• Jacob & Co. Unveils $693,000 Diamond-Set Watch: A Jewelry Masterpiece Inspired by Harlequin

  Jacob & Co. has unveiled the Brilliant Flying Tourbillon Baguette Pastel Arlequino — a unique timepiece produced as a one-of-a-kind piece that combines the achievements of high watchmaking with the luxury of fine jewelry design...

• Rolex Watches Worth $5 Million Each: Four Unique Daytonas Inspired by the Seasons to Go Under the Hammer for Charity

  Rolex is officially putting four one-of-a-kind Cosmograph Daytona chronographs up for auction, each inspired by one of the four seasons. The exclusive collection will be sold by London auction house Phillips, with proceeds benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation and Re, the environmental organization co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio...

• Small Rolexes, Big Money: Why Women’s Watches Are Breaking Records on the Secondary Market

  The secondary watch market is seeing a dramatic surge in demand — and prices — for smaller women’s and classic Rolex models, according to Robb Report...

• Cartier Takes the Mask Off the Tank Américaine: The Iconic Watch Becomes a Skeleton for the First Time

  Cartier has unveiled the Tank Américaine in a skeletonized version for the first time, exposing the movement that has traditionally remained hidden behind the dial. At the same time, the maison has introduced a new version of the watch featuring a striking gradient burgundy dial...

• Forgotten for 90 Years — Then Worth a Fortune: Abandoned Patek Philippe Watch Sells for £59,000

  A rare 1930s Patek Philippe watch that had spent decades gathering dust among old jewelry in a deceased woman’s jewelry box has sold at auction for an astonishing £59,000...

• $1.2 Million for a Piece of History: Joe DiMaggio’s Famous Patek Philippe Hits the Market

  A piece of legendary baseball history could soon belong to any collector — provided they are willing to pay $1.2 million...

• Beyond Time and Eras: The $500,000-Plus Watch Designed to Keep Time for 1,000 Years

  Independent Swiss watchmaker Urwerk has never played by the traditional rules of horology. Now, the brand has reimagined one of its most ambitious concepts, unveiling a one-of-a-kind UR-1001 Amadeus pocket watch, according to Forbes...

• Samsung Ordered to Pay Swatch $11.6 Million for Copying Luxury Watch Designs

  The High Court in London has ordered South Korean technology giant Samsung to pay Swiss watchmaking group Swatch $11.6 million for allowing pirated versions of luxury watch dials to be offered for its smartwatches...

The Swatch x Audemars Piguet collaboration continues to ignite the resale market, transforming the limited-edition release into a full-blown financial frenzy, according to NYP.

Just days after the launch of the Royal Pop collection, the watches — originally retailing for around $400 — began flooding resale platforms and New York jewelry stores with price tags reaching $9,000 and beyond.

One of the hottest resale hubs has become Manhattan’s famous Diamond District, where select dealers are displaying the rare models alongside Cartier and Rolex pieces, while eager buyers line up willing to pay several times above retail.

According to sellers, certain colorways sell almost immediately upon arrival. Some resellers claim they moved dozens of watches on launch day alone, with prices starting around $3,500 depending on color and demand.

The most sought-after versions have been the white, pink, and blue models, while the green edition appears to be attracting noticeably less interest.

The hysteria began on release day, when hundreds of shoppers camped outside Swatch boutiques in Times Square and SoHo, in some cases lining up days in advance. In several cities across the U.S. and abroad, stores temporarily shut down due to safety concerns triggered by uncontrollable crowds.

Industry experts say the reaction is hardly surprising. Audemars Piguet rarely participates in mass-market collaborations, carefully preserving its ultra-exclusive status in the luxury watch world, where classic Royal Oak models can range from roughly $20,000 to well over $300,000.

It is precisely this mix of accessibility and prestige that made the collaboration such a powerful resale phenomenon. On the secondary market, individual watches are already being listed between $1,400 and $3,000, while complete eight-piece sets are valued at nearly $22,000.

Market insiders say the driving forces behind the frenzy are artificial scarcity and social media hype, which can instantly supercharge demand.

“When people can’t get something, they want it even more,” sellers explain, describing the psychology behind the explosive price surge.

Analysts are also drawing comparisons to Swatch’s previous viral MoonSwatch collaboration, which proved that such releases can generate not only massive queues, but also a booming resale economy within days.

Today, Royal Pop is no longer just a watch — it has become a speculative asset, where value is driven less by materials or craftsmanship and more by hype, scarcity, and the speed at which the product spreads across social media.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram