On Saturday (16 May), Swatch launched a limited edition collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet, resulting in chaotic scenes across the UK and worldwide. The £335 'Royal Pop' pocket watch, a spin on AP's Royal Oak, prompted shoppers to camp outside stores and led to police intervention in multiple cities.
In the UK, Swatch closed shops in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and Cardiff due to safety concerns. A 25-year-old man was arrested in Cardiff, a dispersal order was issued in Birmingham, and police attended incidents at Manchester's Trafford Centre and Liverpool One. Social media footage showed police dogs at London's Battersea Power Station store.
Internationally, police in Paris reportedly fired tear gas to disperse crowds. Similar disturbances occurred in Milan, Amsterdam and New York, where one queuer described the scene at Times Square as 'like a mosh pit'. Swatch urged customers not to rush to stores in large numbers.
Resale platforms like eBay show the watches selling for upwards of £2,000. Megan Dooley of TAL Agency noted that limited edition collaborations often gain value immediately, driven by a well-established resale culture. The chaos may further increase the watch's desirability.
A Swatch spokesperson said challenges arose due to exceptionally long queues and insufficient mall organisation, but the situation has since normalised.
