Audemars Piguet and Swatch unveil the Royal Pop, a groundbreaking watch collection that combines joyful boldness and positive provocation with fine watchmaking. This collection, titled Royal Pop, draws inspiration from Pop Art, an artistic movement  that transforms everyday pop culture imagery into vibrant, colorful and energetic works of art. Audemars Piguet and Swatch have decided to blend some of their hallmark features into a disruptive pocket watch available in eight models and designed to be worn in a multitude of different ways.

This partnership is more than a tribute, it is a disruptive collaboration between two icons of Swiss watchmaking.
The Royal Pop watches draw inspiration from Audemars Piguet’s legendary Royal Oak collection, launched in 1972, as well as the Swatch POP watches of the 1980s.

This collection will change the way we wear watches. The watches in the AP × Swatch collaboration break free from the wrist, featuring a high-quality calfskin lanyard with contrasting stitching, allowing you to wear the watch in unexpected, playful, and  dynamic ways. The choice is yours: around your neck, on your wrist, in your pocket, attached to a handbag, and more. There are no limits, with three lanyard lengths to choose from and a small removable stand that lets you turn it into a desk watch.

The collection of eight Swiss-made Bioceramic models is powered by Swatch’s signature, innovative SISTEM51 movement, now offered in a new hand-wound version with 15 active patents. SISTEM51 is a true industrial feat, as it is the only Swiss-made  mechanical movement in the world whose assembly is 100 % automated.

Among its features are over 90 hours of power reserve, the anti-magnetic Nivachron™ balance spring, and laserbased precision adjustment performed directly at the factory. It’s worth noting that the Nivachron™ balance spring was developed in  collaboration with Audemars Piguet and is therefore found in several of their models.

And that’s not all. This magnificent movement is partially visible thanks to the transparent caseback of the eight watches in the Royal Pop Collection, each with its own unique color scheme. In addition to the colors, customers will be spoiled for choice  with two different versions:

• a Lépine-style pocket watch, with the winding crown positioned at 12 o’clock. Time reading is simplified to two hands (hours and minutes). This version is available in six different models.
• a Savonnette-style pocket watch with the winding crown at 3 o’clock. This version, available in two models, features a dial with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

But why exactly eight models for Audemars Piguet × Swatch? It’s a nod to the eight sides of the case and the eight screws on the Royal Oak’s signature bezel. And since nothing is left to chance, the Royal Pop has 8 additional patents for the case  construction, as the original Royal Oak’s case is complex, combining the rounded octagon, the circle, and the barrel shape. All these features are found in the Royal Pop.

One of these patents is the design of the barrel drum (the watch’s power reserve), which is not merely decorative, but also indicates the watch’s power reserve. When the barrel chambers are gray, they reveal the coils of the mainspring. This means the  watch needs to be wound.

Conversely, when the color is gold, the mainspring is no longer visible through the barrel chambers. It is fully compressed, indicating that the watch is fully wound and running at full power.

The “Petite Tapisserie” dial pattern has also been one of the Royal Oak collection’s defining aesthetic features since 1972. All eight Royal Pop models thus feature this instantly recognizable Royal Oak design. For its part, the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel is a signature in its own right, with its eight hexagonal screws, which are among the most disruptive elements of the Royal Oak. As for the Royal Oak’s bezel, while it is octagonal, it goes far beyond a simple eight‑sided shape. Accenting this octagonal bezel,  the eight hexagonal screws are perhaps the most groundbreaking element of the 1972 Royal Oak. The Royal Pop draws inspiration from this and, in the white model named HUIT BLANC, boldly features them in eight different hues. For all eight models, the eight screws on the eight-sided bezel and the caseback are welded to the case.

Among the Royal Pop’s other technical features, the vertical satin finish on the bezel and case back echoes the original decorative elements of the Royal Oak. In keeping with this identity, a “Tapisserie” effect has been applied to the dial. The movement’s  caseback is printed using digital printing. The crown, case, and lanyard attachment are made of Bioceramic. The hour and minute hands and hour markers are coated with Grade A Super-LumiNova® for optimal nighttime readability.

The entire collection features two sapphire crystals on the front and back of the case. The caseback is also pad-printed with the Royal Pop logo. Both the top and bottom crystals, which are sapphire crystals for enhanced scratch resistance, feature an anti-reflective coating. The unique composition of Bioceramic— two-thirds ceramic powder and one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil—gives it a strength and smoothness that must be experienced to be believed. The Audemars Piguet × Swatch collab logos can be found on the dial and the crown.

The watch head is attached by clipping the back onto the clip, which can be removed as desired. During this process, a clicking sound also becomes an acoustic signature of this collection.

Audemars Piguet × Swatch is available exclusively as of 16 May, 2026 at selected Swatch stores. Find your nearest point of sale using our store locator on swatch.com. As with other Swatch collaborations, only one watch per person, per day, and per  selected store may be purchased.

The post AUDEMARS PIGUET × SWATCH BREAK THE RULES OF WATCHMAKING appeared first on Arab Watch Guide.

