A limited-edition collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet drew hundreds of people to The Mall at Millenia over the weekend, but many collectors and resellers left disappointed, leaving empty-handed. Videos posted online showed chaotic scenes outside the Swatch store Saturday as large crowds lined up for the release of the “Royal Pop” pocket watch collection. Orlando police officers could be heard instructing people to stand back while managing the crowd outside the store.The “Royal Pop” collection features pocket watches attached to lanyards, with removable watch mechanisms that can be swapped into different cases. “They released, I believe, six colors going from $400, and then two of them were $420,” said Matthew Salano of Deltona. “The one from AP is like $50,000,” said Salano, referring to traditional watches made by Audemars Piguet.Salano said he arrived at the mall around 5 a.m. and stayed until 6 p.m. without purchasing a watch.Another collector, Cory Kehoe of Daytona Beach, said he arrived even earlier.“I was there at 3 in the morning,” Kehoe said.Despite the long waits, customers said they were unable to enter the store after Orlando police blocked access throughout the day.The Mall at Millenia later posted on social media that the Swatch location would remain closed Saturday and Sunday.“Just bad organization on the Swatch and the Mall at Millenia itself,” Kehoe said. “It could have been organized way better for sure, and everyone could have went home happy.”In a statement posted to Instagram and Facebook, Swatch said the “Royal Pop” collection will remain available for several months and noted that in some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accommodated, forcing sales to pause temporarily.Representatives for the mall have not yet announced when the Swatch store will reopen.Orlando police also have not released information about any incidents connected to the crowds.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
A limited-edition collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet drew hundreds of people to The Mall at Millenia over the weekend, but many collectors and resellers left disappointed, leaving empty-handed.
Videos posted online showed chaotic scenes outside the Swatch store Saturday as large crowds lined up for the release of the “Royal Pop” pocket watch collection. Orlando police officers could be heard instructing people to stand back while managing the crowd outside the store.
The “Royal Pop” collection features pocket watches attached to lanyards, with removable watch mechanisms that can be swapped into different cases.
“They released, I believe, six colors going from $400, and then two of them were $420,” said Matthew Salano of Deltona.
“The one from AP is like $50,000,” said Salano, referring to traditional watches made by Audemars Piguet.
Salano said he arrived at the mall around 5 a.m. and stayed until 6 p.m. without purchasing a watch.
Another collector, Cory Kehoe of Daytona Beach, said he arrived even earlier.
“I was there at 3 in the morning,” Kehoe said.
Despite the long waits, customers said they were unable to enter the store after Orlando police blocked access throughout the day.
The Mall at Millenia later posted on social media that the Swatch location would remain closed Saturday and Sunday.
“Just bad organization on the Swatch and the Mall at Millenia itself,” Kehoe said. “It could have been organized way better for sure, and everyone could have went home happy.”
In a statement posted to Instagram and Facebook, Swatch said the “Royal Pop” collection will remain available for several months and noted that in some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accommodated, forcing sales to pause temporarily.
Representatives for the mall have not yet announced when the Swatch store will reopen.
Orlando police also have not released information about any incidents connected to the crowds.