Audemars Piguet x Swatch Collab: Everything we know about the Royal Pop Collection

The collaboration between Swatch and luxury watchmaker Audemars Piquet, also known as the Royal Pop Collection, dropped worldwide to long lines, the occasional fight such as in Milan, and teargas incidents like in Paris last Saturday, May 16.

In the Philippines, the Royal Pop Collection sold out quickly that its initial selling also ended on Saturday.

What is so special about the Royal Pop Collection that people are clamoring for it?

The collection is comprised of eight pieces of pocket watches in bold colors and fun Pop Art designs.

Note: These are pocket watches. Not wrist watches.

They can be worn with a lanyard, which are sold separately and available only online.

On its website, Swatch says the collection "merges the avant-garde design of Audemars Piguet's iconic Royal Oak and the modular ingenuity of Swatch's vibrant Pop line from the 1980s."

But it's more than the sum of its parts. The Royal Pop Collection features Sistem51, Swatch's signature self-winding mechanical movement made with only 51 parts.

The timepieces are also Bioceramic. They're made with a composite material that "combines two-thirds zirconium oxide ceramic powder" and one-third biosourced material from castor oil.

This makes the watches strong and durable, pretty soft to touch, and most importantly adapts to the body's temperature.

How much and where to get?

There are two price points for the Royal Pop Collection corresponding to the two styles on offer.

The Savonnette-style models retail for P29,000, while the Lépine-style models retail at P27,000.

Of the eight pieces in the collection, there are only two that come Savonnette-style, meaning the crown is positioned at 3pm: The blue one and the pink one with a teal face.

The six remaining pieces are all Lépine-style.

In the Philippines, the Royal Pop Collection is only available in two Swatch outlets: Greenbelt 5 in Makati and Alabang.

You don't need to make an appointment to visit. They are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Collaboration

This isn't the first time Swatch has collaborated with other watchmakers. Previously, the Swiss watchmakercollaborated with Omega for the MoonSwatch collection, Swatch's take on Omega's Speedmastser Moonwatch.

It also famously collaborates with artists and museums like Keith Haring and Louvre Dubai to name a few.

Meanwhile Audemars Piguet is a celebrated Swiss luxury watchmaker, which has been at it since 1875. It is "proud to be oldest watching manufacture still in the hands of its founding families," it says on its website.

Audemars Piguet is best known for its Royal Oak collection, which "stands as a symbol of innovation, audacity, and avant‑garde craftsmanship." — LA, GMA News