- Swatch and Audemars Piguet have released a collaboration, the Royal Pop
- The Royal Pop is not a wristwatch, but a pocket watch with the design codes of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
- The timepiece is crafted from bioceramic and comes in two styles spanning eight colour combinations
- The Royal Pop is powered by the SISTEM51, a new manually wound version of Swatch’s mechanical movement
After a week of setting speculation in the watch world—and beyond—aligt and spurring denizens to send AI generators into overdrive attempting to come up with their own imagery of a plastic-clad Royal Oak, Swatch and Audemars Piguet have unveiled their collaboration, the Royal Pop. And no, it’s not a wristwatch.
Circumventing the complete dilution of the Audemars Piguet DNA, the brand has adroitly steered away from creating a plastic Royal Oak knock-off wristwatch (early CasiOak adopters can breathe a sigh of relief), instead opting to lend the signature Gérald Genta-designed octagonal bezel and petite tapisserie dial to a pocket watch. The resultant design nods to both the ref. 5697, the first Royal Oak pocket watch and Swatch’s POP collection.
The Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop arrives in two distinct styles, spanning eight colour combinations in total — one for each side of the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel. Each timepiece has a 40mm bioceramic case and is able to be popped into a modular holder attached to a calfskin lanyard. Drawing upon the modular design ethos of Swatch’s POP line, the Royal Pop timepiece is intended to be worn selling the neck, carried as a pocket watch, used as a bag charm, or placed in a removable stand that allows it to function as a desk clock. Audemars Piguet and Swatch suggest that this multifunctional nature will change the way we wear watches — much like the advent of the wristwatch changed the game when pocket watches were standard.
The two variants are the Lépine and the Savonette. The Lépine sees the crown placed at 12 o’clock and comes in six colour combinations: Otto Rosso (pink/red), Huit Blanc (white with rainbow details), Green Eight (green/lime green), Orenji Hachi (navy blue/orange), and Ocho Negro (black/white). Meanwhile, the Savonette (or ‘side-winder’) places the crown in the typical wristwatch position of 3 o’clock and comes in two colour combinations: Lan Ba (blue/light blue) and OTG ROZ (pink/yellow/teal). The modular nature of the design means that prospective collectors with multiple timepieces can swap them between cases for further customisation.
Both variants are powered by the a new manually wound version of the SISTEM51 movement, which is decorated with pop art motifs and partially visible through the exhibition caseback. The movement is equipped with a patented barrel drum design. When the barrel chambers are grey, they display the mainspring coils and balance wheel, while a gold hue indicates the movement is fully wound. The SISTEM51 boasts a power reserve of 90 hours when fully wound and has an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring, a feature it shares with several Audemars Piguet movements.
While many—ahem this writer not excepted— were quick to dismiss the Swatch x Audemars Piguet collaboration as an attention-seeking cash grab from the latter (of course, one cannot fault the former for happily complying), it’s hard to deny the the Royal Pop has a certain charm; one that increases the more you look at it. And, in a refreshing twist, Audemars Piguet has pledged to donate 100% of its proceeds from the collaboration to fund an initiative to support the preservation of mechanical watchmaking. It’s also important to note that while there was some concern about any brand dilution that may come about by lending the most iconic design DNA from a storied manufacture that’s been around for a century-and-a-half to a company best known for their plastic watches, Audemars Piguet has always had an audacious streak. Indeed, when it comes to collaborations, the Le Brassus manufacture has unapologetically linked up with the likes of KAWS, Travis Scott, and even Spiderman. So, bioceramic—cough plastic—rendition isn’t too far removed from the realm of possibility.
As Ilaria Resta, CEO of Audemars Piguet, puts it: “Audacity is often the starting point of innovation and new ideas. And because [the collaboration] invites a broader audience including the younger generations to experience mechanical watchmaking differently.”
As for the entry point to your Labubu’s newest companion? The necklace/bag charm/desk clock/pocket watch will run you $630AUD a pop for the Lépine and $670AUD for the Savonette. Both timepieces will be available from the 16th of May, 2026, exclusively in Swatch physical stores with a purchase limit of one per person, per day. Expect queues. Audaciously long queues.
Words by T. Angel
