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AP and Swatch’s Royal Pop Launch Draws Massive Lines as Some Stores Halt Sales

An in-person only release stoked demand that overwhelmed some locations.

Overview

  • The collaboration went on sale Saturday in selected Swatch boutiques with a one-per-person rule, with many locations selling out within hours.
  • Swatch canceled launches at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates citing safety, while Singapore’s VivoCity store closed and outlets in Britain and France posted similar notices.
  • Long queues formed in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore, and local police or mall security managed lines as reports of pushing and attempted queue-cutting surfaced.
  • Resale listings appeared within hours on Carousell, Chrono24 and eBay, with Hong Kong asks reaching up to seven times retail, and independent vendors began promoting wrist-strap adaptors for the pocket pieces.
  • The Royal Pop is a set of eight Bioceramic pocket watches in Lépine and Savonnette styles using a new hand‑wound Sistem51 movement with about 90 hours of power reserve priced at $400–$420, and Audemars Piguet says its proceeds will support watchmaking education.