Swatch boss defends watch launch that sparked chaos and closures

Swatch boss defends watch launch that sparked chaos and closures6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAndré Rhoden-Paul'I sold it for over £1k': Swatch launch sparks 'chaotic' scenesThe boss of Swatch has defended the launch of its collaboration with Audemars Piguet after shops in cities around the world saw disruption when large crowds attempted to buy its new pocket watch.CEO Nick Hayek Jr told the BBC there had been "overcrowding like hell" at some of its stores for the Royal Pop timepiece but said it "clearly communicated that this is not a one-day event" and production would continue for months. "Having crowds at the beginning of the launch of [a] product should not be bad news, it should be something that is good news," he said. It comes after the retailer was forced to close some UK stores due to safety concerns at shopping centres, with shops affected abroad. The pocket watch, which costs from £335 (€385; $400) and is not available to buy online, combines Swatch's 1980 pop-art style with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet's octagonal bezel, far below the many of thousands of pounds the latter's watches normally command. "Most of the authorities, they co-operated with us from the beginning and also most of the shopping malls. And there, where they co-operated with us from the beginning, it went well," Hayek Jr told BBC Radio 4 Today programme. He said "there can be certain situations that are tense and everybody did their best, but sometimes you cannot control everything", adding that he believed the launch overall had been "extraordinary". Why are people so excited about Swatch's Royal Pop watch?Swatch's Old Trafford store in Greater Manchester has reopened after the police were called and then dispersed a large number of people. Police were called to St David's 2 shopping centre in Cardiff, where a 25-year-old man was arrested, South Wales...