Take one of the most hyped watches of all time, the Royal Oak, and market it as an entry-level bioceramic watch, akin to what Swatch Group did with the Omega Speedmaster via the MoonSwatch, and there’s a chance the results might be incredible.
The Swatch x Audemars Piguet “Royal Pop,” is a design that’s not just rumored, but already officially teased by Swatch and Audemars Piguet. The coverage has been so substantial, that this may be the most pre-hyped watch launch of all time.
Come Saturday, we expect to have a confirmation of exactly what Swatch and AP are launching (a wristwatch, a pocket watch, a pendant watch, a convertible watch-pendant, or something else altogether), including colorways, pricing, and availability.
Based on official teasers from Swatch, it looks like we’ll be getting a mechanical watch, not the quartz, seen in Swatch’s most successful design to date, the MoonSwatch. Swatch previously also introduced a BlancSwatch, which is a collaboration between Blancpain and Swatch, and that has a mechanical movement.
The problem with the BlancSwatch, and why that particular watch flopped whereas in contrast the MoonSwatch outperformed pretty much everything on the market, is that the mechanical movement, is not repairable, so once it breaks, it’s effectively trash.
Swatch has long argued that MoonSwatch elevated both Swatch and Omega sales, however, there’s a counter argument, that Omega sales revenue has been declining ever since the launch of the ultra-popular, cheap Speedmaster, and some theorize the MoonSwatch was one of the direct causes of the drop.
Audemars Piguet, is a brand that has seen particularly strong sales and demand, for years now, and who’s former CEO (François-Henri Bennahmias) went on record as liking the MoonSwatch (which makes this collaboration less surprising, even if he’s no longer at the helm).
Will offering such a cheap alternative to the ultra-luxury priced Royal Oak, which now starts at $31,900 in basic form for a 41 mm stainless steel Ref. 15510ST with a blue dial, bolster, degrade, or have no affect on Audemars Piguet’s brand value, and revenue?
Making cheaper variations of the Gerald Genta’s legendarily iconic Royal Oak design, is nothing new, and you can check out of Twelve Royal Oak Alternatives list for a small taste of what’s out there, with durable long-lasting movements inside that logically make more sense than buying a throw away Swatch mechanical movement. Although, the hype around the Swatch x Audemars Piguet “Royal Pop” makes it clear, emotion, not logic, will likely drive record sales come May 16th, 2026, when the watch officially launches.
Final Thoughts
Even as cool as the Swatch x Audemars Piguet collaboration seemingly appears to be, with a mechanical Swatch movement, it’s not likely made to last longterm. At least, the MoonSwatch has a quartz movement that’s serviceable. That said, judging for the online chatter, and despite people referring to the upcoming collaborative watch as the “Royal Broke” and “Royal Poop” many people will be buying this (for a rumored $300-500) regardless of it being powered by a mechanical movement that’s not made to last forever in the way that true Swiss watches are supposed to.
Update: Predictably, Swatch built up the anticipation, then, presumably, due to the virality, could not wait until the May 16th. Here’s the official announcement from Swatch Instagram channels, 4 days in advance of planned launch date.
“Eight unique pocket watches made for endless creative styling. Two Swiss icons. One collection that rewrites the rules of watchmaking. This is the Royal Pop Collection, a groundbreaking union of Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak and Swatch’s POP watches from the 1980s.
At the core of this collection is another world first: a brand-new version of our signature SISTEM51 movement, reimagined as a hand-wound caliber and finished with a dash of Pop Art. And to top it all off the watches are available in one of two unique styles: Lépine and Savonnette. Available as of May 16, at selected Swatch stores worldwide. #RoyalPop“
Designs by Nano Banana/Photo by Swatch.
