
We finally have it. As our hypebeast soldiers prepare to kiss their their LEGOs and KAWS statues goodbye, pack up their Snow Peak tents, and make sure they have enough ground coffee to keep the Aeropress running while camping out for the Audemars Piguet and Swatch’s Royal Pop collab, all the details have been confirmed. All the details except price. But if you want one, we assume that’s not too important.
What’s important is that we know what the collection is going to look like: eight watches (a nod to the Royal Oak’s eight screws) in two styles (one style with two colours, one style with six).
The first style is a Lépine-style pocket watch; this it the one with six models. The winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock, there are just two hands (hour and minute), and it comes in OTTO ROSSO, HUIT BLANC, GREEN EIGHT, BLAUE ACHT, ORENJI HACHI, and OCHO NEGRO. The second style is a Savonnette-style pocket watch, where the winding crown is at 3 o’clock, with a seconds subdial. Here, you get the LAN BA and OTG ROZ colours.
After initial teasing—and teasing is putting it lightly, since the first post showed the lanyards pretty clearly—that it would be a pocket watch, we now have total confirmation on what that’ll look like. The SISTEM51 hand-wound movement features more 90 hours of power reserve, and the watches have an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring, a nice touch from the AP side of things. Plus, a partially transparent caseback lets you get a look at the movement.
As of now, the only thing we’re waiting on before tomorrow's release—happening exclusively at Swatch stores—is, like we said, the price. And, like we said, if you want one, you probably don’t care. Good luck out there. Don’t let anyone snag your spot in line. And in the meantime, here’s a look at everything in the lineup.
Originally published on Esquire US
(Editor's note: If you're looking to wear your Royal Pop like a timepiece, you're gonna need a custom-made strap to fit in the case. We have Stone For Gold, who has custom-made straps for regular AP watches for the past 15 years.)