The hotly anticipated launch of the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop pocket watch descended into chaos around the world on Saturday when unexpectedly large turnouts forced many Swatch stores to lock their doors to halt the crowds.
In far-flung cities, from New York and Paris to Singapore and Mumbai, the sheer weight of numbers forced cancellations, while in London, Milan and Paris, police had to intervene to control the crowds, including the use of police dogs and tear gas.
Meanwhile, in the UAE, would-be customers were left disappointed at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, despite queuing for hours, when both Swatch stores cancelled the launch amid safety concerns.
By Saturday morning, hundreds of people had gathered outside the Swatch stores in the two malls ahead of the 10am launch, seemingly catching the management off guard. As huge crowds pressed around the doors, handwritten notes were hastily taped to the shutters declaring the events cancelled.
A post on Swatch's UAE site followed to confirm the closures. “In view of public safety considerations, we have decided not to proceed with the sale of the product at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, and the event has been cancelled.”
Swatch is now facing criticism for underestimating demand and unpreparedness for the size of the crowds.
How much are resellers charging for the Royal Pop?
While the pocket watches are priced at Dh1,530, they popped up for sale on shopping platform Noon – promoted through its official Instagram account – for Dh25,000 each.
However, the price soon dropped to Dh19,999, and was reduced further to Dh12,500 at the time of writing on Monday afternoon.
On sites such as StockX, a global online marketplace operating like a live stock market for high-demand consumer goods, prices are lower and a hierarchy seems to have emerged. The Savonette Lan Ba model is currently online for Dh8,740, while the Blaue Acht is marked at Dh4,920.
Specialist website Watchpro has conducted an analysis that shows secondary market prices dropped up to 7 per cent by Monday, showing softening demand for the Royal Pop.
What causes hype and who benefits?
Creating hype around a launch has become standard retail practice, with scarcity used to drive demand. Offering access to a high-end brand at high-street prices is a powerful lure, seen in everything from H&M’s designer collaborations to Supreme x Louis Vuitton and the earlier Swatch x Omega tie-up. For many buyers, the appeal lies as much in the potential resale profit as in the product itself.
The Supreme collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2017, for example, saw the $1,000 Monogram Box Logo hooded sweatshirt reselling for $25,000, while the Swatch x Omega Moonwatch release in 2022 saw prices surge from Dh950 to Dh20,000 at resale.
Presumably, then, many in the crowds at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were there in the hope of picking up a piece ahead of the collection selling out, with an eye to flipping for profit.
Calming customers
On Sunday, a second social media post from Swatch appeared in a bid to calm the atmosphere. “To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product.”
“The Royal Pop will remain available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”
While announcing that there are enough pieces to last for months will calm any panic around not being able to get hold of one, it could also dampen the resale market by removing scarcity. It may lead to pieces being bought by watch fans rather than those looking for a commodity to flip.
The future of brand collaborations
Tying up with high-street brand Swatch was a bold and audacious move from the storied and deeply respected Audemars Piguet. Creating demand in advance will have been beneficial to both Swatch and AP as it looks to appeal to a new, younger audience.
However, with footage of launch violence emerging from around the world, it's a reminder that hype cycles and high-low collaborations carry brand risk as well as reward.
While there will always be room for such collaborations, the scenes from the Swatch launch don't seem to be doing either brand any favours. Perhaps we will enter a sparser landscape for collaborations, less driven by hype and resale potential? Only time will tell.
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