Swatch shuts Oslo store after chaotic queue for limited-edition watch

The Swatch store on Oslo’s Karl Johans gate closed its doors Saturday, citing public safety concerns after days of chaotic queues for a new collaborative watch collection with luxury brand Audemars Piguet, Dagbladet reports.

Dozens of people had camped outside the store for days, but tensions escalated Saturday morning when a group allegedly cut to the front of the line around 7 a.m. and refused to move. By 9 a.m., signs appeared in the store window announcing the closure: “For public safety, our Oslo store will remain closed today. Thank you for your understanding. The AP watch will not be sold today.”

Leopold Strand, 18, who had queued for days, described the scene as “complete chaos.” Andreas Haga, 21, called the area outside the store a “trash-strewn hellscape.” Both expressed frustration after the store’s abrupt shutdown, with Strand noting, “There’s not much left to do today but go home and sleep.”

Oslo police confirmed they received reports of tensions due to poor crowd management but stated it was “not their responsibility to organize queues for commercial events.” Operations manager Bjarne Pedersen told Dagbladet, “The organizer must handle this themselves.” Police added they would intervene only if criminal offenses occurred.

The limited-edition watch, part of a Swatch-Audemars Piguet collaboration, had drawn buyers from across Europe, including a man who traveled from Riga to queue in Oslo. Similar scenes unfolded in Geneva, where Marianne Flisnes Gravnås reported heavy police presence and campers outside a Swatch store there. The watches sold out quickly, leaving many disappointed.

Swatch has not yet responded to requests for comment on next steps for customers.