Here’s Your First Look at the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop

The making of the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop

Resta’s first-ever watch was a Swatch at 13 years outdated, a reward she bought after doing effectively in her exams. Today, two and a half years after taking up at AP, Resta’s imaginative and prescient for an AP x Swatch has been realized.

“Compared to a lot of people from the traditional watch industry, Ilaria’s mind is open. She’s not blocked by ‘you cannot do this’. That was really cool,” says Hayek on working collectively. “And I give her credit for the pocket watch—that came from her. Immediately, I said, ‘You’re right. Swatch has the Pop watch, this is perfect.’ So the name Royal Pop was easy. “We were both in agreement that there would be no wristwatch.”

For the history fans out there, Swatch’s Pop has been around since the ’80s, and AP’s Royal Oak debuted in 1972, so now it feels like as good a time as ever to pool together the genes of these icons.

“The way we worked with Nick has been very informal and very creative,” says Resta. “We are two individuals who wish to assume exterior the field and never be constrained by worry or judgment. We do what we imagine is correct.”

Both Swatch and Audemars Piguet share a similar mission to keep evolving the watch industry, which is why this partnership could be so fruitful for both brands. “We wanted to donate AP’s entire proceeds to initiatives supporting the preservation and transmission of watchmaking savoir-faire, with a focus on rare skills,” says Resta. “This is one thing that’s endangered, and this can be a approach the place popular culture can assist high-end watchmaking. We do not see this as a business exercise; fairly, we leverage the scale of Swatch to succeed in extra younger individuals. Audemars Piguet is unique in terms of the variety of watches we are able to produce as a result of we protect our philosophy of handmade finishings and issues. But at the identical time, we do not need to exclude individuals. That’s the place Swatch got here in.”

How to pay money for the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop

Prices begin from $400 for the Lépine-style pocket watches and $420 for the two Savonnette-style items. Come Saturday, they are going to be out there to buy in-store at 200 chosen Swatch shops, with one piece per individual per retailer per day. It is price noting that there are additionally longer lanyards and desk clock holders (in all eight colours) and these equipment can be out there on-line. The equipment purposefully do not share the ‘”Royal Pop” branding.

This story initially appeared on British GQ.