After weeks of teasing, today, we got an unexpected embargo lift on the Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal Pop. Only a very few AI mock-ups were somewhat close to what Swatch has just released. And the young guys we saw on TikTok hoping to be sporting a very affordable Royal Oak on the wrist (or to flip it) are probably reconsidering their strategies. The die-hard AP fans who already sold their collections in their heads can breathe again. The Swatch fans will stay as they were — excited!

Meet the Royal Pop

After the MoonSwatch turned the Speedmaster into a global phenomenon and the Blancpain × Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms brought mechanical dive watches back into the mainstream conversation, Swatch has now gone in a completely different direction.…