Hundreds line up at Oak Brook Center Mall for Swatch, Audemars Piguet pocket watch, causing closure

Updated 2 hours ago
OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Hundreds lined up Saturday morning at a Chicago-area mall for a Swatch and Audemars Piguet Royal Pop Collection pocket watch, causing the store to decide to close for the day, police said.

A large number of police vehicles could be seen at the Oak Brook Center Mall Saturday.



"People were lining up for a new watch release. However, Swatch has made the decision that they will not open today at the Oak Brook location," Oak Brook police told ABC7.

A large crowd could be seen waiting outside the store early Saturday.



The Royal Pop Collection, a a collaboration between Swatch and luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet, features pocket watches that cost around $400 and apparently are being resold online for over $1,000.



"To all our dear fans worldwide of our AP x Swatch collab, launched on May 16. To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product," Swatch said in a statement. "The Royal Pop Collection will remain available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused."

It was not yet clear when the Oak Brook Swatch store would reopen.
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