Swatch launch postponed due to problems caused by crowding at Somerset Collection
Swatch canceled its launch event and closed its Troy store and eight other stores for the remainder of the day due to safety concerns.
Fox – 2 Detroit
Swatch has closed stores around the world after demand for its collaboration with Audemars Piguet overwhelmed some boutiques.
On Saturday, May 16, Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet launched eight pocket watches modeled after the Royal Oak, which typically start at around $30,000. Swatch and Audemars Piguet’s new “Royal Pops” will cost about $400.
Since it was only sold at the Swatch Store, long lines formed at the store after it was announced, and on the day it was released, there was chaos at the boutique. Swatch announced global store closures citing safety concerns and urged customers not to rush to stores.
“Royal Pop will be available for several months,” the watchmaker shared on Facebook.
Videos circulating on social media showed large, aggressive crowds gathering at stores, and at least one person was arrested in New York City, according to The New York Times. In the US, 19 stores have closed.
What led to Royal Pop?
Royal Pop follows in the footsteps of previous Swatch collaborations with Omega and Blancpain, which created a Speedmaster called the Moonswatch and a bioceramic interpretation called the Fifty Fathoms, respectively.
This is the first Swatch collaboration with a brand outside of the Swatch Group.
The Moonswatch’s wildly colorful reinterpretation of Omega’s tent pole model was a hit, and its 2022 store-only launch sparked a similar frenzy, with more than 1 million watches sold in less than a year, according to Bloomberg.
Danny Milton, vice president of content for watch website Teddy Baldassare and former editor-in-chief of watch magazine Hodinkee, told USA TODAY that the Moonswatch is an entry point into the watch collecting hobby for some people.
“A lot of this is anecdotal, but the Moonswatch took a lot of the Apple Watch’s wrist share and took people in that market to a place where a, you have so many options when it comes to colors, so you can make a style statement, and b, the Moonswatch has a certain tradition in Moonwatch design,” Milton said.
He suggested that the unique colorway of the successful collaboration with Omega influenced the design of the Royal Pop, adding that there is no version of the new version that directly resembles Gerard Genta’s masterpiece.
“The two most popular watches that came out of that collaboration were the bright blue Neptune edition, which became even more popular after Daniel Craig wore it in public in a tuxedo, and the Mars edition, a bright red watch,” Milton said. “The ones that were closer to the Speedmaster didn’t have as much play. As you can see from the Royal Pop, there’s really not one out of all eight that says, ‘This is the closest thing to a Royal Oak that we have.'”
The watch comes in two styles: the Lepine style with a crown and two hands at 12 o’clock, and is offered in six color variations. It has a savonette style with a crown at 3 o’clock and a sub-seconds register at 6 o’clock, and is available in two color variations.
Watch collectors have been anticipating the release of watches from this collaboration, and watch accessory companies such as Helvetas and Deluxe have announced plans to offer straps that allow watches to be worn on the wrist.
But Milton said in the days leading up to the May 13 announcement, the pocket watch’s wide appeal amplified Royal Pop’s cultural impact.
“Everyone was talking about the fact that you can put this on your bag, you can put it on, you can wear it the way you want to wear it,” Milton said.
