The Swatch store in Cardiff city centre has had to close. The £335 watch is already being pre-sold on websites such as eBay for quadruple the price
Crowds gather outside the Swatch store at St. Davids Shopping centre in Cardiff(Image: Getty Images)
There were scenes of pandemonium in Cardiff on Saturday morning as shoppers descended on the city centre in their droves to try and get their hands on a limited edition watch.
Crowds were pictured gathered outside the entrances of Swatch and St David’s Shopping Centre ahead of its opening time at 9.30am as they looked to purchase Swatch’s new Royal Pop collection on Saturday morning. The collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet was only available in-store, with a limit of one watch per person per day.
The £335 watch is already being pre-sold on websites such as eBay for quadruple the price. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
But shoppers were instead greeted with a sign in the window which read: “AP/ Royal Pop sold out and unavailable. Store closed until further notice. Please leave the centre peacefully.”
A heavy police presence was also at the scene managing the crowds.
It wasn’t the only area where Swatch took the decision to close its store.
It confirmed all London stores will remain closed on Saturday.
An announcement posted on the Swatch UK Instagram page at 11am reads: “In light of safety considerations for both our customers and staff, all our London stories will be closed for the day. Thank you for your understanding.”
Describing the product on its website, Swatch writes: “This collection merges the avant‑garde design of Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak and the modular ingenuity of Swatch’s vibrant POP line from the 1980s, resulting in eight, statement-making pocket watches designed for endless creative styling.
“At the core of each watch is a brand-new hand-wound version of our signature SISTEM51 movement finished with a dash of Pop Art energy. And to top it off, each model comes in one of two unique styles: Lépine or Savonnette.”
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