The launch of the limited edition of Swtch’s Royal Pop caused crowds and riots in several European cities. In some, the police were called to intervene and several stores closed for security reasons.
In a store near Paris the French police had to use tear gas and in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands several stores were forced to close for security reasons, while hundreds of people lined up and crowded together to buy the Royal Pop watch.
The launch of limited edition Swatch watches turned into chaos in several European cities and also in New York. Hundreds of people waited overnight from Friday to Saturday – and in some cases for several days – hoping to buy the Royal Pop watches, made in collaboration with luxury watch maker Audemars Piguet. The watches cost around 350 euros in stores but as they are in high demand they are being resold at much higher prices on various websites.
In France, lines of hundreds of people formed overnight in several cities and a police source said officers used tear gas to control a crowd of 300 people in front of a Swatch store in the Paris region. A metal door and two security gates were damaged in the incident. Police added that the stores underestimated the need for security.
A stampede also broke out outside a Swatch store in Milan at opening time on Saturday, according to images released by local media.
In the Netherlands, police had to intervene in a shopping mall near The Hague after hundreds of people gathered at the store. Police reported that there was a tense atmosphere and some arguments. When the store decided not to open, people were sent home. Swatch stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht also remained closed. It is unknown when they will reopen.
Westfield Mall of the Netherlands announced on its website: “The launch of Swatch in collaboration with Audemars Piguet will NOT take place. The store will remain closed this weekend.” Swatch was also forced to close its stores in London and six other UK cities for “safety reasons” following large gatherings abroad.
In New York, the opening of the Swatch store in Times Square was marked by pushing and shoving among the waiting crowd. “It was chaos,” a shopper who had been queuing since Wednesday told AFP.
