Swatch x Audemars Piguet release at Cherry Creek Mall canceled

Days of anticipation over a luxury watch release at Cherry Creek Mall ended in chaos and disappointment Saturday morning.

Crowds gathered outside the mall for hours, and in some cases days, ahead of the launch of the "Royal Pop Collection," a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Swatch.

Some people camped out overnight, hoping to get their hands on one of the limited-release timepieces before the event was ultimately canceled after chaos broke out.

Maurice Anderson, who works inside the mall, documented the days leading up to the event. He said people started lining up days in advance, with some camping out as early as Wednesday.

"They wanted to be the first one," Anderson said. "It's just the resell, that's all it is. People think that they're going to make thousands and thousands of dollars off this watch, even though the company said themselves they're going to keep restocking the watch."

The watches retail for about $400, offering what many see as a more affordable entry point into the world of Audemars Piguet, a Swiss luxury watch brand known for some models that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"It's a cheaper way to get into an AP watch," Anderson said.

But on Saturday morning, the excitement quickly turned into disorder as shoppers rushed through the doors.

"All they heard was there's less than 100 watches; we need to get in here," Anderson said. "And as the chaos spread, everybody was fighting."

Video shared on social media showed people pushing through doors, crowds surging through the mall, and fights breaking out as security tried to regain control of the situation.

"I'm like, what's going on? Everybody bum-rushing, everybody bombarding all different areas of the mall, upstairs, downstairs," Anderson said.

The aftermath included a broken door and signs posted reading, "Event canceled." Due to the chaos, the release event was canceled. The Swatch store inside Cherry Creek Mall was closed Saturday and remained closed Sunday.

Following the incident, Swatch released a statement to customers on their website that read in part:

"To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatchhttps://www.swatch.com/en-en/royal-pop.htmlstores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product. The Royal Pop Collection will remain available for several months."

The company also said that in some countries and regions, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.

CBS Colorado reached out to both the mall and the store for comment, but had not heard back. Denver police said officers responded to help clear the crowd and that no arrests were made.

The Swatch store opened on Monday morning. People lined up for an opportunity to get the Royal Pop Pocket watch.