Audemars Piguet x Swatch formally announced — is this déjà vu?
Who remembers the MoonSwatch days of 2022 when discerning collectors were queuing round the block in their masses and spending over four times the RRP on the secondary market to get their hands on one?
With forums and social media in meltdown over the latest Swatch collaboration — this time with Audemars Piguet — are we destined for similar levels of frenzy?
After cryptic full page advertisements began to appear in major newspapers last week — albeit without product shots or pricing — social media has now confirmed the worst kept secret of the new ‘Royal Pop’ partnership between the two odd bedfellows.
Taking to Instagram to share the news over the weekend, Swatch shared: “Introducing Audemars Piguet x Swatch, a disruptive collaboration that fuses joyful boldness and positive provocation with the art of haute horlogerie.
“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!”
It was shared with the hashtag #RoyalPop to correspond with the content of the post itself, which had the Royal Pop text placed over an animated watch movement.
Similar excitement to the 2022 MoonSwatch launch has followed but there are a few differences to bear in mind. Where this partnership is expected to differ from the Omega collaboration is on the product itself. Omega lent the Speedmaster to the partnership, while Swatch was able to etch its design on the timepiece and cast it into bioceramic.
With Audemars Piguet, rumours suggest that it will be a bioceramic pocket watch released this Saturday, May 16, not a traditional wristwatch.
Spectulators on forums and across social media have also questioned the motive by the powers-that-be in Le Brassus too. The release will almost certainly be priced dramatically lower than any entry-level Audemars Piguet, so many have wondered just what they are in it for.
The opposite can be said for Swatch. Elevating the brand while appealing to the masses has proven to be a stroke of sales and marketing genius.
Read the latest Watch Insider news on Audemars Piguet HERE:
