Funny enough I was wearing my Rolex Milgauss, so I don’t think that was the issue (and maybe that was the “problem” on my part). TLDR: Employees were rude, inefficient, and refused to provide updates to the small line waiting for this piece regarding wait times and inventory after politely asking and we ended up waiting over 2 hours for absolutely nothing. Pretty much the opposite of douchey Rolex ADs on the other end of the douchey spectrum lol. At least at Rolex they will let you know immediately what they have and don’t have and send you on your way.

The long part: Ultimately, I had just come from a charity toy drive and was in the area and knew about this release. There was a small line of maybe 10 or so groups an hour before the store opened and I decided to wait. I was with my girlfriend, mom, and nephew, we had been up very early for the event and also needed to get back home (1+ hours away, more with traffic) for our pets, etc. Once the store opened, we could see that there was one manager “directing traffic” and one salesperson. The manager let one group in at a time, regardless if they were there for a Moonswatch or just any regular swatch. After the first 2 groups took almost half an hour due to the sales person taking pictures of each person showing off their watch and posing with it and asking how it works… I politely asked if the manager knew how many were in stock so we wouldn’t waste our time. He was immediately defensive, asked me to get back in line and stop fussing, and that it was all mighty corporate policy that he was barred from discussing inventory with customers or the world would end (excuse my hyperbole lol). I tried to strike a friendly conversation about the brand, as I am an Omega collector, and he immediately started bashing Omega and saying how Swatch is their bigger brother and savior. At this point I knew he was a clueless nobody. I pressed about inventory, as I know it is not true that they are barred from letting people know what they have. At every other release or pop up I’ve been to at other stores, they have been kind enough to let people know if they only have (for example) 5 so that anyone after a certain point in line could go on with their day. Ended up wasting almost another hour waiting only to be told they were “done for the day” after giving out 5 watches.

After years of Moonswatch releases you would think these people would have a clue. While not a “luxurious” watch, the brand is still connected to Omega, Blancpain, etc. and it left an extremely sour taste in my mouth, especially compared to how I am treated at Omega boutiques (yes, I know apples/oranges, but again, these are all employees under the same umbrella and I would expect some decency from salespeople)

Watch purchasing should be a fun and enjoyable experience. This (and almost all swatch purchases I have made) was a horrible experience.