Swatch closes London watch shops after just 30 minutes as hundreds of shoppers who queued through the night battled for must-have £207 Omega X Swatch timepiece that is already selling for more than £3,000 on eBay

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Swatch had to close its London stores today, with its Carnaby Street location having to shut after being open for just half an hour, following chaotic scenes as customers fought to get their hands on the highly-anticipated MoonSwatch which went on sale today.

Police officers were seen speaking to store staff as crowds tried to get inside, a customer said, with some who had been queuing for the space-inspired collection launch since Friday afternoon. 

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 today, and he believed only around 10 customers were able to make it into the store before it closed.

Pictured: Swatch in Carnaby Street, London, was forced to close their doors early after crowds got out of control

Police have closed all London Swatch watch stores due to chaotic scenes when they opened to the public on the first day of the launch of the MoonSwatch collection. Pictured, the store in Covent Garden

Swatch said: 'We are very sorry but due to unprecedented health and safety reasons, we have had to close our Covent Garden, Carnaby Street and Oxford Street stores. We will update you soon'

Police and security staff were on site in London after customers tried to force their way into the shop to get the MoonSwatch

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.  

The disorder broke out after it was reported that customers who had arrived late attempted to cut the queue and force their way in past those dedicated fans who had waited outside overnight.

The disruption meant Swatch was forced to close early citing unmanageable crowds which left some fans walking away empty handed despite waiting hours.

Huw Rowlands, 41, who made the journey into London from Cardiff by coach at 3am, said it's 'annoying' that he never 'stood a chance' at getting his hands on a watch.

He told MyLondon: 'They massively underestimated demand. I understand creating hype, but there was a complete lack of crowd control.

'The queue broke down at the front with a mod at the door resulting in the store having to be temporarily closed and the police called shortly after 9am.

'I'm disappointed I didn’t get a watch, although it was a risk I was willing to take. It’s annoying I never stood a chance - absolutely zero - and Swatch knew this from the carnage of the Australian launch.

'It’s cost me over £100 [to get here] and has been a waste of my day. At least with an online launch, the website crashes and just you try again later. Seems to have worked for them though. 

Customers congregate at the doors to the Swatch store on Carnaby Street, central London, in a bid to get their hands on the newly-released MoonSwatch - a highly anticipated collaboration between Omega and Swatch which went on sale today

People camped out overnight outside the Swatch store in Carnaby Street London, to ensure they got their new MoonSwatch

'There was a queue at the Omega store just to look at them through the window.'

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

On March 30 Swatch Group said: 'We are overwhelmed by the fantastic support of our customers and by their extraordinary enthusiasm for the Bioceramic MoonSwatch Collection.

'We do our best to fulfill demand and we hope that anyone who is moonstruck by this OMEGA x Swatch collaboration will soon be able to lay their hands on one of these watches.

The Bioceramic MoonSwatch Collection is not available for the time being for purchase online. We remind you that it is not a limited-edition and will soon be available again in selected Swatch stores.'

MyLondon reports that a spokesperson for Swatch said: 'Swatch has closed its London stores for health and safety measures. Thank you for understanding.

'We are very sorry but due to unprecedented health and safety reasons, we have had to close our Covent Garden, Carnaby Street and Oxford Street stores. We will update you soon.' 

It comes as long lines began to form outside of Swatch branches in London, Edinburgh, Delhi, Melbourne, Rotterdam, Bologne and New York, to name a few, on Saturday as shoppers tried to get their hands on the new release from the Swiss watchmaker. 

The frenzied shopping has been sparked by the release of the budget MoonSwatch - a long-awaited collaboration between Swatch and Omega. 

The highly-anticipated timepiece went on sale this morning with a price tag of £207 but is already on eBay for more than £3,000. 

The MoonSwatch is an affordable take on the famous collector's favourite Speedmaster Professional - also known as the Moonwatch because it was the first watch worn by an astronaut walking on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

Reports surfaced of chaos erupting at the London branch after some customers tried to cut in front of those who had queued

A crowd of shoppers were left disappointed when the Swatch store closed early due to the volume of customers in London

The iconic brands say they collaborated in a bid to deliver 'the best of both words' between luxury and affordability - with the MoonSwatch coming in at £207 while the original model will easily set you back £5,000.

The brands say they have drawn their design inspiration from space, to create a collection of eleven Swatch models named after planetary bodies, 'from the giant star at the centre of the solar system to the dwarf planet at its periphery'.

The watch features all the key design elements that the original Moonwatch has including the asymmetrical case, the famous tachymeter scale with the dot over ninety and the distinctive Speedmaster subdials.

The companies sent watch collectors into a frenzy on Thursday when they announced the design collaboration and queues formed outside selected branches across the world this morning as fans were desperate to get their hands on a piece. 

Photos showed queues snaking through streets across the world while police officers were deployed to some branches to help manage the crowds.

The iconic brands say they collaborated in a bid to deliver 'the best of both words' between luxury and affordability

Pictured: The watches were released on sale this morning and are already selling for more than £3,000 on eBay

The new MoonSwatch was launched today and fans were queuing before shops opened their doors. Pictured: Dubai store

Customers formed queues and crowds in the Netherlands with both the Amsterdam (l) and Rotterdam (r) branches being busy

In New York City, the Swatch branch in Grand Central Station were prepared with barriers for the expected queues

Lines went all the way down the Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris as Swatch collectors queued to get their new MoonSwatch

Queue with a view: Customers in Edinburgh at least had decent weather and a view of the city's castle while they waited 

It wasn't just London's Carnaby Street branch that was busy today as the Oxford Street Swatch also saw huge crowds

The collaboration between Omega and Swatch has been highly anticipated and was officially released today. Pictured: Porto

In total, the companies have released 11 versions of the MoonSwatch. Pictured: Swatch fans queue in Bologna, Italy

Police were forced to help security and manage the growing crowd of customers (pictured: Chadstone in Australia)

Melbourne: queue snaked from the front of the store and continued hundreds of metres down one side of the shopping centre

The company said in a statement: 'Omega's Moonwatch is legendary and a must-have for collectors. Swatch's witty BIOCERAMIC MoonSwatch collection makes the iconic design accessible to fans everywhere.

'It's a down to earth take on the watch that went to the moon, which is a perfect representation of Swatch's joy of life and innovation philosophy.'

Speculation had been swirling for months of a collaboration between Swatch and Omega - before it was confirmed the MoonSwatch would be launched on March 26.

Each watch is based on a space theme and titled after a planet or moon - with all the names beginning with the word 'Mission'.

'Mission to Mars', 'Mission to Mercury' and 'Mission to Uranus' are among the different names.

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

'The Swatches are perfect for budding Moonwatch fans, and I can't think of a more appropriate icon for our shared project,' said Raynald Aeschlimann, president and chief executive officer of Omega. 'We went to the moon; now we're exploring the whole Milky Way.'