The Swiss watchmaker Swatch closed dozens of its stores on Saturday as vast crowds lined up to attempt to snag Royal Pop pocket watches from its collaboration with the luxury timepiece maker Audemars Piguet.
The frenzy prompted police intervention at stores from London to New York and disappointed customers who queued for hours to buy the colorful, pop art-inspired watches, which cost $400 to $420.
Video shared on social media showed a chaotic scene at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island as police officers appeared to use pepper spray to subdue crowds.
Hundreds of shoppers also swarmed Swatch stores in Times Square and SoHo in Manhattan, resulting in at least one arrest, according to the New York Police Department.
In posts on several of its social media pages, Swatch said that it had closed more than 30 stores “in view of public safety considerations.”
Saturday had been intended to serve as the global launch of the Bioceramic Royal Pop Collection of pocket watches by Swatch and Audemars Piguet, a luxury Swiss watchmaker whose entry-level products retail for $20,000. The eight colorful watches in the collection were inspired by Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak luxury watch and Swatch’s more affordable POP line from the 1980s.
Before the launch, Swatch said on its website that the pocket watches would be “available for purchase only at selected Swatch stores worldwide.” In social media posts, the company implored its customers “not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product,” adding that it was not a limited edition collection.
Swatch also said on Instagram that lines of more than 50 people could not be accommodated in some countries, but that did not stop watch fans in places as disparate as Singapore and a suburb of Detroit from lining up by the hundreds early Saturday morning.
Swatch ultimately shuttered stores in Paris, London, Dubai, Toronto, Atlanta and dozens of other cities because of the crowds.
Frustrated shoppers took to social media to complain about the canceled sales, and many called on Swatch to allow people to purchase timepieces from the collaboration online.
Several people lamented that they had waited in line for days or rushed to their local malls at 4 a.m., only to be escorted away from Swatch stores by the authorities.
The King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania delayed its opening until noon on Saturday after the authorities dispersed hundreds of people who were vying for the watches, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The resale market for the watches may be driving some of the hysteria. Many of the lucky shoppers who purchased the pocket watches on Saturday had already listed them on eBay for thousands of dollars.
The collaboration has given watch fans a rare opportunity to buy an Audemars Piguet product for a comparatively affordable price.
Hannah Ziegler is a general assignment reporter for The Times, covering topics such as crime, business, weather, pop culture and online trends.
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