Two years after the launch of the OMEGA X SWATCH collaboration, a new non-limited watch has been added to this iconic collection. Just like the eleven Bioceramic MoonSwatch models, which depict the planets, and the eleven Mission to Moonshine Gold models, this new watch is equipped with the chronograph function. As a cherry on top, it also features a moon phase function, probably the most poetic of all watch complications. Hence its name Full Moon and its all-white color. For the first time in its history, Swatch has combined a moon phase with a chronograph.

The Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE is a new nod to the OMEGA brand, with Snoopy on the moon phase disc, lying on the moon, which moves in the subdial at 2 o’clock. On the model’s moon phase mask and disc, a hidden quote from Snoopy’s comic strip is nestled amidst crescent moons and stars, that can be seen under UV light. Snoopy has been NASA’s mascot since the 1960s. In fact, the Silver Snoopy Award is the most prestigious honor the United States’ space agency awards to individuals and organizations for outstanding achieve-ments related to human flight safety or mission success. This prestigious prize was awarded to OMEGA in 1970 for its role in the history of space exploration, including its essential contribution to bringing the crew of Apollo 13 back home safe and sound.

In 1970, an exploding oxygen tank during the Apollo 13 mission placed the astronauts’ lives in danger. One of the many challenges the crew had to face was timing the 14-second launch time that would allow them to get back to Earth. Luckily, they had an OMEGA chronograph watch, the Speedmaster Moonwatch, to get the job done. Not only that, but in May of 1969, the Apollo 10 mission, which was tasked with carrying out the initial sweep before an attempted moon landing, had to skim the surface of the moon and ‘snoop around’ to identify the Apollo 11 landing site. As a result, the lunar module was christened Snoopy. Ever since then, the Snoopy emblem is considered a lucky charm among astronauts.

All of the main features of the original Speedmaster Moonwatch, the first watch to go to the moon, can be found on the Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE: the asymmetrical case, the famous tachymeter-scaled bezel with the dot over the 90 and the typical Speedmaster subdials. The Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE watch features its mission statement on the caseback, and the OMEGA X SWATCH logos on the dial and crown.

A moon inspired by the world of Snoopy can be seen on the battery cover. A spacesuit-ready VELCRO© strap adds that final touch of astronaut chic.

OMEGA’s legendary Moonwatch is a must-have for collectors. Swatch’s Bioceramic MoonSwatch Collection makes this iconic model accessible to fans worldwide. The moon phase version is the perfect reflection of Swatch’s zest for life and philosophy of innovation.

Like all the models of the OMEGA X SWATCH collaboration, the Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE is made from the brand’s patented Bioceramic, a unique mix of two-thirds ceramic and one- third biosourced materials produced from castor oil.

The Bioceramic MoonSwatch MISSION TO THE MOONPHASE is available from March 26, only in select Swatch stores. As with the whole Bioceramic MoonSwatch Collection, only one watch can be purchased per person, per day and per Swatch store.

The post A NEW LUNAR LANDING FOR THE BIOCERAMIC MOONSWATCH – WITH A MOON PHASE WATCH appeared first on Arab Watch Guide.

A non-limited model, OCEAN OF STORMS, comes in a black color inspired by the new moon (also known as the Black Moon). Just like the other five Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, OCEAN OF STORMS has a Swatch mechanical movement, SISTEM51, the first and only mechanical movement whose production is entirely automated. This mechanism, made up of just 51 parts – including one central screw, is anti-magnetic, thanks to its Nivachron™ hairspring and has a 90-hour power reserve. In 2013, SISTEM51 revolutionized the world of automatic watches with its visible movement: the front tells the time, the back tells the story.

OCEAN OF STORMS has been given its own nudibranch (scientific name: Nudibranchia), Okenia Luna. It is featured in a digital print on the movement’s rotor, the part that allows the watch to recharge automatically with a simple movement of the wrist. The full moon zoomed in on the Ocean of Storms is also digitally imprinted on the oscillating weight.

OCEAN OF STORMS, like ARCTIC OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN, ATLANTIC OCEAN, INDIAN OCEAN and ANTARCTIC OCEAN, is water resistant in deep waters, down to 91 meters. This is another nod to Blancpain: the name Fifty Fathoms refers to the fathom – historically the maritime measure of depth in the English-speaking world – fifty fathoms equaling 91 meters (or 300 feet).

In the same spirit as the other five models in the collection, OCEAN OF STORMS is made of Bioceramic. This unique material is patented by Swatch and made of two-thirds ceramic and one-third biosourced material derived  from castor oil. As an expression of commitment to ocean preservation, the NATO straps are made from recycled fishing nets.

The shared Blancpain X Swatch logos can be found on the black sunray-finish dial and the crown. The word “Swatch” is also inscribed on the case, just as “Blancpain” is inscribed on the original Fifty Fathoms watches. The  back of the watch features inspirational inscriptions like PASSION FOR DIVING – LICENCE TO EXPLORE – OCEAN BREATH – PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE and IMMERSE YOURSELF.

OCEAN OF STORMS will be available worldwide from January 11, 2024, the day of the new moon at selected Swatch stores. As with the five watches in the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection, purchases are limited to one watch per person, per store and per day.

The post BIOCERAMIC SCUBA FIFTY FATHOMS DISCOVERS A SIXTH OCEAN, OCEAN OF STORMS appeared first on Arab Watch Guide.