Swatch boss defends watch launch that sparked chaos and closures

The 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".

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 Police said.

Swatch also closed stores in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and London over safety concerns, with social media video showing big queues and scuffles in other stores internationally.

The Swiss watchmaker said only 20 out of 220 stores globally were affected.

Hayek Jr. claimed the situation at its stores has calmed down following Monday's launch and said he did not criticise resellers, who have sold on the pocket watch for vast amounts.

"If somebody thinks instead of keeping it for his passion, he is reselling it, this is happening in the luxury market all the time. "

Amna Khan, senior lecturer in consumer behaviour and retail at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the crowds could be explained by the way consumers, particularly those in the Generation Z age bracket, are driven by social media, where it was promoted.

"When you see this hype, and you see the craze for this product, more and more consumers are going to come because they're interested...

"It's exclusive, it's luxury and it allows you tap into a brand [Audemars Piguet] that you know you wouldn't be able to access... that is why people are going there and buying this."