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Chaos erupted outside Swatch stores in NYC and across the globe as cut-throat resellers and watch enthusiasts impatiently waited for a new release – causing several locations to abruptly close amid the disastrous launch.Hundreds of shoppers were seen swarming the stores in SoHo and Times Square Saturday morning, rounding out about a week of lengthy lines that saw the city’s sidewalks resembling tent encampments.The frenzy is centered around the latest collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet — a limited-edition, bioceramic pocket watch that merges Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak with Swatch’s vibrant POP line from the 1980s.At the Time Square location, some buyers were let into the store well before the 10 a.m.scheduled opening time – and the coveted watches were sold out in an hour.One particularly rowdy man was arrested for his role in the ruckus. “This is a total sh-t show,” said John McIntoch, 44.
“Since Wednesday morning there was no line, just a mob scene, like a mosh pit. “I told Swatch, ‘You have to take control of this line.’ Instead, there were a bunch of thugs since Wednesday morning setting up chairs like absentee ballots.” At the SoHo store, the crowd reportedly got so out of hand, the location had to close its doors.The chaos comes days after someone overdosed while waiting for the weekend product release. The watch-fueled drama isn’t limited to NYC, with Swatch stores in cities across the UK experiencing similarly disastrous launches. The Swiss-based company declared on Instagram that its locations in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and Cardiff were closed “in light of safety considerations.” But for those who managed to survive the relentless mobs, the launch proved successful.Sincier Watson at the Times Square location, said he scored a black and white watch for $432 and has already sold it for $3,000. On top of his resale profit, Watson, 21, bagged another $1,600...