Two Toronto Swatch stores closed Saturday as new watch caused long lines

Swatch Canada says massive lines and crowds forced the company to temporarily shut down various locations in the GTA amid sales for limited edition products.

Swatch stores at two Toronto malls were closed Saturday amid long lines for the release of a new limited edition pocket watch.

In an Instagram post, Swatch Canada said the closure was due to “public safety considerations.”

Posts on social media show people began lining up the day before, camping overnight, hoping to get a watch from the collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet, which launched on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Fairview Mall confirmed to CP24 that the Swatch store in the mall was closed for the remainder of the day. The spokesperson said there is no confirmed reopening time for the store.

The new pocket watch collection is called “Royal Pop.” There are eight models on sale, retailing between $525 and $560 in Canada.

According to a press release, the collection “combines joyful boldness and positive provocation with fine watchmaking” and draws inspiration from the artistic movement Pop Art.

Toronto police confirmed to CP24 that they were called to Sheway Gardens at 8:50 a.m. “to assist with crowd control” inside.

“There were no incidents inside the mall that we are aware of,” Toronto police media relations officer Const. Laura Brabant said in an email.

Swatch addressed the demand for its new watch in another Instagram post.

“To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product,” the post reads.

They added that the watch will be available for several months.

“In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”

Several media outlets in the United Kingdom reported that many Swatch stores were closed due to long lines. Arrests were also reported.