Huge hype in Zurich Fans buy extra plane ticket to buy Swatch special watch in duty-free
Fans queue up at Zurich Airport for the new Swatch special watch.
Image: blue News
The "Royal Pop" comprises a total of eight fabulous models.
Image: blue News
Valerio traveled all the way from Rome to get his hands on the watch.
Image: blue News
Some bought a plane ticket to get into the duty-free area.
Image: blue News
Fans queue up at Zurich Airport for the new Swatch special watch.
Image: blue News
The "Royal Pop" comprises a total of eight fabulous models.
Image: blue News
Valerio traveled all the way from Rome to get his hands on the watch.
Image: blue News
Some bought a plane ticket to get into the duty-free area.
Image: blue News
The new special watch from Swatch and Audemars Piguet has attracted collectors from all over Europe to Zurich. One fan from Rome even spent the night at the airport to secure a copy.
16.05.2026, 07:46
16.05.2026, 08:41
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Swatch and Audemars Piguet have launched a joint watch collection, the "Royal Pop".
- In Zurich, fans camped out in front of stores, some even bought flight tickets to gain access to the duty-free store at the airport.
- The eight colorful models are reminiscent of earlier Swatch hypes such as the "Moonswatch" and also caused a stir on the stock market.
The watch company Swatch and the luxury brand Audemars Piguet released a joint watch collection on Saturday: the "Royal Pop" is a colored pocket watch.
The announcement had an impact: watch fans have been camping outside the Swatch store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich for days. And the duty-free area at Zurich Airport was also very busy on Saturday morning.
In order to secure a copy of the special watch, some people even bought a flight ticket - without actually taking the flight. For example, two men bought a ticket to Cologne to get into the duty-free area, but did not fly after successfully purchasing the watch, as they told blue News.
Valerio also traveled all the way from Rome. He arrived in Zurich yesterday evening and spent the night at the airport. His efforts paid off for him: he proudly presents his new Swatch, for which he paid around 260 francs.
Eight different colored watches
After days of rumors on the market, Swatch officially announced the collaboration last weekend. The new collection comprises eight colored models in pocket watch format, which are inspired by Audemars Piguet's "Royal Oak" luxury watch line. According to Swatch, the watches can be worn around the neck or on the wrist with a leather strap or transformed into a table clock.
In technical terms, Swatch relies on a mechanical "Sistem51" hand-wound movement with a power reserve of around 90 hours. The models are made of the company's own "Bioceramic" material and feature sapphire crystal, among other things.
As with previous collaborations, there is a purchase limit of one watch per person per day per sales outlet. Swatch did not disclose the price.
Movement on the stock market
On the stock exchange, speculation about the cooperation has recently led to significant price movements. Last week, the Swatch Group bearer shares shot up by more than 16 percent at times, reaching their highest level for over two years. However, disillusionment set in after the official confirmation. Traders pointed to profit-taking according to the motto "buy the rumor, sell the fact".
On Wednesday, the shares came under additional pressure after the Annual General Meeting and at times lost almost seven percent. Market participants spoke of "selling in disgust" following another failed attempt by activist investor Steven Wood to join the Board of Directors.
With its marketing and limited availability, the latest collection is reminiscent of previous bestsellers. With the "Royal Pop", Swatch is trying to build on the global hype of previous collaborations. In particular, the "Moonswatch" launched in 2022, which was developed together with its sister company Omega, triggered long queues in front of stores worldwide.
