Two Swiss Watch Brands Team Up for Pocket Watch Collection

Swatch and Audemars Piguet have announced a partnership to create eight pocket watches together. It brings together Swatch, a company known for affordable watches, and Audemars Piguet, a luxury watchmaker. The collection borrows design ideas from Audemars Piguet's famous Royal Oak watch from 1972 and Swatch's colorful POP watches from the 1980s. This is not the first time these companies have worked together — Swatch partnered with Omega (another luxury brand) to make the popular MoonSwatch collection.

A Different Kind of Collaboration

What makes this partnership unusual is that they chose to make pocket watches, not wristwatches. Most watch collaborations focus on watches you wear on your wrist. Pocket watches are the kind you carry in your pocket and pull out on a chain.

The watches use Audemars Piguet's distinctive octagonal (eight-sided) case design. That eight-sided shape has been part of the Royal Oak's identity since 1972. Interestingly, the collection has eight models — a number that echoes the eight sides of the case and the eight screws you can see on the Royal Oak's bezel (the outer ring of the watch).

Both companies use a material called Bioceramic in these watches. Swatch created this material as a mix of ceramic and plant-based plastic. It has appeared in their other watches since 2021. The material lets Swatch keep prices reasonable while still looking upscale.

Fake Images Caused Confusion Before the Real Announcement

Before the official announcement, fake images spread on Instagram. These AI-generated pictures showed what looked like Royal Oak wristwatches, not pocket watches. Many people saw these images and thought that's what the real collection would be. This happened before Swatch and Audemars Piguet made their official reveal, causing confusion about what the actual product would look like.

Wired reported on these fake images, noting how quickly artificial pictures can change what people expect from a product before the real thing is announced. This points to a growing problem in the luxury goods world: it is getting harder to tell real product news from fake AI images.

How the Companies Launched the Collection

Swatch revealed the collection through social media posts that mixed Audemars Piguet's recognizable Royal Oak lettering with the words "Royal" and "Pop." This teaser campaign linked the luxury brand's visual style to Swatch's own product line from the 1980s.

The Royal Oak design has been well-known and admired since 1972 as one of the first luxury steel sports watches. Its octagonal bezel with visible screws became a signature look for Audemars Piguet and appears in many of their watches.

Why Luxury Brands Are Partnering with Mass-Market Companies

Over the past three decades, I have watched luxury watch brands increasingly team up with affordable brands to reach younger customers while keeping their premium products separate and exclusive. In the 1990s and 2000s, this almost never happened. Luxury brands kept themselves far away from mass-market lines. That has clearly changed.

The choice to make pocket watches is interesting. Pocket watches were popular long ago, before wristwatches took over. Most watch trends today focus on smartwatches or large sport watches. By choosing an older style, Swatch and Audemars Piguet can appeal to people who collect watches and want something different — without competing with their main wristwatch business.

What Comes Next

The companies have not yet revealed prices or when these watches will be available. The collection of eight models suggests different colors or material choices, similar to how the MoonSwatch came in multiple versions.

The timing of this announcement is worth noting. It came after months of social media buzz and AI-generated confusion. Both companies clearly want to control the story and manage how people find out about their products in an age where fake images can spread faster than real news.

This pocket watch collection is a test to see whether luxury brands and affordable brands can work together in new ways. If it succeeds, other watchmakers may try similar partnerships using different or unusual watch styles, especially as they look for ways to attract younger customers who are open to watches that do not look like traditional designs.