Overview
- The launch, which began Saturday, quickly drained stocks at selected Swatch stores, with Singapore’s Ion Orchard and Marina Bay Sands selling out in under two hours, VivoCity shutting for the day, and Swatch UAE cancelling Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates sales for public safety.
- Days-long queues formed at major locations including New York’s Times Square, Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, Singapore malls, and Los Angeles’ Westfield Topanga, where police capped the line at 200 as security teams in several cities managed crowd surges and disputes.
- The collaboration reimagines Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak as eight Bioceramic pocket watches in Lépine and Savonnette formats with a new hand-wound SISTEM51 movement and 90-hour power reserve, sold only in select Swatch stores for about $400–$420.
- Swatch limited purchases to one watch per person per store per day and said the models are not limited editions, yet resale listings appeared within hours in Hong Kong at three to seven times retail, with one dealer earlier projecting peaks near $2,500.
- Audemars Piguet says it will direct all of its proceeds to watchmaking education and craft preservation, as industry voices weigh strong demand and access for younger buyers against concerns that a mass collaboration could dent AP’s luxury cachet.