Queues in town have already formed for the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop

The next big Swatch collaboration has officially landed. And this time, it is not Omega or Blancpain — both brands under the Swatch Group. Instead, Swatch has teamed up with independent manufacture Audemars Piguet for what could become one of the most talked-about watch launches of 2026: the new Royal Pop collection.

After the MoonSwatch queues wrapped around city blocks and the Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms collaboration effectively broke the internet, expectations for Swatch’s next move were always going to be sky-high.

Few, however, expected the brand to partner with Audemars Piguet, considered one of the “Holy Trinity” of Swiss luxury watchmaking. This unprecedented move is made more mind-blowing with its focus on AP’s most recognisable designs: the Royal Oak.

And rather than producing a straightforward wristwatch homage, both companies have gone in a deliberately disruptive direction. The Royal Pop transforms the sports luxe Royal Oak into a colourful Bioceramic pocket watch inspired by Swatch’s cult POP watches from the 1980s.

The result is part Pop Art object, part collectible mechanical watch, and part fashion accessory.

The collection launches with eight different models, each taking cues from the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel and signature exposed screws. The watches can be worn around the neck using calfskin lanyards, attached to bags, slipped into pockets, or even displayed on a desk using a removable stand.

Six models are made as Lepine-style pocket watches, with the winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock and time display simplified to the hour and minute hands. Two Savonnette-style versions feature the winding crown at 3 o’clock with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

Importantly, this is not merely a fashion piece riding on the Royal Oak name. The Royal Pop collection uses Swatch’s SISTEM51 mechanical movement in a new hand-wound format featuring 15 active patents, more than 90 hours of power reserve, anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring, and laser-regulated factory precision adjustment.

Besides bearing the only Swiss-made mechanical movement in the world whose assembly is 100 per cent automated, its balance spring is also notable because the Nivachron technology was originally developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet and is already used in several AP models.

There are numerous references to the Royal Oak itself. Every model carries the famous “Petite Tapisserie” dial motif first introduced on the 1972 Royal Oak, while the octagonal bezel construction and eight visible screws remain central to the design language.

Even the number of models is symbolic. There are eight versions in total — a nod to the eight-sided bezel and eight screws that helped make Gerald Genta’s original Royal Oak one of the most influential luxury sports watches ever made.

Due to the original Royal Oak’s case complexity combining a rounded octagon, a circle and a barrel shape, the Royal Pop holds eight additional patents for the case construction. One of them is the design of the barrel drum (the watch’s power reserve), which is not just decorative but indicates the power reserve.

When the barrel chambers are grey, they reveal the coils of the mainspring. This means the watch needs to be wound. Conversely, when the colour turns gold, the mainspring is no longer visible, indicating that it is fully compressed, fully wound, and running at full power.

Measuring 40mm across without the clip attachment and 8.4mm thick, they are crafted from Swatch’s Bioceramic material, combining ceramic powder with biosourced material derived from castor oil. Sapphire crystals front and back add scratch resistance, while the partially exposed movement gives the watches an unexpectedly technical edge.

The watch head is attached by clipping the back onto the clip, which can be removed as desired. During this process, a clicking sound also becomes an acoustic signature of this collection.

Among the standout models are the monochrome Ocho Negro with its stark black-and-white contrast, the vivid Otto Rosso in pink and cherry red, and the playful Huit Blanc in white featuring eight differently coloured bezel screws.

Launching on 16 May 2026 exclusively at selected Swatch boutiques, the Royal Pop is sold on the condition of one watch per person, per day, per store. Long lines have already formed at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and ION Orchard. Will you be joining them?