Swiss watchmaker Swatch closed dozens of its stores on Saturday as large crowds queued to try to snatch up Royal Pop pocket watches from its collaboration with luxury watch maker Audemars Piguet.
The frenzy prompted police interventions at stores from London to New York and disappointed customers who queued for hours to buy the colorful pop art-inspired watches, which cost between $400 and $420.
Video shared on social media shows a chaotic scene at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island as police officers appeared to use pepper spray to control the crowd.
Hundreds of customers also invaded Swatch stores in Times Square and SoHo in Manhattan, leading to at least one arrest, according to the New York Police Department.
In posts on several of its social media pages, Swatch said it closed more than 30 stores “for reasons of public safety.”
Saturday was to serve as the global launch of the Bioceramic Royal Pop collection of pocket watches from Swatch and Audemars Piguet, a luxury Swiss watchmaker whose entry-level products cost $20,000. The collection’s eight colorful watches were inspired by Audemars Piguet’s luxury Royal Oak watch and Swatch’s more affordable POP line from the 1980s.
Ahead of the launch, Swatch said on its website that the pocket watches would be “available for purchase only in select Swatch stores worldwide.” In social media posts, the company implored customers “not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product”, adding that it was not a limited edition collection.
Swatch also said on Instagram that lines of more than 50 people could not be accommodated in some countries, but that didn’t stop fans watching in places as disparate as Singapore and a Detroit suburb from lining up by the hundreds early Saturday morning.
Swatch ultimately closed its stores in Paris, London, Dubai, Toronto, Atlanta and dozens of other cities because of the crowds.
Frustrated shoppers took to social media to complain about canceled sales, and many called on Swatch to allow people to buy the collaboration’s watches online.
Several people lamented waiting in line for days or rushing to their local malls at 4 a.m., only to be escorted out of Swatch stores by authorities.
The King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania delayed its opening until noon Saturday after authorities dispersed hundreds of people vying for watches, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The watch resale market may be behind some of the hysteria. Most of the lucky buyers who purchased the pocket watches on Saturday had already listed them for sale on eBay for thousands of dollars.
This collaboration gave watch enthusiasts a rare opportunity to purchase an Audemars Piguet product at a relatively affordable price.
