Audemars Piguet and Swatch Launch the Royal Pop: Eight Bioceramic Pocket Watches Built on the 1980s POP System and a New Hand-Wound SISTEM51

Royal Pop

Audemars Piguet and Swatch have launched the Royal Pop, a collection of eight bioceramic pocket watches that merges the design language of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak with the modular ingenuity of Swatch's POP line from the 1980s. The collection launched on May 16th.

The POP system, which long-term Swatch followers will recognize, allows the watch to move between different wearing configurations, including lanyard, wrist-mounted straps, and potentially bag charms, giving the collection a versatility that conventional watches do not offer. The eight models are divided into two styles: Lépine, in which six models offer two-handed functionality with a crown at the twelve o'clock position, and Savonnette, in which two models feature a small seconds sub-dial at six o'clock with the crown at three o'clock. All eight share a 40mm bioceramic case at 8.4mm slim.

The Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop collection

At the movement level, each model has a new hand-wound version of Swatch's SISTEM51 calibre with a Nivachrom balance spring, which is an upgrade from the standard SISTEM51 and allows for manual winding in a movement originally designed for automatic winding. The Royal Pop combines the Royal Oak's geometric design, the POP system's modular wearing flexibility, and the upgraded SISTEM51, giving it a technical and cultural layering that sets it apart from a straightforward luxury collaboration.

The Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop collection is available now.

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