SINGAPORE — IT professional Beh Jia Wei waited 15 hours outside Ion Orchard to snag the newest addition to the MoonSwatch collection — the Snoopy-themed Mission To The Moonphase — on its first day of sale on March 26.

He was the second person in line to buy the watch from the collection by sister brands Omega and Swatch, which created a global ruckus in 2022 when it was first launched.

"Snoopy was my favourite childhood cartoon character. I also connected deeply with space travel," said Beh, 39, who owns two other models from the MoonSwatch series.

The Snoopy-themed watch, available at the Swatch stores at Ion Orchard and Marina Bay Sands, is the first in the series to display the current phase of the moon. It is priced at $430.

At about 9.30am on March 26, a snaking queue of about 150 people had formed outside Ion Orchard. Some of them had started queueing as early as 7pm the previous day.

During the long wait, many sat on the ground and used their mobile phones and laptops to kill time.

"Kudos to the security team for keeping the queue in order this time," said Beh, who brought a foldable chair.

He recalled a chaotic scene in 2022 when the collection was first launched.

There was pandemonium at the two Swatch stores and buyers told The Straits Times then that many people who waited outside the shops pushed and shoved to get in line.

It was reported that at least one person fainted in the crush at Ion Orchard. Police officers had to be deployed to both stores.

This time, people queued outside Ion Orchard instead of outside the store located on basement two. Security personnel started turning away those who tried to join the queue from about 7am.

When the store opened at 10am, those in line were escorted to the store in groups by security personnel — four to six people each time.

Each person was given a wrist tag, which would be cut off upon purchase at the store. 

A signboard was placed beside the queue outside Ion Orchard, informing people of rules such as the purchase limit of one watch to a customer.

"Queueing does not guarantee you the purchase of Mission To The Moonphase watch," says the sign.

It is unclear how many watches are available for sale. ST has contacted Swatch for more information.

One of those who managed to buy the watch was Zach Ong, 23, who said a woman offered to buy his watch immediately after he exited the store at Ion Orchard.

The undergraduate at National University of Singapore, who joined the queue at 7pm on March 25, sold the watch for nearly double its original price.  

"It was a good opportunity," said Ong, who plans to queue for future releases.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.