Audemars Piguet-Swatch watch has fans in the US camping outside for days

Swatch Group is launching its first-ever collaboration with a rival watchmaker, teaming up with ultra high-end competitor Audemars Piguet, and fans in the United States are already lining up five days ahead of its sale date.

It’s an unexpected move for the Swiss watchmaker, which owns more than a dozen brands ranging from low-cost Swatch to luxury Omega.

Swatch and Audemars Piguet have partnered to create a pocket watch that can transform into a pendant that’s worn around the neck. It can also be used as a desk clock or a bag charm.

The collaboration, which will be available starting on May 16 and cost around US$400 (S$500), will combine the bright colours that Swatch watches are known for with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak model, which is identifiable by its octagonal case created by famed watch designer Gerald Genta.

Dubbed the “Royal Pop” watch when it was first teased on Instagram, the pocket watch will be offered in a medley of colour combinations across eight models. There will be two case styles and three different calfskin lanyard lengths to wear it with.

On May 12, social media posts showed fans in New York were already lined up in anticipation of the watch’s launch.

Swatch has previously collaborated with its own brands – most famously when it created a hugely popular bioceramic take on Omega’s iconic luxury Speedmaster Moonwatch chronograph, the MoonSwatch.

Since 2022, the US$285 MoonSwatch has been a boon for Swatch. It sold a million units in its first year and variations remain popular today.

Some collectors criticised the latest partnership, saying it may devalue Audemars Piguet’s luxury status, with memes flooding the internet ahead of the launch. The high-end brand risks cheapening its appeal and pushing away its wealthy existing customers.

Mr Oliver Mueller, head of Switzerland’s LuxeConsult, said the partnership could be “highly positive for both brands”. For Audemars Piguet, it “reinforces the power of the Royal Oak by proving that its design language has entered popular culture”, he added. 

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak model was launched decades ago, with costs frequently hovering around US$50,000.

The Swatch Pop collection, which has been around for a similar amount of time, has featured a removable watch face that could be “popped” out of the strap and inserted into a variety of accessories. Options included pocket watch cases, necklaces, lanyards and refrigerator magnets.

The Royal Pop watch offers “the youngest aspirational consumers a legitimate first emotional touchpoint” with Audemars Piguet, Mr Mueller said. 

Audemars Piguet said in a statement it will donate all proceeds from the Royal Pop to an initiative to support the tradition of watchmaking “with a focus on rare skills and the next generation of horological talent”. BLOOMBERG