The launch of the limited edition "Royal Pop" watch, a collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet, sparked disturbances in several countries worldwide after large numbers of people queued overnight to buy for speculative resale, causing many stores to close temporarily while police in various cities stepped in to manage the situation.
The release of the special "Royal Pop" collection, a collaboration between the popular brand Swatch and luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet on Saturday, 16 May, triggered major chaos in numerous cities across Europe and New York City, USA, resulting in injuries, fights, and urgent police intervention.
Reports indicate that hundreds of people camped out overnight—some even sleeping for several days—to secure the chance to buy this highly sought-after watch.
In France, over 300 people besieged a Swatch store on the outskirts of Paris starting late Friday night. The situation escalated when the store opened, forcing police to fire tear gas to control the crowd pushing to enter. The incident damaged the store’s rolling shutters and security doors. Police stated the store had underestimated and inadequately staffed security personnel.
In the United Kingdom, Swatch was compelled to close its London store and six other major cities including Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield for safety reasons after overwhelming crowds became uncontrollable.
Online videos showed people attempting to break through security barriers at London’s Battersea shopping center, while violent scuffles erupted at Manchester’s Trafford Centre, prompting police to deploy K9 units. Authorities issued dispersal orders in Birmingham, and a 25-year-old man was arrested in Cardiff. Consequently, Swatch announced extended closures of its Manchester and Liverpool stores for a second consecutive day on Sunday.
Tensions were similarly high in Milan, Italy, where local media released footage of fights outside the store opening. In the Netherlands, police intervened at a mall near The Hague amid intense disputes and tension, leading the store to decide not to open and send people home. Stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht remain closed with no announced reopening date.
At New York City’s Times Square location, the launch was marked by pushing and shoving. A customer who queued since Wednesday described the scene as "like being in a pit at a rock concert, with latecomers pushing forward and early arrivals trying to cut ahead—those who pushed hardest and cheated ended up at the front."
Several buyers admitted they intended to purchase the watch, which retails for about 400 to 420 U.S. dollars, for immediate "resale" at much higher prices. One buyer reported queuing for five days and after buying the watch for 400 dollars, resold it for 4,000 dollars (approximately 130,000 baht), making a tenfold profit.
In response to the global unrest, Swatch issued a statement urging customers: "For the safety of both our customers and staff, we kindly ask everyone not to gather in large numbers at our stores to purchase this product. The Royal Pop collection will continue to be available for several months. In some countries, we cannot accommodate queues longer than 50 people, which may require temporary suspension of sales." However, Swatch has not commented further on compensation measures or reopening schedules for closed stores.