Large crowds gathered early Saturday at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara for the Swatch “Royal Pop” collaboration with Audemars Piguet, but shoppers left without the product. Police were called to manage defiant crowds, and the Swatch store remained closed through the weekend. Similar scenes occurred at King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, where hundreds attempted to enter before dawn, prompting a heavy police response and delaying the mall’s opening by two hours. Long lines formed around 4 a.m., with resellers and collectors expecting major resale markups. In New York at Garden City, video showed pushing and shoving as police tried to control the crowd and a spray was used. Swatch stated the collection would be available for several months and asked people not to mob stores.
"A huge crowd showed up at the Swatch store for the highly anticipated “Royal Pop” collaboration with Audemars Piguet. But, like others around the country, people went home empty-handed. This was calm compared to what we have seen elsewhere. Police were called in, sometimes by the dozens, to handle the crowds."
"Police said dozens of officers were initially dispatched when the crowd waiting for the new “Royal Pop” pocket watch -- a collaboration between Swatch and luxury brand Audemars Piguet -- grew defiant. The mall remained closed until noon, though the Swatch store will stay closed through the weekend. Long lines formed as early as 4 a.m., with resellers and collectors hoping to secure the watch."
"“If we got it, it was about $400 dollars. It's going for about $3,000 on the market right now,” said Keith Henry. “That's why everyone was out there. That's why they were acting crazy.”"
"Video shows the pushing and shoving going on and police appear to be trying to control the huge crowd and spray something. Just like other locations around the country, this Swatch store never opened Saturday. Swatch posted a message on its website asking people not to mob stores because the Royal Pop Collection is going to be available for several months."
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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