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Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused Pandemonium
The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
PHOTO The “Huit Blanc” version of the “Royal Pop,” a pocket watch that is the result of a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Swatch. The collaboration hit stores Saturday and caused a frenzy in some locations. (Photo courtesy of Swatch Group)
PHOTO The back of each Royal Pop watch is Andy Warhol-esque and allows the wearer to see the watch’s movement, a new manual-wind version of the Swatch Sistem 51.
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland—The Audemars Piguet x Swatch watch is here, and it really has people popping off.
The “Royal Pop” is a high-low blend of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the eight-sided icon of the mechanical watch world that starts at $30,000, and Swatch’s $40 modular Pop watch from the 1980s.
It is, however, not a wristwatch but a pocket watch with a Bioceramic case that can be popped in and out of its matching lanyard (sold separately), which is available in three different lengths.
“This collection will change the way we wear watches,” Swatch Group said in the press release announcing the Royal Pop.
“The watches in the AP × Swatch collaboration break free from the wrist … allowing you to wear the watch in unexpected, playful, and dynamic ways. The choice is yours: around your neck, on your wrist, in your pocket, attached to a handbag, and more.”
Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet confirmed their long-rumored collaboration on Instagram May 8 and officially unveiled the Royal Pop collection last Wednesday.
The hype swelled and spread all week and by Saturday—the Royal Pop’s official launch day—Swatch Group was forced to shutter stores due to “public safety considerations.”
Crowds, a mix of collectors and people looking to flip the watches for a quick profit, became unmanageable at a handful of Swatch stores worldwide.
Videos posted to social media show people pushing, shoving, and police getting involved to control crowds at stores in New York, Atlanta, London, and more.
On Saturday, Swatch Group shared a statement on social media that read in part: “To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask that you not rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product. The Royal Pop collection will remain available for several months.”
The watch retailer and manufacturer confirmed via email on Monday that it had to close about 20 of the 220 stores worldwide that stock the Royal Pop because of the crowds, blaming the chaos on long lines and insufficient mall security.
It said: “The queues of interested customers were exceptionally long, and the organization of some shopping malls was not sufficient to handle this level of turnout.”
Swatch Group compared the Royal Pop pandemonium with the launch of the MoonSwatch, the watch made in collaboration with Omega, in March 2022, and said the situation has “now normalized somewhat.”
It added that the collaboration has generated millions of clicks on its website and is “literally making social media explode,” with 11 billion views via both owned and organic content.
“All in all, the Royal Pop Collection is captivating the entire world, not least because the Royal Pop is, quite surprisingly, not a wristwatch,” Swatch Group said.
Related stories will be right here …
The “Royal Pop” is a high-low blend of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the eight-sided icon of the mechanical watch world that starts at $30,000, and Swatch’s $40 modular Pop watch from the 1980s.
It is, however, not a wristwatch but a pocket watch with a Bioceramic case that can be popped in and out of its matching lanyard (sold separately), which is available in three different lengths.
“This collection will change the way we wear watches,” Swatch Group said in the press release announcing the Royal Pop.
“The watches in the AP × Swatch collaboration break free from the wrist … allowing you to wear the watch in unexpected, playful, and dynamic ways. The choice is yours: around your neck, on your wrist, in your pocket, attached to a handbag, and more.”
Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet confirmed their long-rumored collaboration on Instagram May 8 and officially unveiled the Royal Pop collection last Wednesday.
The hype swelled and spread all week and by Saturday—the Royal Pop’s official launch day—Swatch Group was forced to shutter stores due to “public safety considerations.”
Crowds, a mix of collectors and people looking to flip the watches for a quick profit, became unmanageable at a handful of Swatch stores worldwide.
Videos posted to social media show people pushing, shoving, and police getting involved to control crowds at stores in New York, Atlanta, London, and more.
On Saturday, Swatch Group shared a statement on social media that read in part: “To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask that you not rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product. The Royal Pop collection will remain available for several months.”
The watch retailer and manufacturer confirmed via email on Monday that it had to close about 20 of the 220 stores worldwide that stock the Royal Pop because of the crowds, blaming the chaos on long lines and insufficient mall security.
It said: “The queues of interested customers were exceptionally long, and the organization of some shopping malls was not sufficient to handle this level of turnout.”
Swatch Group compared the Royal Pop pandemonium with the launch of the MoonSwatch, the watch made in collaboration with Omega, in March 2022, and said the situation has “now normalized somewhat.”
It added that the collaboration has generated millions of clicks on its website and is “literally making social media explode,” with 11 billion views via both owned and organic content.
“All in all, the Royal Pop Collection is captivating the entire world, not least because the Royal Pop is, quite surprisingly, not a wristwatch,” Swatch Group said.
There are eight Royal Pop models: Otto Rosso (pink and red), Huit Blanc (white with multi-colored hands, hour markers, and bezel screws), Green Eight (dark green), Blaue Acht (light blue and light green), Lan Ba (dark blue and light blue), Otg Roz (pink and yellow); Ocho Negro (black and white), and Orenji Hachi (dark blue and red).
Swatch Group said it landed on eight for the limited-edition collection as a nod to the Royal Oak’s octagonal case and eight screws on the bezel. The names of the watches also include “eight” in various languages.
The light blue/dark blue and pink and yellow versions are Savonnette-style, with the winding crown at 3 o’clock and a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The other six are Lépine-style pocket watches, meaning the winding crown is positioned at 12 o’clock, like a stopwatch.
The eight watches in the Royal Pop collection are, from left to right, Ocho Negro, Otto Rosso, Blaue Acht, Green Eight, Huit Blanc, Orenji Hachi, Lan Ba, and Otg Roz. (Photo courtesy of Swatch Group)
The Savonnette Royal Pop retails for $420, while the Lépine model is $400.
The accompanying calfskin lanyard, which comes in three lengths ranging from 7.08 to 26.5 inches, is sold separately and retails for $45.
All eight watches have exhibition casebacks printed with the Royal Pop logo.
They are powered by a new hand-wound version of Swatch’s Sistem 51, a mechanical movement assembled entirely by machine. It has a 90-hour power reserve.
The Royal Pop is currently available in a dozen stores in the United States and will remain on sale for several months, Swatch Group noted. Purchases are limited to one watch per person per day.
The watch will not be sold online.
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