If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the post-MoonSwatch era, it’s that Swatch is a master of generating hype. Last week, it began with a series of cryptic advertisements. On the brand’s Instagram, it started with a colorful animation of what appeared to be a lanyard, followed by another graphic with the words “Royal” and “Pop.” Last Friday, we finally got a clearer tip-off of what the brand had up its sleeve, and it was an even more dramatic reveal than we’d been anticipating. For its latest collaboration, Swatch wasn’t teaming up with another member of the Swatch Group, but a fully fledged member of the Holy Trinity of Swiss watchmaking, none other than Audemars Piguet.
After a week of speculation and predictions, the duo has unveiled what might be its most ambitious collaboration yet: The Audemars Piguet X Swatch Royal Pop. Despite all the AI renderings of colorful Swatch-ified Royal Oak models, this collaboration has instead turned out to be a fleet of eight pocket watches in a candy-colored array of colors, each packed with a brand-new hand-wound SISTEM51 movement.
This collaboration has drawn heavily from the Swatch Pop Watches of the ’80s that could be popped off their straps to function as a pocketwatch, or attached to clothing, keychains, or whatever its wearer desired. Further, this wouldn’t even be the first time that the Royal Oak has gotten a pocketwatch remix – AP launched the Royal Oak 5691 in the early 1980s, but only produced these on an extremely small scale. This watch synthesizes these two ideas and democratizes them for mass market appeal in an undeniably fun package.
Of course, Swatch’s Bioceramic material has been the go-to across collaborations, and that holds true in this case, as it lends itself particularly well to bright, vibrant colors. The eight models each feature their own distinctive color palettes: a mix of light and dark blue; light pink accented with poppy red; a very ’80s mix of fuchsia, yellow, and turquoise details set against a white dial; a black-dial model packed into a white case; a turquoise- dial model with a yellow case and pink lanyard details; lime and dark green; and a purple model with orange accents. The hands and indices have received the Grade A Super-LumiNova treatment, and each dial features the AP X SWATCH logo at 12 o’clock, along with a tiny Royal Pop logo just above 6 o’clock.
The quintessential DNA of the Royal Oak is well at play. The watch icon’s distinctive eight-sided case shape, exposed screws on the bezel, and “Petite Tapisserie” dial texture are immediately recognizable. Arguably, the most fun detail of this collaboration is the inclusion of an external outer case mechanism (also in Bioceramic) that can be popped on and off at your heart’s desire. Each of these outer cases is paired with a color-coordinating lanyard made of calfskin. The Royal Pop measures 40mm without the outer case clip, with a profile of 8.4mm. With the clip, the measurements are 44.2mm by 53.2mm.
Within the eight, there are two distinct model types: the Lépine style, featuring the hours and minutes with the crown at 12, and another Savonette-style variation that adds a small seconds indicator into the mix and has the crown placed at 3 o’clock. Of these two variations, six take the form of the former (hour and minute only), with two sub-second models.
While the MoonSwatch has exclusively been quartz-powered (with the Renata 371 battery, to be precise), even before today, we have been well aware that a mechanical movement was a huge part of the conversation here. Swatch made sure to put that fact front and center as its teaser campaigns went on. Now, we can officially confirm that the AP X Swatch Royal Pop has gone all-out with a new SISTEM51 manually wound movement, which is on display through the caseback, and decorated with a Pop Art graphic. Additionally, this new, manually wound rendition of the caliber has a 90-hour power reserve and features a Nivachron balance spring.
The homages to Andy Warhol throughout this campaign couldn’t be more fitting. His genius for PR and Marketing — and his talent for bridging the gap between fine and commercial art, the high and the low — is exactly what’s going on in this collaboration here. I always find the contrast thrilling when a brand that is so shrouded in exclusivity and luxury lets its hair down a bit. And, with good reason.
Swatch has proven time and time again that this luxury-meets-attainability formula is nothing short of a blockbuster hit – MoonSwatch sales are reportedly above the $2 million mark. This specific duo has turned the heat all the way up, and it feels like the right move to not just attempt to recreate the MoonSwatch magic but to introduce a new type of product entirely. The Royal Pop is intentionally made to be modular, to be styled and expressed to reflect its wearer, and is ultimately free from the restraints of being wrist-bound.
Pricing begins at $400 for the Lépine style (small seconds) models, and is $420 for the Savonette models (small seconds). For now, the Audemars Piguet X Swatch Royal Pop will be available at roughly 200 select Swatch retailers worldwide, officially launching to the public on May 16th. I think we can expect to see this draw crowds comparable to the heyday of MoonSwatch Mania.
For more information, visit the brand’s website here.
