This Is the Real Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop Collaboration

"Swatch has officially revealed its collaboration with luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet, one that has been breaking Instagram with countless AI-generated fake images since the linkup was confirmed on May 8. As suspected, it's not a wristwatch, but a series of pocket watches based on AP's classic Royal Oak design."

"The colorful pocket watches are called the Royal Pop Collection, and are billed by the brand as “a groundbreaking union of Audemars Piguet's iconic Royal Oak and Swatch's POP watches from the 1980s.” The Royal Pop watches marry design hallmarks from Audemars Piguet's iconic Royal Oak collection, launched in 1972, as well as the Swatch POP watches of the 1980s."

"In a statement, Swatch said that “this collection will change the way we wear watches. The watches in the AP x Swatch collaboration break free from the wrist ... allowing you to wear the watch in unexpected, playful, and dynamic ways.” It was widely guessed that the automatic movement powering the Royal Pops would be Swatch's own Sistem51, which is entirely assembled on an automated production line and requires no human handling."

"However, Swatch says it made a brand-new version of the movement for this collab that retools Sistem51 as a hand-wound caliber with an impressive 90-hour power reserve. The pocket watches will be available starting May 16 in one of two styles, Lépine (with the crown at 12 o'clock) and Savonnette (the crown at 3 pm), at 200 select Swatch stores worldwide, restricted to one piece per person per store per day."

Swatch revealed a collaboration with Audemars Piguet featuring pocket watches based on the Royal Oak design rather than wristwatches. The Royal Pop Collection is presented as a union of Royal Oak hallmarks and Swatch POP watches from the 1980s. Swatch says the watches break free from the wrist to enable unexpected, playful, and dynamic ways of wearing. The pocket watches use a newly retooled version of Swatch’s Sistem51 movement, converted into a hand-wound caliber with a 90-hour power reserve. Availability begins May 16 at 200 select Swatch stores worldwide, with one piece per person per store per day. Two styles are offered: Lépine at $400 and Savonnette at $420, with eight colorways named after variations of “eight” in multiple languages.

Read at WIRED