The resale market wasted no time turning the new Audemars Piguet x Swatch “Royal Pop” watches into instant profit machines. Just days after the colorful pocket watches launched for retail prices between $400 and $420, listings started appearing online for thousands more, with some sellers asking as much as $21,000 for complete sets.
The frenzy around the collaboration pushed crowds into Swatch stores across New York, London, Paris, Dubai, and Milan. Some people camped outside for days, hoping to secure one of the watches before resellers flooded platforms like Chrono24, StockX, and eBay. In several cities, police had to intervene after shoppers rushed storefronts and lines became unmanageable.
The biggest money appears to be in the rare full collections. Reuters reported that complete Royal Pop sets have already sold for more than $25,000 online, while individual watches have been listed for anywhere between $1,500 and $13,000, depending on the colorway and availability.
One buyer told People magazine he waited five days in line before reselling his watch for $4,000 almost immediately. Meanwhile, GQ reported that people were even selling spots in line for up to $1,000 before stores opened.
The resale boom shows how luxury collaborations continue turning limited drops into fast cash opportunities online. Audemars Piguet’s traditional Royal Oak models normally sell for tens of thousands of dollars, so many collectors viewed the Swatch release as a cheaper entry point into the luxury watch world. Resellers clearly saw something else: instant profit.
