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The luxury watch industry has a hype problem.
The AP × Swatch Royal Pop went from one of the biggest watch releases of 2026—complete with queues, resale premiums and global media coverage—to something the watch world seemed to forget almost immediately. But this video isn’t really about one Swatch collaboration. It’s about what the Royal Pop reveals about the modern luxury watch industry.
Watch brands have become exceptionally good at manufacturing attention through limited editions, artificial scarcity, celebrity collaborations, boutique exclusives and endless new dial colours. But attention is not the same as genuine desire—and many collectors are becoming exhausted by the constant release cycle.
In this video, I discuss why luxury watch prices are rising faster than innovation, why Swiss watch brands appear to be running out of new ideas, how artificial scarcity has damaged consumer trust, and why the traditional mid-priced luxury watch market could be facing serious trouble.
We’ll also look at what successful watch brands such as Cartier, Longines and Grand Seiko are getting right, along with the growing appeal of independent watchmakers including F.P. Journe, MB&F, De Bethune and Urban Jürgensen.
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Are watch brands creating the icons of the future—or are they relying on hype, heritage and scarcity to sell us increasingly expensive versions of the same watches?
Let me know what you think in the comments. Are you still excited by new luxury watch releases, or has the watch industry’s hype cycle left you exhausted?