Swatch, the plastic watch company known for its innovative designs, is having a bad morning.
The company has had to close some stores because riots are breaking out in the streets.
The cause of the uproar is a plastic watch face that comes on a lanyard, has no watch band, and isn’t even a limited edition.
It’s the latest Swatch collaboration with a “real” watch maker, in this case Audemars Piguet.
The watch is called Royal Pop, it comes in eight colors, and costs around $400.
Public response has been like the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Prospectors — aka re-sellers — think they can score a few and flip them for thousands of dollars.
They will be sorely mistaken. After this initial crush, Royal Pop will be available everywhere, and for a long time. And it’s unclear who will want it aside from a few collectors. It’s very expensive. For $400 you could buy a nice vintage watch on ebay or almost anywhere.
Replying to a customer’s frustration, Swatch Tweeted back: “We do our best to fulfil demand, and we hope that anyone who is a fan of this collaboration will soon be able to get their hands on one of these watches. We recommend that you check back regularly with your nearest selected store.”AP x Swatch chaos in Thailand https://t.co/FrujnktkVF pic.twitter.com/Dui6knuYdv
— Cabin (@watch_tsar) May 16, 2026
Swatch closed in Battersea London as queues force past security #swatchap #swatch #royalpop pic.twitter.com/yZJeU1MXCh
— Elliott William (@ElliottWilldam) May 16, 2026
JUST IN: Swatch shut down some of the FCFS locations for the Audemars Piguet x Swatch "Royal Pop" Collection that was supposed to drop today @Swatch pic.twitter.com/CTwiFHa0wW
— KicksFinder (@KicksFinder) May 16, 2026
