The release of the new Audemars Piguet and Swatch pocket watch was not exactly fine-tuned.
Throngs of enthusiasts and resellers, who hoped to turn a profit, swarmed Swatch locations around the world this weekend for a chance to snag a piece of the Royal Pop collection.
Hype around the release — a mashup between Audemars Piguet’s sleek Royal Oak and Swatch’s POP line from the ’80s — has been building since the companies unveiled it on Tuesday. Audemars Piguet watches can cost tens of thousands of dollars, making its partnership with Swatch, an affordable brand, all the more enticing.
The excitement around the collaboration was so intense that dedicated fans camped outside stores for days in advance.
By Saturday morning, the furor had reached dangerous levels, forcing Swatch to close several stores across the United States and Canada due to “public safety considerations.” As the day went on, the company announced additional store closures.
“Some of our stores had to be closed in accordance with our security staff and local authorities to ensure a safe environment for everyone,” the company said in a statement shared online.
That list included a Swatch store at Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Long Island, where one TikTok user at the scene captured footage and shared it on social media. The video showed a large, jostling group of people gathered inside the parking garage. The TikTok user, who asked not to be named, told Business Insider that police officers used pepper spray on the crowd.
A spokesperson for the Nassau County Police Department said he could not confirm if pepper spray was used. He said officers arrived at the Roosevelt Field mall at about 1:40 a.m. after store employees called, and that “several” people were arrested.
The TikTok user, who goes by ggchang.nyc online, said the event felt disorganized from the beginning. He arrived at the Swatch store around 1:30 a.m., though some people had been waiting outside for hours before that.
He said confusion over which lines attendees should stand contributed to the chaos, which came to a head around 6 a.m when employees began letting people purchase the pocket watches. People in the back of the crowd grew antsy and began pushing toward the front, he said, creating an uncomfortable squeeze he compared to a wave.
He said the situation felt especially intense because police officers were shouting and making physical contact with attendees amid the uproar. He left the product drop around 8 a.m. — without a new watch.
Swatch, in response to the bedlam, asked fans “not to rush to our stores.”
“The Royal Pop Collection will remain available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused,” Swatch said on Saturday.
Some of those who managed to get a watch were quick to put it on eBay, where it is already going for as much as $15,000. Swatch is selling the pocket watches for about $400.
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