audemars piguet and swatch revive the pocket watch with a playful pop twist
audemars piguet x swatch unveil royal pop collection
Swiss watchmakers Audemars Piguet and Swatch merge haute horlogerie with pop-inspired irreverence in the new Royal Pop Collection, a collaboration that reimagines the iconic Royal Oak as a wearable pocket watch. Launching on May 16th, 2026, the series introduces eight pocket watches made from Swatch’s proprietary Bioceramic material, a composite blending ceramic powder with biosourced components derived from castor oil. The collaboration combines Audemars Piguet’s angular luxury watch codes with the colorful modular spirit of Swatch’s 1980s POP watches.
The collaboration pushes the silhouette of the Royal Oak into unfamiliar territory. Each model arrives in either Lépine or Savonnette style, referencing historic pocket watch typologies while embracing a brighter, more playful aesthetic rooted in Pop Art. The watches can be worn in multiple ways using interchangeable lanyards, allowing them to hang around the neck or attach to clothing.
images courtesy of Audemars Piguet and Swatch
from royal oak to a new generation of watch collectors
A newly developed hand-wound version of Swatch’s SISTEM51 movement sits at the center of every Royal Pop model. Known for its industrial simplicity and mechanical efficiency, the movement is reworked here with colorful detailing visible through the back of the watch, introducing a more expressive visual language to traditional mechanics. The project also nods to lesser-known chapters of Audemars Piguet’s history, particularly the ultra-thin polygonal pocket watches the brand experimented with during the 1960s and 70s, decades before the Royal Oak became one of the defining luxury sports watches of the modern era.
The collaboration arrives at a moment when luxury watchmaking increasingly seeks younger audiences through experimentation, collectibility, and unconventional formats. ‘Why this collaboration? For the joy and boldness it represents,’ notes Chief Executive Officer at Audemars Piguet Ilaria Resta. ‘Because audacity is often the starting point of innovation and new ideas. And because it invites a broader audience, including younger generations, to experience mechanical watchmaking differently.’
Beyond the release itself, Audemars Piguet says it will dedicate 100 percent of its proceeds from the collaboration toward initiatives supporting the preservation and transmission of watchmaking savoir-faire, particularly rare craft techniques and education for future generations of horological talent. Available exclusively through selected Swatch stores, the Royal Pop Collection approaches the luxury watch as a wearable object shaped through styling and personal use, rather than a purely traditional timepiece.
each Royal Pop model features a newly developed hand-wound SISTEM51 movement
the Bioceramic Royal Pop Collection reimagines the Royal Oak as a wearable pocket watch
Swatch and Audemars Piguet combine pastel tones with angular Bioceramic forms
pop-inspired color combinations draw from Swatch’s archival 1980s POP watches
interchangeable leather lanyards allow the watches to be styled in multiple ways
colorful Bioceramic cases reinterpret Audemars Piguet’s octagonal watch design
stitched leather lanyards allow the pocket watches to be worn in multiple ways
close-up details highlight the textured dial and geometric crown inspired by the Royal Oak
the watches can be worn around the neck or attached to clothing
the Bioceramic Royal Pop Collection includes eight colorful pocket watch models
Audemars Piguet references its historic polygonal pocket watches from the 1960s and 70s
project info:
name: Audemars Piguet x Swatch
brands: Audemars Piguet | @audemarspiguet, Swatch | @swatch
launch date: May 16th, 2026
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