A fun and functional bag charm that deserves its own insurance policy

The new AP X Swatch collab is finally here, and plot twist: it’s not a wristwatch. Instead, Audemars Piguet and Swatch have unveiled the Royal Pop collection: eight limited-edition pocket watches housed in brightly coloured Bioceramic cases that look pulled straight from a candy shop.

The drop, arriving in stores on May 16, mashes the AP Royal Oak’s most recognisable elements—the octagonal bezel, the waffle-like Petite Tapisserie pattern on the dial, and hexagonal screws—with the irreverence of 1980s Swatch Pop watches, resulting in something delightfully unserious. Each pocket watch comes attached to a calf-skin lanyard with contrast stitching that can hang around your neck, loop onto your handbag, or disappear dramatically into your jacket pocket. There’s even a tiny stand so you can casually perch it on your desk. Just remember to pick it up after your shift, or it may disappear.

There are two styles and eight colourways in total, all named after variations of the word “eight” in different languages, a nod to the Royal Oak’s signature octagonal bezel. In the Lépine-style watch, where the winding crown is at 12 o’clock, the lineup includes Otto Rosso, a pink case and dial with cherry red bezel; Green Eight, a lush green; Orenji Hachi, a navy blue case with orange accents; Blaue Acht, a lime green and light blue combo; and Ocho Negro, the monochrome option for people who still want a bit of whimsy but exclusively wear black. Then there’s Huit Blanc—the standout of the collection—with rainbow-coloured indices and screws scattered across a stark white dial and bezel. The Savonette-style watches—the blue Làn Ba and the very chaotic pink-yellow-teal Otg Roz—feature a small seconds subdial and a crown at 3 o’clock (like in most wristwatches today).

The watches are powered by a new hand-wound version of Swatch’s Sistem51 movement with a 90-hour power reserve, and the hands and indices on all watches glow in the dark thanks to the Grade A Super-LumiNova. Each case also has a ‘party in the back’ situation, with pop art elements and the Royal Pop logo emblazoned on the transparent backcase that reveals the watch’s power reserve and when it needs winding.

While the watches are only limited to one piece, per customer, per day, if you manage to get your hands on more than one, you can swap the watches between cases with a click. However, the first one to grab would be the Huit Blanc. It’s the only colourway which has each screw on the bezel in a different colour, and Swatch says these have been assembled at random, making each piece unique—very “luxury collector brain meets blind-box culture.”

If missing out on the 2022 MoonSwatch still haunts you, consider this your chance at emotional closure. Queues in London and New York have formed already. Good luck!

Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal Pop will be available on May 16, 2026 at Swatch stores in DLF Avenue in New Delhi, Phoenix Palladium in Mumbai, and Phoenix Marketcity in Bangalore
Price: ₹41,000-₹44,000