Crowds gathered for the launch of the Swath x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop collection May 16 led to the closure of the NorthPark Center Swatch store for that day — and to the Dallas Police Department being called for crowd control.
Videos shared to social media showed large crowds and lines outside the building. Read more about the social media response from our sister publication D Magazine.
The Dallas Police Department confirmed that officers were called to the 8600 block of the North Central Expressway Service Road at 2:35 a.m. May 16 to “help disperse a large crowd.” A Dallas police spokesperson said no injuries were reported.
Swatch announced on its social media pages on May 16 that NorthPark was among multiple Swatch stores that closed that day because of “public safety considerations.”
“To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush our stores in large numbers to acquire this product,” Swatch wrote in a follow-up post. “The Royal Pop collection will be available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”
A press release announcing the Royal Pop Audemars Piguet x Swatch collaboration called it one “between two icons of Swiss watchmaking” and “more than a tribute.” The pocket watches are priced at $400, according to the Swatch website.
“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,” the press release noted.
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