The AP x Swatch Collab Is A Failure (Just Not How You Think)

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]The AP and Swatch collab is a failure, but not for the reasons that you think.

[00:00:04]People have been lined up in front of Swatch boutiques for days just to get their hands on this new collaboration between Automarpay and Swatch. The hype for this collaboration has been absolutely off the charts and everyone has been super excited for this release.

[00:00:16]Or that is, they were excited. That was until they found out what the collaboration actually looked like. I'm sure a lot of the same people that have been camping out to get one of these have felt pretty cheated by the fact that this is not a wristwatch, but it's actually a pocket watch. And now the whole world is in a tizzy over whether this collaboration is a failure and actually good for AP and good for the watch community. So that's exactly what I want to talk about here today. I want to tell you why in my opinion this collaboration between Swatch and AP is a failure but not for the reasons that you actually think. So of course let's do a very very quick recap over what this collaboration actually is. AP and Swatch recently announced a new collaboration where they actually are making eight pocket watches of different colors and different varieties all with a hand winding system 51 movement. This collaboration will cost in the range of $400. And the main gimmick is that the case of the pocket watch can be removed and can be interchanged with other different versions of this collaboration. And when looking at this collaboration to see if it's a failure, I think there's really two main lenses we can look through or two main perspectives to take into consideration.

[00:01:18]First and foremost, there's the perspective of the buyers of this collaboration, the folks out there waiting in lines and the watch enthusiasts out there that were very excited for this collaboration. And secondly, and more interesting to me, there's the lens of AP and whether this collaboration has actually diminished their brand and has been a failure in terms of their own brand status. So, let's talk about this second perspective first. Let's talk about AP and whether this was a failure for them specifically. So, through the lens of AP, this is not a failure of any kind.

[00:01:45]Yes, the fans are disappointed in the final product that is being presented here, but at the end of the day, the goal of this collaboration, in my opinion, is to build brand notoriety, and that's what they're doing here. Yes, the folks buying this collaboration are probably not going to go out tomorrow and buy a true Automarpay watch, but again, the point is building a generational understanding of what this brand is and building up the prestige in people's minds. There's a reason why brands like Ferrari make toy cars and hats and shirts and try to get their name out there as much as possible. In theory, does it diminish their brand to put their logo on a $35 hat? I guess you could argue that, but they're just trying to build a general sense of knowing what this brand is all about and knowing how great they are. If you were to walk up to someone on the street and ask them to name three watch brands, they're likely going to say Rolex, Timex, and maybe Casio. AP is not going to make the list of top brands that they mention. And this is what this collaboration is really all about in my opinion. With this collaboration, you have people across the internet, across different sectors talking about it and are very interested to see what it's all about. So, in my opinion, it is a ultimate success that they're getting their name out there and people are just talking about this in general. And for those out there that are kind of upset AP is collaborating with a brand that is theoretically beneath them, well, I have some news for you. This is not the first time that they have done a collaboration of this similar ilk. About 2 and a half years ago, AP did a collaboration with American rapper Travis Scott where they made a series of merchandise like t-shirts, hoodies, and keychains. I will say they did end up making a proper Royal Oak Travis Scott watch as well as part of this collaboration, but the general idea here was that it was a bunch of merchandise with the AP and Travis Scott names on it. And yes, the collaboration between Travis Scott and AP is not exactly the same thing as what we see here with Swatch and AP, but I think the general idea still stands. You have AP, a very high-end holy trinity watch brand, collaborating with a brand that is theoretically below them. And I use that in air quotes, of course, but that is probably the general idea here.

[00:03:40]And I really respect what AP is doing here. Of all the extremely high-end watch brands like Lang and PC and Vashron, they're the one that is going out and trying to build themselves up and make themselves more notable and more recognizable to the average consumers out there. I don't think a brand like Protect Philippe would ever do a collaboration like this in a million years. But here AP is doing it and taking a huge risk. And in my opinion, this collaboration is clearly paying off for AP because like I said, people are talking about them. But now let's look at this collaboration as a failure through the other lens, the lens of the watch buyers out there and those interested in purchasing this particular collaboration. From the standpoint of the buyer, I can certainly understand why this collaboration is a big letdown.

[00:04:19]At the end of the day, we all thought we were going to be able to buy our own version of an Auto RPK watch and walk around wearing it. And that's not really the case. Of course, with it being a pocket watch, and I can relate to that.

[00:04:30]I was planning on camping out to try to get one of these. And once I saw the collaboration officially unveiled, I was no longer interested. And so, again, I can understand the disappointment. I truly thought we were going to be getting a new version of the Swatch and Omega collaboration just with AP. And that's not what we got. But if we could just take a step back for a second, I do think it is pretty cool that you can buy any sort of watch with the Otmar Pig logo on it for like $400. That is pretty cool. And you already know there are manufacturers out there across the world finding ways to make it so you can retrofit this pocket watch onto your wrist. I've already seen some online. So all in all, is this collaboration between AP and Swatch a failure? Well, like I said, through the lens of a buyer, I can certainly understand why you would view it that way. But if you're AP, this is a smashing success.

[00:05:14]Does this collaboration dilute AP as a brand? Does it ruin them? In my opinion, it absolutely does not. It just makes them more notable and it makes them more famous today than they were a week ago.

[00:05:23]I think sometimes as watch collectors, we forget that brands like Otarpay, Vashron, and PC are not as popular and as famous as we might think. At the end of the day, if you saw this AP and Swatch collaboration in the gift shop of the AP Museum in Switzerland, you might not sniff at it. But I still think it's really cool and we can appreciate it for what it's doing by bringing in people into this hobby that we all enjoy. But let me know what you guys think of this collaboration between Swatch and AP in the comment section down below. Are you planning on trying to get one? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let me know.

[00:05:52]I'd love to interact with you all. And if you enjoyed this video, I would greatly appreciate it if you can give this video a like and subscribe to the channel. And I will see you guys in the next one. Thanks.