Everything is for sale outside of the Times Square Swatch store right now, where dozens of people are camped out in anticipation of Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop’s drop. The queue began to take shape on Sunday, six days ahead of the watch’s official release. Though lines are hardly unusual in New York City—you can expect an extended wait before gaining entry to everything from the Kith store to the cutesy new matcha spot—something about the coterie of exhausted Supreme-clad, line-waiters bordering the Swatch store feels markedly different.
As I weave through the grimiest, most cacophonous stretch of Seventh Avenue, dodging Naked Cowboy and Broadway ticket scalpers, the neighborhood’s bazaar-like quality only seems to increase once I arrive at the Swatch store. Even the line itself is for sale, with spots going for anywhere from $200 to $600. (The price unfortunately doesn’t include the seating itself, which ranges from collapsible lawn chairs to someone’s actual upholstered dining chair.) Some of the career queuers claim they’ve received offers upwards of $1,000. A hefty price tag won’t guarantee a high-value placement, nor is cost consistent across spot hustlers. “If you catch me now, it’s 250,” says Sin, 21, who currently holds two separate places in line. “If I move up, it may not be 250.” I ask if he is trying to acquire more spots in line, he shoots back: “Y’all offering me spots?”
It goes without saying that many of those crowding West 45th street are in it for the flip. The Audemars Piguet x Swatch collaboration—a set of Royal Pop pocket watches—generated intense intrigue even before the images were released. The new collaboration has attracted both seasoned watch collectors looking to acquire a novel one-off and horological neophytes for whom high-end timepieces like Audemars Piguet still feel out of reach. Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek predicted such buzz would spill into the resell market. “It’s unavoidable—they know that the product will be short. It’s very selective. It’s not online. You can only buy it in a store,” he told GQ. As it stands, the pocket watch, available in eight colorways, will retail at about $400, but the dealers in line estimate they’ll be reselling them somewhere between $1500 to $3200.
“At the most, the max, $1500,” suggests Delorenzo, 26, who holds a coveted spot in line at 13 (and the aforementioned dining chair uprooted from his kitchen). “But right now I’m feeling generous, so maybe I’ll set it for $1000.” Many are hesitant to confirm their entrepreneurial intentions, suggesting that they might keep their AP x Swatch if they manage to get more than one or if they really like the color. (Clearly, they haven’t read the fine print which says customers will only be allowed to purchase one per day.) For some, however, the silhouette itself poses a deterrent. “Originally, I came here for the watch,” Sin tells me. “I come to find out it was a pocket watch. Now I’m out here just selling spots.”
Some, like Delorenzo, aren’t bothered by the reveal. “I ain’t going to lie. It’s going crazy,” he says. “The whole hood want it. If it say AP on it, they’re going to flex regardless.” He also mentions potentially gifting the watch to a paramour. “I might give it to a girl, make her day,” he smirks, echoing the sentiment of a romantic few up along the Swatch storefront. “I think a lot of the girls are excited to put it on Birkins and stuff like that,” confirms Alex, 23. “Like Labubu, but more expensive.”
