Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop: Models and Where to Buy

Powerfunk Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 3 min. read
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The Swatch x Audemars Piguet collaboration is the Bioceramic Royal Pop: eight pocket watches inspired by the Royal Oak and Swatch’s POP line. They use a hand-wound SISTEM51 movement and come in Lépine or Savonnette styles. This is a pocket-watch collection, not a Royal Oak wristwatch.

The Royal Pop is an AP x Swatch Royal Oak-inspired pocket watch collab
The Royal Pop is an AP x Swatch Royal Oak-inspired pocket watch collab. Photo: Swatch

Where to Buy the Royal Pop?

As checked on November 2, 2026, Swatch lists the Royal Pop collection for purchase at selected Swatch stores, with a limit of one watch per person, per store, per day. Use Swatch’s store locator for participating locations; a listed store does not guarantee stock. Accessories are also available online.

How Many Colors?

The Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop collection has eight colorways:

All 8 colors of the Royal Pop
All 8 colors of the Royal Pop, the highly anticipated Swatch x AP Royal Oak collab. Photo: Swatch

At the May 2026 launch, the two models with small seconds hands had 3 o’clock crowns and $420 US list prices; the two-hand models had 12 o’clock crowns and $400 US list prices. Check Swatch for current prices. All of them are manual-wind with display backs so you can see the (non-serviceable) mechanical movement inside. And, a bit surprisingly, they all have sapphire crystals.

Swatch Collabs in Context

Swatch’s Omega Speedmaster-like Moonswatch–their first collaboration with an upscale watchmaker–was a smash hit when it debuted in 2022, and it has remained popular. As a chronically underrated luxury watch brand, we thought Blancpain’s following collab with Swatch in 2023 could help save them, and I would call it a success–although not as big of a sensation as the Moonswatch.

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Naturally, some question if collabs like this “devalue” the image of the luxury brand involved, but I think the market has been able to differentiate the Swatch products from the “real deal” while appreciating both.

Rear view of the Royal Pop and its manual-wind Sistem 51 movement
Rear view of the Royal Pop and its manual-wind Sistem 51 movement. Photo: Swatch

Will the Swatch x AP Royal Oak Collab Help AP?

Well, it’s worth noting that since the Moonswatch launch, Omega has continued to slide from its #2 spot in the list of top luxury watch brands down to #5, so the Moonswatch hasn’t exactly turned things around for Omega. But it’s definitely a sales leader for Swatch, and it seemed to spur some interest in the Speedmaster.

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Some watch geeks are already calling Swatch’s Royal Oak-inspired Royal Pop the “Royal Broke,” but I doubt that will stop many people from buying one.

Is the Swatch x AP Royal Oak a Wristwatch?

The Swatch x AP Royal Pop is not a wristwatch; it’s officially called a “pocket watch” and it comes on a lanyard with, basically, a thin plastic outline that the watch head “pops” into.

With Hublot’s recent Daniel Arsham pendant, a Nautilus pocket watch among the 2026 Patek Philippe releases, and Irina Shayk basically wearing a Cartier Santos as a bra (among other watches at the 2026 Met Gala), it seems there’s a bit of a trend towards non-wrist watches.

Swatch teased this pendant strap thingy in May 2026 also
Swatch teased this pendant strap thingy earlier in May 2026. Photo: @swatch

I have some doubt that the hype from this Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collab will be long-lasting, as selling non-wristwatches is always an uphill battle in my opinion. But it’s the first time Swatch has collaborated with a luxury brand they didn’t own, so it’s still a significant release. Swatch now lists accessories for wearing or displaying the Royal Pop.

Image: Swatch

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