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AUDEMARS PIGUET × SWATCH BREAK THE RULES OF WATCHMAKING

Swatch celebrates Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak with a collection of eight cheerful and colorful Bioceramic models in a pocket watch format inspired by the Swatch POP.

Audemars Piguet and Swatch unveil the Royal Pop, a groundbreaking watch collection that combines joyful boldness and positive provocation with fine watchmaking. This collection, titled Royal Pop, draws inspiration from Pop Art, an artistic movement that transforms everyday pop culture imagery into vibrant, colorful and energetic works of art. Audemars Piguet and Swatch have decided to blend some of their hallmark features into a disruptive pocket watch available in eight models and designed to be worn in a multitude of different ways.

This partnership is more than a tribute, it is a disruptive collaboration between two icons of Swiss watchmaking. The Royal Pop watches draw inspiration from Audemars Piguet’s legendary Royal Oak collection, launched in 1972, as well as the Swatch POP watches of the 1980s.

This collection will change the way we wear watches. The watches in the AP × Swatch collaboration break free from the wrist, featuring a high-quality calfskin lanyard with contrasting stitching, allowing you to wear the watch in unexpected, playful, and dynamic ways. The choice is yours: around your neck, on your wrist, in your pocket, attached to a handbag, and more. There are no limits, with three lanyard lengths to choose from and a small removable stand that lets you turn it into a desk watch.

The collection of eight Swiss-made Bioceramic models is powered by Swatch’s signature, innovative SISTEM51 movement, now offered in a new hand-wound version with 15 active patents. SISTEM51 is a true industrial feat, as it is the only Swiss-made mechanical movement in the world whose assembly is 100 % automated.

Among its features are over 90 hours of power reserve, the anti-magnetic Nivachron™ balance spring, and laserbased precision adjustment performed directly at the factory. It’s worth noting that the Nivachron™ balance spring was developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet and is therefore found in several of their models.

And that’s not all. This magnificent movement is partially visible thanks to the transparent caseback of the eight watches in the Royal Pop Collection, each with its own unique color scheme. In addition to the colors, customers will be spoiled for choice with two different versions:

1. a Lépine-style pocket watch, with the winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock. Time reading is simplified to two hands (hours and minutes). This version is available in six different models.
2. a Savonnette-style pocket watch with the winding crown at 3 o’clock. This version, available in two models, features a dial with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

But why exactly eight models for Audemars Piguet × Swatch? It’s a nod to the eight sides of the case and the eight screws on the Royal Oak’s signature bezel. And since nothing is left to chance, the Royal Pop has 8 additional patents for the case construction, as the original Royal Oak’s case is complex, combining the rounded octagon, the circle, and the barrel shape. All these features are found in the Royal Pop.

One of these patents is the design of the barrel drum (the watch’s power reserve), which is not merely decorative, but also indicates the watch’s power reserve. When the barrel chambers are gray, they reveal the coils of the mainspring. This means the watch needs to be wound. Conversely, when the color is gold, the mainspring is no longer visible through the barrel chambers. It is fully compressed, indicating that the watch is fully wound and running at full power.

The “Petite Tapisserie” dial pattern has also been one of the Royal Oak collection’s defining aesthetic features since 1972. All eight Royal Pop models thus feature this instantly recognizable Royal Oak design. For its part, the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel is a signature in its own right, with its eight hexagonal screws, which are among the most disruptive elements of the Royal Oak. As for the Royal Oak’s bezel, while it is octagonal, it goes far beyond a simple eight-sided shape. Accenting this octagonal bezel, the eight hexagonal screws are perhaps the most groundbreaking element of the 1972 Royal Oak. The Royal Pop draws inspiration from this and, in the white model named HUIT BLANC, boldly features them in eight different hues. For all eight models, the eight screws on the eight-sided bezel and the caseback are welded to the case.

Among the Royal Pop’s other technical features, the vertical satin finish on the bezel and case back echoes the original decorative elements of the Royal Oak. In keeping with this identity, a “Tapisserie” effect has been applied to the dial. The movement’s caseback is printed using digital printing. The crown, case, and lanyard attachment are made of Bioceramic. The hour and minute hands and hour markers are coated with Grade A Super-LumiNova® for optimal nighttime readability.

The entire collection features two sapphire crystals on the front and back of the case. The caseback is also pad-printed with the Royal Pop logo. Both the top and bottom crystals, which are sapphire crystals for enhanced scratch resistance, feature an anti-reflective coating. The unique composition of Bioceramic—two-thirds ceramic powder and one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil— gives it a strength and smoothness that must be experienced to be believed. The Audemars Piguet × Swatch collab logos can be found on the dial and the crown.

The watch head is attached by clipping the back onto the clip, which can be removed as desired. During this process, a clicking sound also becomes an acoustic signature of this collection.

Audemars Piguet × Swatch is available exclusively as of 16 May, 2026 at selected Swatch stores. Find your nearest point of sale using our store locator on swatch.com. As with other Swatch collaborations, only one watch per person, per day, and per selected store may be purchased.

ABOUT AUDEMARS PIGUET

Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). Based in Le Brassus since 1875, the company has nurtured generations of talented craftspeople who have continuously developed new skills and techniques, broadening their expertise to set rule-breaking trends. In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, Audemars Piguet has created numerous masterpieces, testament to the Manufacture’s ancestral savoir-faire and forward-thinking spirit. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible and building bridges between different creative worlds, Audemars Piguet has been able to explore new horizons and build an inspired community. — www.audemarspiguet.com

ABOUT SWATCH

Positive provocation and joie de vivre made in Switzerland: since its founding in 1983, Swatch has shaken up the watch industry. Thanks to its striking designs which always reflect the zeitgeist, Swatch is one of the leading watch manufacturers and the most sought-after brands in the world— and has always stayed true to itself. The watchmaker continues to surprise, whether with regularly released new models or special collections. The revolutionary way in which Swatch thinks and acts has always been evident with its early involvement in action sports, such as BMX, skateboarding and surfing. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai embodies the brand’s love of art and brings together artists from around the world.