There are so many jokes to be had at the expense of the Royal Pop that one might sneak past me here – although we flirted with a few bombs for our Finishing page in Vision. That was before various disasters hit the launch, forcing stores to close and riots to kick off, just like they did with the MoonSwatch. When cities have to mobilise riot police to deal with rowdy watch enthusiasts, the public is understandably disturbed – their peace has been literally disturbed, so this is not unreasonable.
To begin with, though, what else is there to say about the Swatch and Audemars Piguet collaboration? Well, let me begin with some paraphrased Shakespeare to set the scene: Friends, readers, countrymen, lend me your wrists! I come to bury the Pop, not to praise it. Well, that is not quite right because there is no corpse here, nor murder most foul – not even of the metaphorical sort. Also, for context, Mark Antony’s speech was meant as a clever way to redeem the reputation of the murdered consul while damning his assassins. My little ditty is not so glorious in its ambition, and thus I will not refute the lies circulating about the Swatch Royal Pop. I will merely reiterate what others have said: Rumours and hearsay are just that, and you should treat them that way.
Perhaps some goodwill has been squandered and some collectors (primarily Audemars Piguet stalwarts) have been offended – I would prefer to have real evidence of this before commenting, and Audemars Piguet has survived collector disses before. As Tim Mosso of The 1916 Company noted, the brand did more damage to itself with the launch of the Code 11.59. In short, the Royal Pop is nothing to write home about, nor invoke the Bard himself for. On the other hand, it seems like the whole watchmaking business has been tarred and feathered because of the Royal Pop, or the well-publicised vitriol associated with it. Thus, some kind of defence is warranted after all.
To be clear, the entire debacle could have been managed better, and brands should consider how their actions will impact everyone
else. As we note in our stories about innovation, a race to the bottom is of no value to craft watchmaking. If acting for the good of the many is too much to ask, perhaps only consider the safety and well-being of store staff and customers? While I can buy the proposition that even bad news can be useful, this is ugly stuff for fine watchmaking pedigree. The Royal Pop may have disappeared from the news cycle, but I can easily imagine consumer rights activists jumping on this sort of story.
This is all a digression, though, because I absolutely do think the negativity will die down, just as it did with previous Omega and Blancpain collaborations with Swatch. It is hard to tell how reputations are shaped, and not merely brand ones. At present, the community is still sweet on watchmaking culture – how else to explain the incredible goodwill independents generate? Yes, there are gripes about pricing, but most enthusiasts will blame that on the greed of major corporations. Independents do not play that game – oh, no, not those fine fellows. For the record, Audemars Piguet is an independent (albeit a big one) and it says it is not
profiting from the sale of Royal Pop watches. Instead, its dollars earned will be spent on the education of future watchmakers. How about that for the authentic spirit of the indie watchmaker, then?
The above is great stuff, and I have no logical reason to doubt Audemars Piguet here. How many brands would do something like this, for the good of the culture and future of the very thing we all love? You can probably guess the names. Again, though, riots and people getting hurt – and possibly unfairly used – adds a dash of stink here and spoils the party. The good of it all is that the Royal Pop will sell, and probably sell well, and thus will still do all the things Audemars Piguet promised.
So, what of the watch itself? None but collectors in good standing get a shot at a Royal Oak, and giving a wide audience a
way into the design language and name recognition might be clever. Desirability needs to be stoked after all, and this might be the pop that the Royal Oak needs for Gen Alpha. For all those interested, remember this is not a limited edition, and even if it was, it is still not worth rioting over. The Royal Pop is a fun watch, and if the experience turns out to be otherwise, then you should pass on it. It is nothing like an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak – it is not even a wristwatch!
From left: All eight pieces of the Royal Pop collection; the savonnette-style Otg Roz
On that note, this is the second time this magazine has covered the Royal Pop (not including on digital) and, for my part, I have nothing much to say about the watches themselves. To my knowledge, no one on the team has seen them in person nor bought any – I certainly have not. But I like to think that we all certainly harbour hopes for unreasonable success here. The Royal Oak is a cultural touchstone for the watch-loving set, and so is Swatch. With this sentiment in mind, I must think we all wish the Royal Pop could be a bridge between true believers and everyone else. Perhaps posterity will yet deliver a positive verdict here.
This story was first seen as part of the WOW #84 Summer 2026 issue.
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