Swatch Shops Shut as Audemars Piguet Collaboration Causes Mayhem

A closed Swatch store at Westfield Parly 2 shopping centre in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, where police were present on Saturday as crowds gathered ahead of a collaboration launch in Le Chesnay, France, on May 16.Photographer: Henrique Campos/AFP/Getty Images

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By Allegra Catelli

May 16, 2026 at 10:42 AM UTC

Updated on

May 16, 2026 at 8:03 PM UTC

After queuing for days to get their hands on the new Audemars Piguet-Swatch collaboration, fans on Saturday finally got their chance to buy the eye-catching pop-art timepiece, but heaving crowds stopped some stores from opening their doors and prompted pleas for calm.

Such was the frenzy for the timepiece at the Dubai Mall and the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai that the launch was canceled over crowd safety concerns, Swatch said on its Instagram account. Similar scenes played out in the UK, France, US and Singapore.