Swatch x Audemars Piguet Chaos: 10 Videos Show Chaotic Launch, Some Police Use Tear Gas to Control Crowd

The launch of the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop collection didn't just attract attention—it completely overwhelmed it.

Across several major cities, what was meant to be a celebratory fashion drop quickly turned into scenes of long queues, overwhelmed stores, and police stepping in to manage crowds. In Paris, things escalated to the point where tear gas was reportedly used to disperse a dense gathering outside a Swatch store, with videos of the incident circulating widely online.

The rollout led to closures and crowd-control measures in multiple locations as demand spiralled beyond expectations.

At the heart of it all is a collaboration that was supposed to blend luxury heritage with playful accessibility, but instead exposed just how intense hype culture has become when the right brands collide.

What's Inside the Royal Pop Collection—And Why Did It Blow Up?

This is not your average fashion collab. Audemars Piguet, the Swiss luxury watchmaker behind the iconic Royal Oak, teamed up with Swatch to reinterpret that heritage in a more accessible and colourful way.

The Royal Pop collection is a series of pocket watches that borrow heavily from the Royal Oak's design DNA. It features octagonal shapes, textured dials, and bold geometric detailing—all reimagined in Swatch's signature playful Bioceramic style.

Swatch describes the collection as a celebration of design heritage made more approachable, with bold colours and a lighter, more collectible format. The idea is essentially to take something deeply luxury-coded and reframe it in a fun, everyday object you can actually buy without a six-figure price tag hanging over it.

The drop consists of eight distinct Royal Pop pocket watches, each arriving in different colourways and designed to feel like wearable art pieces. They keep nods to the Royal Oak's visual identity, but shift it into a more compact and modern collectible format.

The frenzy didn't just come from the design. It was fuelled by the contrast. Audemars Piguet sits firmly in the ultra-luxury space, while Swatch is known for affordable, mass-market watches. That created a perfect storm of curiosity, urgency, and resale speculation.

This means people weren't just buying watches; they were chasing a moment.

Launch Locations Around The World

The rollout wasn't limited to one flagship city. It went global almost instantly, which is part of why the chaos spread so quickly.

Major launch locations included London, Paris, Milan, New York, Dubai, and several key cities across Asia-Pacific, including Australia and parts of Southeast Asia. Across many of these locations, stores opened to crowds that had already been waiting for hours—sometimes overnight.

The result was much the same almost everywhere. Packed streets, blocked entrances, and stores were forced to manage queues far beyond normal capacity.

What Happened During the Launch?

This is where things shifted from 'hype drop' to full-blown disruption. In several cities, demand outpaced control measures almost immediately.

In Paris, police used tear gas after crowds became unmanageable outside a Swatch store, according to The Guardian. Meanwhile, Milan saw physical confrontations as customers surged toward entrances.

In parts of the United Kingdom and United States, stores temporarily shut their doors after queues became unsafe.

Some locations reported shoppers camping overnight just to secure a chance at purchase. A handful of stores introduced strict one-per-customer limits, but even that didn't fully slow the rush.

What stood out wasn't only the demand—it was the speed. Within minutes of opening, some stores were already overwhelmed, forcing staff to pause or cancel sales entirely.

What Happens Next

The collection retailed for around $400–$420 (£320–£335) at launch. But it didn't take long for resale prices to take off, with pieces already appearing online for $2,000–$3,000 (£1,600–£2,400) as demand surged, Complex reported.

Following the chaotic rollout, Swatch has issued public guidance urging customers not to rush stores in large numbers and to expect ongoing availability.

The brand has also indicated that sales will continue in selected stores over the coming months, with restocks expected depending on regional demand and safety conditions.

However, several locations temporarily closed or suspended sales during the initial launch weekend. Some reopened only after crowd control measures were reviewed.

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