ALKHOBAR: Long queues formed outside Swatch stores in Riyadh this week as customers waited for the latest Swatch and Audemars Piguet collaboration, turning a colorful plastic watch into one of Saudi Arabia’s most memorable retail moments.
Videos shared across social media showed people standing in line for hours, while resale listings quickly appeared online at prices several times higher than retail.
Starting at SR1,500 ($400) at retail price, regional resellers are now listing the watches for upwards of SR10,000.
The collaboration — part of Swatch’s growing partnerships with luxury Swiss watchmakers, which include Omega — sparked reactions ranging from excitement to disbelief.
Some praised the watches as accessible collectibles; others questioned why people would queue overnight for a product many described as “just a Swatch.”
For brothers Mohammed and Fares Al-Ghamdi, the excitement was instant.
“I honestly loved the whole idea,” Mohammed said. “You’re getting something inspired by AP at a price way more people can actually afford. The designs are fun, the colors stand out and it feels different from normal luxury watches that most people only see online.”
He said that part of the appeal came from the rarity surrounding the launch.
“When people know something is limited, naturally they want it more,” he said. “And social media made it even bigger because everyone started posting the queues and resale prices.”
Fares said the launch felt closer to sneaker or gaming culture than traditional watch collecting.
He said: “It felt like an experience, not just buying a watch. You wait in line, talk to people who like the same thing, and feel like you’re part of something happening in the moment.”
He added that many younger buyers were drawn toward collaborations that mix luxury branding with more accessible products.
“Most people our age aren’t buying an actual AP watch anytime soon,” he said. “This is probably the closest they’ll get to that world.”
But not everyone saw the appeal.
Riyadh resident Saad Al-Malhi said the scenes looked excessive. He said: “Every time I see these lines I get shocked by how people follow trends.
“At the end of the day it’s still a watch. Some people stood for hours like they were waiting for something life-changing.”
He said social media had intensified the pressure to participate in trends, whether people genuinely cared about the product or not.
“People now queue for anything that becomes popular online,” he said. “Sometimes it feels less about the product and more about wanting to post that you were there.”
Noura Al-Dulijan shared a similar view, describing the launch as “clever marketing more than real value.”
She added: “I honestly think the reaction was over the top. The watch suddenly became important because everyone online decided it was important.”
She said that scarcity culture had become increasingly common across fashion and retail.
She added: “Brands know exactly how to create hype now. Limited quantities, long lines, resale prices, influencers posting videos. It all pushes people to feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t buy.”
Fatimah Al-Qarni said the collaboration appealed to people who admired luxury brands but could not realistically afford traditional AP models.
She said: “Honestly, I think people are buying it because they can’t really afford to buy from AP or they are avid admirers of AP. And for Swatch it's a great PR move.
“Personally I like it because I have loved Swatch since I was a teenager and I still remember the first Swatch watch I bought (and I) still have it.”
The collaboration follows the massive success of the Swatch and Omega MoonSwatch collection, which generated similar scenes globally after its launch in 2022.
That release blurred the line between luxury branding and mass-market accessibility, attracting younger buyers who had never previously engaged with Swiss watch culture.
This time, the attention centered on AP, one of the world’s most recognizable luxury watchmakers, known for its Royal Oak models that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Swatch collaboration offered a dramatically cheaper version inspired by that design language, placing the brand within reach of a much wider audience.
In Saudi Arabia, where luxury fashion and collectibles increasingly shape youth consumer culture, the launch quickly evolved into a social media phenomenon.
Users mocked the long lines on X, compared the scenes to sneaker culture, and debated whether the watches were worth the attention. Some described the queues as proof of clever marketing rather than product value.
Others defended the excitement, arguing that collecting was emotional rather than rational.
The discussion also reflected changing consumer behavior, in which exclusivity is increasingly tied to visibility online.
Limited releases are no longer driven only by the product itself, but also by the experience surrounding it. It is the queue, the scarcity, the resale value and the social media conversation afterward that prove important.
Local reports and videos circulating online in Dubai showed similar scenes, with crowds gathering outside stores before opening hours.
Some social media users claimed the situation became difficult to control because of overcrowding, and Swatch’s UAE Instagram account even posted a message to buyers asking them not to rush to stores.
And as the lines disappeared and resale listings multiplied, the release left behind a broader question about modern consumer culture in Saudi Arabia and the region.
