Crowds queue all night for Swatch launch only to see mob swarm in and ruin it

People who camped outside Swatch stores ahead of a new watch were forced to walk away empty-handed after mobs tried to push through.

The Swiss firm said they would not open its branches in London and other cities in light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff’.

This includes stories in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield.

People queued overnight to purchase the brand’s new ‘Royal Pop’ pocket watch collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet, which is priced from £335. It has been resold online for up to £16,000.

Thousands gathered across London stores, including in Battersea Power Station, Westfield Shepherds Bush and Oxford Street.

But crowds soon became ‘mob-like’, with police called to assist security as Swatch ultimately decided not to open their doors.

Tyler, 20, arrived at Battersea Power Station at 7pm last night. He had travelled up from Canterbury and waited a number of hours in the queue before he was ordered outside.

He told Metro: ‘It got late and they told us we couldn’t stay in the building, so everyone went to camp on the deck chairs outside.

‘Once it got to midnight, people became a bit more mob-like and it just went into absolute chaos. Everyone started standing up and moving towards the entrances.’

Security opened the doors again at 7am, but rather than form a queue back in footage shows people sprinting towards the small section of queue which was allowed to wait inside overnight.

Tyler said: ‘People were tripping over rushing in, there was no control over the situation. Lots of people were rushing in from different entrances.

‘It got settled again but it only took one guy to start pushing and shouting towards the doors, and lots of other people started. That was when police arrived.’

Footage shows police dogs at the scene in Battersea Power Station, barking at people to push the crowd back away from the doors.

And in Westfield police were also telling the crowd to move back as the store would not be opening, with the queue stretching around escalators all the way to the food court.

After hearing the announcement no one will get a watch, Tyler said he ‘wasn’t surprised but gutted’ because it was obvious from the start the crowd was too dangerous to open the shop.

‘But I feel bad for the guy at the front who apparently camped out for four or five days,’ he said.

A spokesperson from Battersea Power Station, said: ‘Like all Swatch stores across the UK, we experienced unprecedented demand for the launch of the Audemars Piquet x Swatch collection.

‘To ensure the safety of our visitors, the decision was made to close the Battersea Power Station store in line with other closures across the country. The safety of our visitors remains our utmost priority, and we are reviewing security procedures with Swatch.’

Metro contacted Swatch and the Metropolitan Police for comment.

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