Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop Manufacture Visit
This report offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Swatch manufacturing facilities involved in the production of the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop, focusing on the Sistem51 factory in Boncourt and the Bioceramic production site in Grenchen. The visit highlights the industrial processes and unique calibers developed for this collaboration.
The Royal Pop utilizes two new manually wound Sistem51 calibers: one with a small-seconds subdial and 3 o'clock crown for two colors, and a two-hander with a 12 o'clock crown for the remaining colors.
A notable feature of the new manually wound calibers is a skeletonized barrel design with UV-printed decoration on its cover, showcasing the mainspring.
The Swatch Sistem51 factory in Boncourt produces various movement variations on the same machinery, with specific programs entered for each batch.
The Royal Pop movements feature Pop Art decoration applied via UV printing on the sapphire caseback.
The Bioceramic composite used by Swatch is made of two-thirds zirconium oxide ceramic powder and one-third bio-sourced material derived from castor oil.
The Grenchen facility is responsible for producing the base Bioceramic composite, injection molding parts like cases and crystals, and manufacturing many of Swatch's dials.