Overview
- Massive turnouts for the Royal Pop pocket watches on Saturday led Swatch to close stores around the world, and the company’s U.S. arm said at least 19 American locations shut to protect staff and shoppers.
- Police intervened at several hotspots, with tear gas used near Paris, police dogs deployed in London, and officers dispersing crowds in New York and at King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, with at least one arrest reported.
- Swatch urged customers not to rush stores, said queues over 50 people may trigger sales pauses, and kept some U.K. shops closed through the weekend to manage safety risks.
- The collaboration consists of eight bioceramic pocket-watch models priced around $400, sold only in select stores, which pushed buyers to line up in person and fueled a resale rush with listings in the thousands of dollars.
- Swatch told AFP that weak crowd planning by some shopping centres worsened the crush, and early data from resale sites shows prices starting to soften, a sign that brands may rethink hype-heavy, in‑person drops.