Audemars Piguet and Swatch lift the lid on highly anticipated pocket watch
As speculation online reached fever pitch, Audemars Piguet and Swatch have finally unveiled the outcome of their collaboration.
The result of the partnership, a pocket watch in eight colourful Bioceramic models, has led to a few raised eyebrows from industry folk and collectors alike.
Inspired by the Swatch POP, the Royal Pop as the new product in known, taps into Pop Art heritage while drawing on hallmark features from both the Swatch and Audemars Piguet brands.
There are specific references drawn from the AP’s Royal Oak collection, launched in 1972, as well as the Swatch POP of the 1980s, giving the pocket watch a retro feel.
Described as giving the timepiece a chance to “break free from the wrist,” the collection comes on a calfskin lanyard with contrasting stitching.
Powered by the Swatch SISTEM51 movement, it is now offered in a new hand-wound version with 15 active patents and is the only watch movement in the world put together using an entirely automated process.
With 90 hours of power reserve, the mechanism is partially visible thanks to the transparent caseback of the eight watches in the collection.
In addition to a variety of colour to settle on, customers also have two different versions to choose from when making a purchase.
The first is to opt for a Lépine-style pocket watch, with the winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock. Time reading is simplified to two hands, hours and minutes, and is available in six different models.
The other is to go for a Savonnette-style pocket watch with the winding crown at 3 o’clock. This version, available in two models, features a dial with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
They are priced at £335–350 / $400–$420.
News on the partnership was first teased over the weekend and, before the confirmation of a pocket watch, rumours online speculated on what was in store.
Read the Watch Insider report from earlier in the week HERE.
