Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal POp: Here’s What We Know!

Swatch has been teasing us for the last week about a secret release scheduled to debut on May 16th. The teasers refer to the Swatch POP (a watch introduced in 1986), a lanyard, a “clac” sound, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, and a Sistem51 mechanical movement.

Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal POp

Once word about this collaboration got out, the internet, especially social media, was immediately on fire. We’ve seen comments and posts from people who couldn’t believe Audemars Piguet was involved in the project. However, AP also shared social media posts about the upcoming introduction, easily debunking their doubts. The discussions and comments are all over the place. There’s love, hate, and everything in between. And a lot of it is fueled by creative (and less creative) AI-generated images from those trying to come up with (or reveal) the products that Swatch and Audemars Piguet will show us soon.

So, what do we know? What is it about? Let’s try to break it down

When Swatch introduced the MoonSwatch in 2022, Nick Hayek Jr. let us know he would be open to other future collaborations, not necessarily limited to Swatch Group brands. While the next collab brand was Blancpain, part of the Swatch Group, Audemars Piguet is an independent company with no ties to the Swatch Group. At the time, Hayek also said that such collaborations should involve iconic watches. Enter the Royal Oak. So, what’s in it for Audemars Piguet? I will get back to that later.

The 1986 Swatch POP

Let’s first have a look at the teaser that says “Swatch Royal POp” (capital PO in “POp”). The Swatch POP from 1986 (onwards) was customizable because its watch head could be removed (with a “pop” or “click” sound) from its frame and strap. This watch was typically 1980s with its fashion-forward versatility, allowing owners to wear it on the wrist, clip it to clothes, attach it to bags, or wear it as a pendant. It was a cool idea, and the Swatch POP was very successful in the 1980s.

Swatch POP from 2016

It was in production for about a decade and slowly faded away. In 2016, it was revived, as my colleague Gerard wrote here. He then wrote:

“The original POP-Swatch was introduced in 1986 and was meant as a fashion product. The name POP not only came from the fact that POP was kind of an equivalent for fashion, but also because the watch could be POP-ed out of its frame. It then could be separated from its strap, and with the frame connected to your clothes or wherever else.”

A removable watch head

When Swatch teased us with the lanyard and “Clac!” it became very clear that it will indeed be a new interpretation of the Swatch POP. This time, though, it will probably feature the design of the octagonal Royal Oak case. And some people had AI create images of a Royal Oak pocket watch made of plastic or Bioceramic, connected to a leather lanyard.

On May 8th, Swatch and Audemars Piguet published the teaser above, showing a mechanical movement with a “Royal POp” overlay. That looks like a Sistem51 movement, which Swatch introduced in 2013. The Blancpain × Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms also featured this mechanical movement, of course. At least the teaser from Swatch shows great resemblance to the Sistem51 movement. But perhaps it’s not a self-winding version?

Based on the large Audemars Piguet × Swatch cases placed in the windows of Swatch boutiques worldwide, we can also safely say there will be quite a variety, much like the MoonSwatch, which debuted in 11 variations in 2022. A Swatch Royal POp with a Sistem51 movement in a variety of Bioceramic octagonal cases with matching lanyards could make sense! My educated guess is that you will be able to pop the watch case off and attach it to a regular strap, keychain, or something else.

What’s in it for Swatch?

The MoonSwatch marked the start of a new chapter for Swatch. We went from hardly ever seeing people wearing Swatch watches on the streets, in offices, at the beach, and so on to seeing MoonSwatches on people’s wrists very regularly. Swatch and Omega did an amazing job of creating new buzz for the brand. On top of that, the collaboration helped boost sales of the real Omega Speedmaster Professional. Since 2022, Swatch has sold millions of MoonSwatches. There are now over 30 variations (we’ve lost count), but the queues have vanished. If you want one, you can now go to a Swatch boutique, and quite a few variations will probably be in stock. As with all types of hype, it eventually died down.

Meanwhile, Swatch tried again with Blancpain. The brands released the Scuba Fifty Fathoms with the Sistem51 movement and offered it for a slightly higher price (€400) than the MoonSwatch (starting at €275). But Blancpain is not a household name like Omega, so we can safely say the hype for these Scuba Fifty Fathoms was not on the same scale as for the MoonSwatch.

With this new collaboration, Swatch teams up with Audemars Piguet, a brand known for its iconic Royal Oak design. There are so many fans out there who admire the Royal Oak, and they’re not just watch enthusiasts. This goes beyond enthusiasts’ circles and will attract a much larger group, just as the MoonSwatch did in 2022.

With its teaser campaigns, Swatch already broke the internet without revealing exactly what will happen. Yet, the watch community is already on fire. We can safely say that from a marketing perspective, Swatch has already worked miracles once more. If May 16th results in the same craze we saw in 2022, things look good for the company.

What’s in it for Audemars Piguet?

When Hayek told us that he would consider collabs from brands outside the Swatch Group, several watches were mentioned, including the Royal Oak. I couldn’t imagine how this would work, as brands would have to permit Swatch to use very specific, iconic designs. The success of the MoonSwatch collaboration with Omega must have been very convincing for Audemars Piguet. Not only that, but Hayek also underlined more than once that it’s just all about fun — a fun product for everyone to “chase” (remember, boutique sales only!).

So, how will this play out for Audemars Piguet? For Omega, it led to a boost in Speedmaster sales. Can we expect a sales push for Audemars Piguet? The difference between Audemars Piguet and Omega watches, besides the price, is that the Moonwatch is readily available, whereas you will land on a waitlist for a Royal Oak at the AP House. However, we can envision it generating interest in Audemars Piguet watches among a very broad, young audience. For those not yet familiar with the brand from Le Brassus, this collaboration will plant a seed. Perhaps it will be something aspirational for them; who knows? It has already created an explosion of awareness for both Swatch and Audemars Piguet, and that will surely

What do we think?

The MoonSwatch collaboration was a genius move. People talked about Swatch again, whether they loved or hated the watches, and the brand became the topic of many discussions. Better yet, people bought MoonSwatches and Moonwatches in large numbers. It also attracted a new audience of watch buyers, and that’s what the watch industry needs right now. While you can be annoyed or frustrated with Swatch using existing models, perhaps your favorite watches, you can’t be mad at a brand trying to get a new audience attracted to watches. Remind yourself how you first became interested in watches, for example. It might have been a very fluid process, but I also know that for many, it was once a fake Rolex, a Casio, or a Swatch. And now, we have watch enthusiasts whose first step into watches was buying a MoonSwatch.

I hope that the Royal POp will be a successful move for both companies. What I don’t like to see is endless repetition at the end, as has happened with the MoonSwatch. Let’s put it this way: a more effectively curated selection of MoonSwatches releases would have helped me maintain my enthusiasm. However, as Audemars Piguet is a brand outside the Swatch Group, I assume there is an agreement in place on how and when the collaboration will end.

As Swatch and Audemars Piguet let us know thus far: “Introducing Audemars Piguet × Swatch, a disruptive collaboration that fuses joyful boldness and positive provocation with the art of haute horlogerie. Two Swiss icons come together to reimagine a complete new way to wear time and bring future generations to the world of mechanical watches. Stay tuned!”

I can’t wait until May 16th to see what Swatch and Audemars Piguet have been working on in secrecy. It’s definitely exciting to follow!