Swatch Ap Collab Teases Royal Pop Release for May 16

Swatch and Audemars Piguet used a new teaser last night to set up the swatch collab called "Royal Pop," with a wide release planned for Saturday, May 16. The teaser points to an affordable new take on the Royal Oak and suggests the brands are moving from speculation to a product launch.

Royal Pop and Swatch

The teaser called the project "a disruptive collaboration that fuses joyful boldness and positive provocation with the art of haute horlogerie." It also said, "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!"

The word "pop" connects the release to Swatch's customizable POP watch line, which launched in 1986. That line used removable dials in 47mm frames with fabric straps that could clip onto clothes and keychains. Swatch revived the POP range in 2022 in a smaller size.

MoonSwatch and Royal Oak

The teaser visuals closely mirrored the original MoonSwatch rollout in 2022, when Swatch released a limited number of watches in boutiques around the world. That earlier launch became hard to find quickly, and the MoonSwatch has so far shifted around two million units across 36 different models.

For this release, Swatch also teased a lanyard, and the first models are most likely to arrive in white, pink, green, orange, yellow, red, light blue, and navy. Those colors point to a broader, brighter lineup than the darker look associated with many luxury-watch releases.

Saturday, May 16 Release

The next step is straightforward: the collaboration is scheduled for a wide release on Saturday, May 16. Buyers and collectors now have a date, a name, and a likely color range to watch as the brands move toward the launch.