The launch of some Swatch watches degenerated into chaos in Europe and New York. Police fired tear gas outside a shop near Paris

Hundreds of people queued from Friday night until Saturday morning, and in some cases for several days, in the hope of being able to buy the Royal Pop models, made in collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet.

In France, queues of hundreds of people formed overnight in several cities, and a police source said officers used tear gas to disperse a crowd of around 300 people gathered outside a Swatch store in the Paris region, according to The Guardian.

And in front of a Swatch store in Milan, a fight broke out at opening time on Saturday morning, according to images released by local media.

A bunch of Swatch boutiques stayed closed and canceled the Audemars Piguet Royal Pop launch.

Lines out of control at boutiques around the world (see Dubai, Milan, Tokyo below).

Swatch official accounts posted its “not a limited edition” so that people can chill out. Wild. https://t.co/AzWBDVTPXe pic.twitter.com/bnRSTz2YjY

— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) May 16, 2026

In the Netherlands, police intervened at a shopping center near The Hague after hundreds of people gathered outside the store.

Police said the atmosphere had become tense and several arguments had broken out. After the store decided to close, people were sent home. The Swatch stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht also remained closed. It is not clear when they will reopen.

“It was like a mosh pit”

In New York, at the opening of the Swatch store in Times Square, people in the crowd pushed and shoved each other, according to John McIntosh, who had been waiting in line since Wednesday. “It was like a mosh pit,” he said.

Like many others, McIntosh said he was hoping to get his hands on the brightly colored watch, which retails for about $400, to immediately resell it for a much higher price.

Another buyer, who identified himself as Mac, said he was able to buy one after waiting in line for five days.

“It was quite chaotic … ugly, but I managed to get in,” he said. “The selling price is about $400, and I just sold one for $4,000.”

Benny, 30, said he preferred to pay extra rather than stand in line and dropped $2,400 on one of the watches.

“It's basically $2,000 over the retail price, but you can't buy an AP (Audemars Piguet) for less than $2,000, so I thought it was a good deal,” he said. “I'd rather pay more than come here and try to get it.”

Swatch was also forced to close its stores in London and six other UK cities for “safety reasons” after huge crowds gathered in front of them.

The Swatch company declined to comment on the situation.