Swatch was forced to close stores across the UK and parts of Europe and the US over the weekend after the launch of its limited-edition Royal Pop watch triggered huge crowds, scuffles and police intervention.
The £335 timepiece, created in collaboration with luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet, drew shoppers and resellers to Swatch stores overnight, with some customers reportedly queueing for several days in the hope of securing one.
However, scenes quickly turned chaotic on Saturday as large crowds gathered at stores and shopping centres including Battersea Power Station, Westfield, Manchester’s Trafford Centre, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow.
Police dogs were deployed at some London shopping centres, while a dispersal order was put in place in Birmingham. A 25-year-old man was arrested in Cardiff and issued with a Section 35 dispersal notice.
At the Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester Police said officers were called shortly before 6am following reports of a disturbance. No arrests were made, but a large number of people were dispersed from inside the centre.
Swatch kept some stores closed for a second day on Sunday, including its Manchester and Liverpool branches, citing safety concerns for customers and staff.
The frenzy was not limited to the UK.
In Paris, police reportedly used teargas to manage a crowd of around 300 people outside a Swatch store, where security gates and a metal shutter were damaged. Queues also formed in several French cities, while police were called to intervene at a shopping centre near The Hague in the Netherlands after hundreds gathered outside a Swatch store that ultimately did not open.
In Milan, local media footage appeared to show a fight breaking out outside a Swatch store at opening time. In New York, shoppers described pushing and shoving at the Times Square branch, where some customers had reportedly been queueing since Wednesday.
The launch has also triggered a significant resale market. Although the Royal Pop retails for £335 in the UK and around $400 in the US, listings on eBay from UK sellers reached as much as £3,000 over the weekend. Some buyers in New York claimed to have resold watches for several thousand dollars shortly after purchase.
Swatch later urged customers not to rush to stores in large numbers, stressing that the Royal Pop collection would remain available for several months. The retailer said some countries may cap queues at 50 people and pause sales where necessary to protect staff and shoppers.
A spokesperson for Battersea Power Station said the site had seen “unprecedented demand” for the Audemars Piguet x Swatch collection and that the decision was taken to close the store in line with other Swatch closures across the country.
The incident raises fresh questions over how retailers manage high-demand product drops, particularly where limited availability and resale potential risk turning launches into flashpoints for disorder.
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