People camping outside a Swatch store ahead of the new watches were forced to leave empty-handed after a mob tried to break through.
The Swiss company said that it would not open branches in London and other cities due to safety considerations for our customers and staff.
This includes stories in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.
People queued overnight to buy the new ‘Royal Pop’ pocket watch in collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet, with prices starting at £335. It has been resold online for up to £16,000.
Thousands of people gathered at shops across London, including at Battersea Power Station, Westfield Shepherds Bush and Oxford Street.
But the crowd soon became ‘mob-like’, with police called in to help with security as Swatch ultimately decided not to open its doors.
Tyler, 20, arrived at Battersea Power Station at 7pm last night. He had traveled from Canterbury and waited several hours in the queue before he was ordered out.
He Metro said: ‘It was getting late and they told us we couldn’t stay in the building, so everyone went camping on deck chairs outside.
‘By midnight, people became more like a mob and things became chaotic. Everyone started to stand up and move towards the entrance.’
Security opened the doors again at 7am, but instead of queuing again, video footage showed people running towards a small section of the queue that had been allowed to wait inside overnight.
Tyler said: ‘People were tripping as they rushed in, there was no control over the situation. Many people rushed in from different entrances.
‘Everything was all right again but it only took one person to start pushing and screaming towards the door, and many others started. That’s when the police arrived.’
Footage showed police dogs at the scene at Battersea Power Station, barking at people to push the crowd away from the doors.
And in Westfield, police also asked crowds to move back because shops would not open, with queues stretching around escalators and into the food court.
After hearing the announcement that no one would be getting the watches, Tyler said he was ‘not surprised but heartbroken’ as it was clear from the start that the crowd was too dangerous for the shop to open.
‘But I felt sorry for the people at the front who apparently camped out for four or five days,’ he said.
A spokesperson from Battersea Power Station said: ‘Like all Swatch stores in the UK, we are experiencing unprecedented demand for the launch of the Audemars Piquet x Swatch collection.
‘To ensure the safety of our visitors, the decision was made to close the Battersea Power Station store in line with other closures across the country. The safety of our visitors remains our top priority, and we are reviewing security procedures with Swatch.’
Metro contacted Swatch and the Metropolitan Police for comment.
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