either queue because we were unwilling to while away time that way. And, witnessing the shoppers being herded as they were to buy just one watch (yes, only a single timepiece per buyer), we were even less inclined. Walking away from the queue, we decided to go for coffee (but not at Bacha, as there was a line, although shorter, too). An hour or so after Swatch opened its doors to receive their first batch of escorted shoppers, we checked Carousell and saw that the said watches were on sale, with the highest asking price of S$1,100 (the retail tag is S$565). Curious to know how the timepieces were faring, we headed back to the Swatch store. On the way, outside Sephora, we spotted many guys carrying the recognisable Swatch paper bags. We stopped one of them to ask about his purchase. Before we could utter anything, he yelped, "sold out, sold out."
Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, SGD565, is available at Swatch, ION Orchard and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands only. More stocks are expected in the coming weeks. No reservations accepted. Exact dates will not be known. Visit the stores to try your luck. Photos: Zhao Xiangji
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