Giant crowds force Swatch stores to close during 'Royal Pop' pocket watch launch

SOHO, Manhattan (WABC) -- Swatch stores, including the one in SoHo and at Roosevelt Field Mall were forced to take a time out in the middle of a product launch.

Giant crowds gathered outside the stores looking for the new 'Royal Pop' pocket watch.

Some crowds became unruly, so the company decided to close nine of its locations for the day.

The pocket watch is a collaboration between Swatch and luxury brand Audemars Piguet. It retails for about $400 but is going for about $3,000 on the resale market.

In Philadelphia, a crowd gathered before dawn Saturday at the King of Prussia Mall, prompting a heavy police response and delaying the mall's opening for two hours after hundreds of people attempted to enter the building ahead of the release.