The Swatch and Audemars Piguet collab wound up well and truly popping off, but not necessarily in a good way. Swatch closed dozens of stores worldwide on Saturday as hordes of hopefuls tried to get their hands on the newly released Royal Pop pocket watch.
Police had to intervene at boutiques in New York, Paris, and London, with one video on social media showing officers appearing to use pepper spray on crowds at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island. French police also fired teargas to control 300 people outside a Swatch shop in Paris, according to The Guardian. Hundreds of shoppers rushed Swatch stores in Times Square and SoHo in Manhattan, as reported by The New York Times. The frenzy resulted in at least one arrest, according to the New York Police Department.
The eight candy-hued bioceramic timepieces, inspired by the AP’s high-end Royal Oak and Swatch’s more accessible Pop line, were officially unveiled on May 12. Some prospective clients began camping outside of stores at that point, while others queued up at 4 a.m. on the day of release, only to be turned away by officials.
People camping outside the Swatch store in Times Square ahead of the launch on May 16.
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