Audemars Piguet and Swatch have unveiled the Royal Pop, a collaborative pocket watch collection that brings together the design heritage of both brands in eight colourful Bioceramic models. The collection is available exclusively from 16 May 2026 at selected Swatch stores worldwide, and takes its cues from Pop Art, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak – launched in 1972 – and the Swatch POP watches of the 1980s.
Unlike conventional wristwatches, the Royal Pop is designed to break free from the wrist. Each model comes fitted with a high-quality calfskin lanyard with contrasting stitching, allowing wearers to carry it around the neck, on the wrist, in a pocket, or attached to a handbag. Three lanyard lengths are available, and a small removable stand transforms any model into a desk watch.
All eight models are Swiss-made and powered by a new hand-wound version of Swatch’s SISTEM51 movement, which holds 15 active patents and is the only Swiss-made mechanical movement whose assembly is entirely automated. The movement offers more than 90 hours of power reserve, an anti-magnetic Nivachron™ balance spring – developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet – and laser-based precision adjustment performed at the factory. A transparent caseback allows a partial view of the movement on each model.
The number eight is significant throughout the collection, referencing the eight sides of the Royal Oak’s case and the eight screws on its signature octagonal bezel. Eight additional patents were filed for the Royal Pop’s case construction, which replicates the Royal Oak’s complex combination of rounded octagon, circle, and barrel shape. The barrel drum on each watch also serves as a power reserve indicator: grey chambers signal that the watch requires winding, whilst gold-coloured chambers indicate a fully wound mainspring.
The collection is offered in two dial configurations. Six models follow a Lépine-style layout, with the winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock and a simplified two-hand display for hours and minutes. The remaining two models adopt a Savonnette-style layout, with the crown at three o’clock and a small seconds subdial at six o’clock.
Each model features the Royal Oak’s defining ‘Petite Tapisserie’ dial pattern across all eight colourways. The octagonal bezel retains its eight hexagonal screws, welded to the case along with the caseback screws. On the white model, named Huit Blanc, the eight screws appear in eight different hues. All models feature sapphire crystals on both the front and caseback with anti-reflective coating, and hands and hour markers are coated with Grade A Super-LumiNova® for low-light legibility.
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The watches are constructed from Bioceramic – a proprietary Swatch material composed of two-thirds ceramic powder and one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil. The crown, case, and lanyard attachment are all made from the same material. The caseback carries the Royal Pop logo applied via digital printing.
The eight models in the Royal Pop collection are: Otto Rosso, Huit Blanc, Green Eight, Blaue Acht, Orenji Hachi, Lan Ba, Ocho Negro, and Otg Roz. As with previous Swatch collaborations, purchases are limited to one watch per person, per day, and per selected store.
