After a week of teasers and speculation, the Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal Pop has officially landed, and the predictions were right – it isn’t a wristwatch. The eight-piece collection of convertible pocket watches drops in-store only at selected Swatch boutiques worldwide this Saturday 16th May, with prices starting at £335 / $400. It’s the first time Swatch has partnered with a maison sitting fully outside its own group, and the first time Audemars Piguet has authorised a Royal Oak design to be produced outside Le Brassus.
When does the AP x Swatch Royal Pop release?
The Royal Pop launches on Saturday 16th May at selected Swatch boutiques worldwide. There’s no online release, no pre-order, and Swatch is enforcing one watch per person, per day, per store, the same allocation playbook that governed the MoonSwatch and Scuba Fifty Fathoms drops. Swatch CEO Nick Hayek has cited the 5,000-strong MoonSwatch queues in Australia as a baseline for what to expect.
Where can you buy the AP x Swatch Royal Pop?
The collection will be sold globally at selected Swatch boutiques only. In the UK, 12 boutiques are confirmed: five in London (Westfield White City, Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Battersea Power Station, and Covent Garden) plus Birmingham, Cardiff, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, and Liverpool. In the US, 21 boutiques across 20 cities are confirmed, including the New York SoHo and Times Square sites, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Houston. Stockists are also confirmed across Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, and Japan, with the full list and opening hours on Swatch’s store locator.
How much does the AP x Swatch Royal Pop cost?
The six Lépine (hours and minutes) pieces are priced at £335 / $400, with the two Savonnette (small seconds) models at £350 / $420. That places the Royal Pop above the $260 MoonSwatch launch price, in keeping with Audemars Piguet’s position above Omega.
What’s in the AP x Swatch Royal Pop collection?
The Royal Pop comprises eight convertible pocket watches, with the “eight” referencing the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel and each variant named after the word for “eight” in a different language. Six Lépine versions (Huit Blanc, Blaue Acht, Ocho Negro, Green Eight, Otto Rosso, and Orenji Hachi) sit hours and minutes at 12 o’clock; two Savonnettes (Lan Ba and OTG Roz) shift the crown to 3 o’clock with a small seconds subdial. All are 40mm Bioceramic, with a Petite Tapisserie dial, octagonal bezel, eight hexagonal screws, and Royal Oak hands. The case clips into a lanyard holder that doubles as a desk stand, with three lanyard lengths supplied.
Huit Blanc
Each Huit Blanc has its eight bezel screws assembled in a randomly generated colour order at the factory. Swatch puts the figure at three million possible combinations, which means every Huit Blanc to leave the line is unique. It’s the most quietly clever piece in the collection, and a neat way of writing scarcity into the entry-level variant.
OTG Roz
The pink, yellow, and teal OTG Roz is the standout Savonnette and the most overtly art-historical piece in the collection. The name is Romansh for “eight pink” (Switzerland’s fourth and least-spoken official language), and Swatch has confirmed the design is directly inspired by Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe series. Expect this to be the marquee piece on the secondary market.
What movement does the AP x Swatch Royal Pop use?
Under the sapphire caseback sits a hand-wound Sistem51, the first time the 51-component calibre has appeared in manual format, and a movement that arrives with 15 active patents, a 90-hour power reserve, and an anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring. The barrel drums shift colour as the watch winds down, giving an at-a-glance power reserve indication through the back. Regardless of what people say about the movement, these are some genuinely impressive specs for the price.
Where do proceeds from the AP x Swatch Royal Pop go?
Beyond the queueing and the launch headlines, Audemars Piguet has confirmed that 100% of its proceeds from the Royal Pop will go to a dedicated initiative supporting the preservation and transmission of watchmaking savoir-faire, with a focus on rare crafts and the next generation of horological talent. It’s a nice touch that elevates the collab above a straightforward commercial play – though whether or not it damages or enhances the Royal Oak brand, only time will tell.
Price and Specs:
More details at Swatch.
Having a several AP’s & being that it was the first really high-end watch I acquired, Also the fact that I was 12 years old when the first line of Swatch pop watches came out. I’m coming from a stance where I think that it’s a very smart move from AP. The people who can afford AP’s are my age we are really just settling in to take over the world from our 70ty year old parents. Also there are many people my age who chose Financial success versus family in our 20ties, now having children that are the age I was when Swatch Pop first came out. I really love the idea for so many reasons one of them being I can explain to my 15 year old that her dad not only wore Parachute pants that you could zip down the side to open a different color but also wore fluorescent Loud and obnoxious clothing with 2 to 3 Swatch watches on each wrist. Then I can explain the value of and AP and what makes it tick. The 100% of the proceeds going to future watch makers only Galvanizes how smart of it move is for the Royal Oak brand. I think they are really cool and a set of 8 for under $5000. Where can I get a few sets.
I think it’s going to be a Royal Flop. Not enough AP their for me.
You don’t even know how to spell there. So don’t think your opinion is very valid
Not for me, but I do think it is creative and well done. There will be those who put in the effort to obtain the full set. You could do it in one day if you can organise 7 others to assist. 8 collectors group together….