In Paris, police deployed tear gas. In Milan, Italy, a fistfight erupted. In London, Singapore and New York, all-night queues snaked from the doors of Swatch stores — the latest examples of status-symbol ‘drop culture’ to flash across the globe when status symbols and resale value collide.

The company at the centre of it all, Swatch, no stranger to over-the-top retail outbreaks, said it was time to chill. The Swiss watchmaker said on Monday that there's no shortage of its Royal Pop pocket watch, a collaboration with Audemars Piguet's luxury timepieces.

All for a ‘bioceramic’ timekeeper that retails for around US$400 — but perhaps more to the point, resells for thousands of dollars. By Monday, the candy-coloured flex objects proliferated on eBay, with one boasting: "In hand! Swatch x AP Royal Pop," for 3,055.58 British pounds (US$4,092) “or best offer”.