The launch of the Audemars Piguet x Swatch collection sparked global chaos on Saturday.
Fans endured long lines, fights and even the use of tear gas to get their hands on the $400 watch.
Brands and watch experts say Audemars Piguet is taking a cautious approach amid the uproar.
Zerxes Wadia started feeling like something was seriously wrong with his side mission on Saturday morning when he realized he was competing against a ruthless group of people, all looking for a chance to get their hands on the watch.
The Indian content creator arrived at Mumbai’s Phoenix Palladium mall at 5am to purchase a product from the popular Audemars Piguet and Swatch ‘Royal Pop’ pocket watch collection.
He found himself walking shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of like-minded people, all crowded into a seemingly endless queue outside a Swatch store.
On May 16, people rushed to buy one of eight colorful pocket watches (each priced at about $400), but things went horribly wrong, very quickly.
Things quickly descended into chaos around 8:30 a.m., when people began scaling barricades, running in and breaking into security checkpoints.
With access to the mall restricted, some people booked cricket and pickleball courts on site to try to get in.
“People buy movie tickets for random movies and then go through the theater to get to the theater,” Wadia said, adding that it’s fun to see the ingenuity of the fans around him.
But Wadia said it wasn’t just fans who lined up, but also scalpers and dealers. Due to the chaos, the conference was eventually canceled. He said he “walked out disappointed.”
Wadia is one of thousands of people lining up outside Swatch stores around the world, from Singapore to New York. Although the watch company says the series will remain available for “a few months,” fans are treating it as a limited edition.
Swatch tried to control the chaos, saying in a press release that queues would be limited to 50 people and that sales might need to be suspended.
Swatch said after the press conference: “In order to ensure the safety of Swatch store customers and employees, we kindly ask that you do not flock to our stores in large numbers to purchase this product.”
An Audemars Piguet spokesperson told Business Insider that Swatch had to delay the launch for security reasons due to “the size of the public vote in certain markets.”
A Swatch spokesperson told Business Insider that around 20 stores out of a total of 220 stores where the range was launched were experiencing problems because of “extremely long queues of interested customers” and because some shopping centers were unable to cope with the crowds.
Compared to Audemars Piguet’s most popular watches, whose Royal Oaks sell for more than $40,000, the “Royal Pop” pocket watch collection falls squarely into the aspirational luxury category.
The watches feature the octagonal face of Audemars Piguet’s iconic “Royal Oak” watches, but come in funky color combinations like yellow and pink, orange and blue.
They attach to a leather lanyard, making them a bag charm—Gen Z’s favorite accessory. Singaporean DJ and YouTuber Jade Rasif posted a message on TikTok in which she swapped the Pop Mart popular Labubu on her Hermès Birkin bag for a black “Royal Pop” pocket watch.
Molly Frampton, director of strategy at New York-based brand consultancy Interbrand, said the partnership “is a bold opportunity for both brands: to stretch, to expand, and to have some fun.”
The range is tailored for young, aspirational customers who understand Audemars Piguet’s heritage but “can’t afford to spend thousands of pounds on a watch,” said Vicky Bullen, chief executive of London-based brand agency Coley Porter Bell.
Tear gas is not a luxury
The crowds triggered police operations in several cities.Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
French police used tear gas to disperse a crowd at a store in Paris. A fight broke out in a store in Milan.
“Nothing says ‘luxury watchmaking’ like police dogs and tear gas, right?” said Eugene Tutunikov, chief executive of SwissWatchExpo, a retailer of second-hand luxury watches.
“While hype is a marketer’s dream, being pepper sprayed is not the premium customer experience anyone is looking for when buying a watch,” he added.
Tutunnikov said selling more approachable watches like the “Royal Pop” series would dilute Audemars Piguet’s brand. Tutunikov said Rolex has done something similar to attract an aspirational customer base, but at a lower price point with its stablemate, the Tudor.
“Tudor” watches typically cost around $5,000. According to California watch retailer Bob’s Watches, fancier Rolex models, such as the Daytona, start at $19,000 and go up to $75,000.
Tutunnikov said that if Rolex chose Audemars Piguet’s approach, it would be akin to launching a “neon plastic Daytona.”
Customers who queued for hours and went home empty-handed were likely “bitter about Swatch and probably bitter about AP,” Bullen said.
power is scarce
Queues and chaos as a branding strategy.Massimo Rossi/Getty Images
In an economy of scarcity, clutter can be a valuable brand-building tool, Brun said.
In recent years, scarcity has been synonymous with collectibles like watches, toys, blind boxes, and even Trader Joe’s tote bags.
In an era when consumers are obsessed with buying small luxury items, companies rely on limited-edition products to boost their street cred — even if that means long lines and melees.
Joshua Ganjei, CEO of Boston-based watch retailer European Watches, said the commotion during Saturday’s launch event was unfortunate but generated a lot of media coverage of Audemars Piguet.
“I’m sure the AP is very pleased with how this whole thing is going,” Ganj said.
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