The highly anticipated unveiling of Audemars Piguet X Swatch’s new collection of watches has been cancelled at two malls in Dubai.
Swatch UAE cited “public safety considerations” as the reason for the cancellation in a brief statement on social media.
“… we have decided not to proceed with the sale of the product at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, and the event has been cancelled. We appreciate your understanding and continued support,” the watch brand said on Instagram.
According to comments posted on social media, customers had lined up for hours at the two malls for the May 16 launch, but many had to return empty-handed after the sale was called off.
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The two iconic Swiss watch brands came together in a one-of-a-kind collaboration to create Royal Pop, a new collection that brings together Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Swatch’s POP watches from the 1980s.
The collection comprises eight unique pocket watches in a collaboration that the brands said “rewrites the rules of watchmaking”.
They were set to launch the much-hyped collection in the UAE and Saudi Arabia on May 16.
In comments on Swatch’s cancellation post, customers expressed their disappointment.
“I was waiting 10 hours outside Dubai Mall …,” read one comment on the post.
Another customer claimed he was at Mall of the Emirates for more than 18 hours before the cancellation was announced.
Yet another claimed there was no communication or system to deal with the crowds that turned up for the launch.
Source: Khaleej Times