Swatch’s Audemars Piguet “Royal Pop” is finally here – and it costs $670
People are already camping outside stores to get one
AFTER A WEEK of cryptic adverts, countdowns and feverish online speculation, Swatch has finally revealed the product at the centre of one of the most talked-about watch launches of the year: the Audemars Piguet x Swatch “Royal Pop”.
And yes, it’s every bit as strange as people hoped.
First teased via newspaper adverts and mysterious social posts that echoed the original MoonSwatch rollout in 2022, the collaboration has dominated watch forums, WhatsApp groups and TikTok feeds for days, despite the fact nobody actually knew what the product was. Some fans have reportedly already started queueing outside stores ahead of Saturday’s launch.
Now we finally have answers.
The project, according to the brands, was born from an idea by Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta. But the cleverness of the collaboration lies in what it is not.
For days, online speculation has centred around the idea of Swatch making a cheap Royal Oak. Instead, AP and Swatch have sidestepped the obvious move entirely. The Royal Pop is not a plastic Royal Oak wristwatch in the way the MoonSwatch reimagined the Omega Speedmaster. In fact, it has been specifically designed not to be worn on the wrist at all.
That decision feels key to understanding the entire project.
Rather than shrink the exclusivity of the Royal Oak itself, Audemars Piguet has used the collaboration to create something adjacent to it: a wearable object inspired by the Royal Oak’s design language, but aimed squarely at a younger audience raised on charms, accessories, customisation and streetwear culture.
The clue was there from the beginning. Swatch described the collaboration as a way to “bring future generations to the world of mechanical watches”, while the teaser campaign repeatedly hinted at “a complete new way to wear time”.
And that is exactly what the Royal Pop is.
Inspired by Swatch’s cult POP watches from the 1980s and 1990s, the Royal Pop is effectively a transformable pocket watch that can be worn around the neck, clipped onto bags, displayed as a desk clock or carried traditionally. Swatch is not officially offering a wrist strap system, although modders will almost certainly start creating their own versions within hours.
The collection consists of eight different Bioceramic models, each taking design cues from the Royal Oak, including the octagonal bezel, Petite Tapisserie dial and exposed screws. Two models feature small seconds displays, while the others are time-only pieces.
The names are appropriately playful and multilingual: Otto Rosso, Huit Blanc, Green Eight, Blaue Acht, Orenji Hachi, Lan Ba, Ocho Negro and Otg Roz.
Technically, there are a few surprises too. Unlike the quartz MoonSwatch, the Royal Pop uses a hand-wound version of Swatch’s Sistem51 mechanical movement with a 90-hour power reserve and anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring. There are also sapphire crystals front and back, a noticeable step up from previous Swatch collaborations.
Prices start at $630 for the time-only models and $670 for the small seconds versions.
The Royal Pop launches on Saturday, May 16, through selected Swatch boutiques only, with purchases limited to one watch per person, per store, per day. Accessories including additional lanyards and desk-clock holders will also be sold separately online.
And yes, the hype already looks enormous.
The MoonSwatch sold around two million pieces across 36 variations and introduced an entirely new audience to Swiss watches. But this collaboration may prove even noisier simply because of Audemars Piguet’s cultural status. The Royal Oak is arguably the most recognisable luxury sports watch on earth, worn by everyone from athletes and rappers to tech billionaires and Hollywood actors.
Which is precisely why this collaboration once felt impossible.
“The only way to play safe is to not do anything,” Resta said during the launch. “And that’s not in AP’s DNA.”
Whether watch purists love it or hate it, the Royal Pop is already the defining watch launch of the summer.
This article first appeared on Esquire UK
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