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Chaos Breaks Out At AP x Swatch Launch Sites
At New York locations, including Long Island’s Roosevelt Mall and Times Square, foot traffic built into hours-long queues as the release tied to the Audemars Piguet x Swatch collaboration went live. Videos circulating online show dense crowds pressed up against barriers, with waves of people surging forward as doors opened. What started as anticipation quickly became a bottleneck situation. Many shoppers packed tightly enough to make movement inside and outside the store difficult to manage.
The situation wasn’t isolated. Across multiple cities, similar scenes unfolded, with some locations ultimately shutting down entirely after staff and security were overwhelmed by turnout. In a number of cases, police intervened as tensions rose inside packed stores and customers fought over access to limited inventory. Officials used crowd-control measures, including pepper spray and mace, to restore order in especially volatile moments.
Young Thug & Plies Weigh In On The AP Frenzy
Plies and Young Thug were among celebrities who shared their thoughts on the chaos on social media. Plies weighed in on the attention the drop was receiving, writing:
“It Seem Like We More Upset About $300 ‘AP’. Than We Are About What The Supreme Court/ White House Is Doing To Us! I’m Not Tryin To Tell Nobody What To Care About! But If The Roles Was Reversed & They Voting Rights Was Being Attacked. I Know Which One They’d Be Upset About!!!”
Meanwhile, Young Thug took a more dismissive, observational tone, reposting commentary on Instagram and adding, “Idk why n*ggas actin like they wasnt already payin $300 for them APs.” Nonetheless, the reactions reflected two different angles of the same moment. One pointing toward broader social priorities, the other cutting through the hype with a reminder that the price point itself wasn’t necessarily new territory for some consumers.
Y’all So Messy The Company Had To Speak Out
Furthermore, in response to the disruption, Swatch issued a statement acknowledging the “extraordinarily high demand.” They also confirmed that some stores had to close temporarily in coordination with local authorities to ensure safety. Additionally, they said the collection wasn’t limited edition and they planned to release more inventory despite the chaos around the rollout.
— Swatch (@Swatch) May 16, 2026