Cover Delugs renders the Audemars Piguet x Swatch collab Royal Pop ‘Green Eight’ as a wristwatch. The case-strap concept by the independent strap maker is still in development, but the vision is already hard to ignore (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Delugs renders the Audemars Piguet x Swatch collab Royal Pop ‘Green Eight’ as a wristwatch. The case-strap concept by the independent strap maker is still in development, but the vision is already hard to ignore (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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Delugs founder Kenneth Kuan on why the Royal Pop has the watch community calling his brand their “one true hope” and how he plans to deliver
When Audemars Piguet and Swatch unveiled the Royal Pop—a bioceramic pocket watch carrying the DNA of one of horology’s most coveted references—Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak—the watch world lost its mind. Then it lost its mind a second time, for an entirely different reason: there was no way to wear it on your wrist. With the Royal Pop launching tomorrow on May 16 in Swatch stores around the world, the watch community waits with bated breath to get their hands on the piece.
Singaporean strap brand Delugs has already been tagged relentlessly across social media by fans demanding they do something about it. Before the doors open and the queues form, Tatler sat down with Kenneth Kuan, co-founder of what has become one of the most respected names in the strap business, to talk about Project WristPop, the art of moving fast without cutting corners and what it means to have an entire community of watch lovers placing their hopes on your shoulders.
See also: 5 reasons why the Audemars Piguet x Swatch “Royal Pop” is ingenious
Above Delugs founders Kenneth Kuan and Chia Pei Qi (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Delugs founders Kenneth Kuan and Chia Pei Qi (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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Delugs’ biggest market is the US, not Singapore. Ed Sheeran wore your strap on a Patek Philippe on stage here in Singapore, and it made headlines locally, but the global watch community already knew who you were. What does it feel like to be more recognised every year, and has that changed now that you’ve opened a physical boutique?
Being more recognised, not just within the watch enthusiast community but with the general public, has been genuinely useful for what we’re trying to do. Our core mission is to make strap changing a lifestyle, to show people that swapping out the strap on your watch is a normal and easy thing to do. Watches are still one of the few accessories that most people don’t think about personalising, and there’s a lot of potential there.
Having more credibility allows us to push that agenda harder and expand the surface area, not just for Delugs but for every strap company operating in this space. Since opening the physical boutique, brand awareness has stepped up significantly, both in Singapore and internationally. Locally, the boutique has let us serve customers who were previously resistant to shopping with us online. There was always a lot of uncertainty about strap changing: handling different materials to better understand how it feels, finding a strap that fits a particular watch, and having someone to help with the installation. The boutique solves all of that. The model has worked well enough that we’re opening a second boutique in Hong Kong by the end of June 2026, which will let us serve customers there directly rather than only through e-commerce.
Internationally, the boutique has also helped us build credibility within the watch industry itself. In the past year alone we’ve hosted a number of industry executives visiting us in Singapore, including C-level executives and brand founders who wanted to see what a dedicated strap boutique actually looks like.
Above Royal Pop Lan Ba on the wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Royal Pop Lan Ba on the wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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You once told watch brands “I’m not your competitor.” But co-branded straps with your name stamped on the back suggest the relationship has shifted, they now see you as a partner worth putting their name next to. How did you get from being the aftermarket guy to someone that haute horlogerie brands actively want to collaborate with, and did you have to change anything about Delugs to get there?
We now have co-branded straps with brands across the spectrum, from established maisons like Vacheron Constantin, Girard Perregaux, and Ulysse Nardin, to independent Swiss brands like Armin Strom and Simon Brette. We’ve never seen ourselves as a competitor to the watch brands. Our agenda has always been to elevate the entire category of straps, and that is most effective when watch brands are also part of it. The shift in relationship came from showing the watch brands that we had something specific and useful to bring to the table, and that we want to be a constructive player in the industry. We’ve always believed partnerships need to be win-win and not a zero-sum game. What we bring is something most watch brands either can’t or won’t focus on themselves: an obsessive focus on straps.
We started as an aftermarket brand because we were primarily direct-to-consumer, focused on the end consumer rather than on B2B partnerships or being a strap supplier. From 2023, when we first started attending watch industry events, it became clear that there was real value in being an active player within the industry rather than a direct-to-consumer brand operating on the periphery. We’ve built on that steadily, and most recently in 2026 we exhibited at Watches and Wonders at Palexpo itself.
We wanted to collaborate with brands for two reasons. First, because there’s a lot we can learn from them and from their experience. To give one example, working with the larger brands has shown us how they evaluate strap quality and the testing they put straps through to make sure they hold up to daily wear over years. Those industry norms weren't something we had visibility into before. Second, because partnering with brands lets us serve a much wider pool of customers, including people who might otherwise be resistant to changing straps or using aftermarket products. And honestly, it’s an honour for us to partner with these brands given how young we are and how much heritage they carry.
On their side, two things had to be true for them to want to work with us. The product had to be of a certain quality. They have no shortage of strap suppliers, so we needed to bring something distinctive, whether in range or in build. That meant being consistent across every product we’ve released over the years, to show we can operate at that level reliably. The second thing was demonstrating that we’re in tune with what customers actually want and have our finger on the culture of straps. A lot of that comes from our direct-to-consumer arm, where we talk to and service thousands of customers individually and aggregate that feedback into a real picture of what people are looking for. That’s an area of strength we’ve built up over years, and the watch brands recognise it.
Above Otto Rosso Project WristPop imagined in red: Delugs’ AI rendering of what the Royal Pop Otto Rosso could look like on the wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Otto Rosso Project WristPop imagined in red: Delugs’ AI rendering of what the Royal Pop Otto Rosso could look like on the wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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What was your reaction when you first heard rumours about the AP x Swatch Royal Pop collaboration? Did you believe it? Had you already started planning for a big opportunity coming your way then?
I didn’t believe the rumours when Swatch first dropped the early hints. The previous two Swatch collaborations were both within the Swatch Group, with Omega and Blancpain. Collaborating with a brand outside the group seemed challenging.
More importantly, Audemars Piguet is a major established maison with no shortage of demand for their watches. Given the popularity of the Royal Oak, it felt too good to be true that they would agree to this kind of partnership, where a version of the Royal Oak would now be easily accessible. But the more I thought about it, the more it fit with what AP has been doing over the past few years, reaching out to a more mainstream audience through collaborations with celebrities, artists, and the Marvel Watch series, which definitely got a lot of attention.
To answer the planning question directly: we didn’t do any concrete planning before the watch was released. We were aware the announcement was coming and that, as a company, we should pay close attention to it because it was going to be a big moment, but we didn't start any actual work until the watch was officially announced, since we didn’t know what the watch was going to be.
Tell us about the craziest requests or Instagram direct messages (DMs) that came your way since the reveal of the Royal Pop watch.
Honestly, the reactions started before we’d even officially said anything. When we woke up the morning of the release and saw the announcement, we had already been tagged by a large number of people asking whether we’d be developing straps for it. A lot of them were genuinely upset that Swatch and AP had released a pocket watch rather than a wristwatch. That groundswell of demand for a way to wear the Royal Pop on the wrist is a big part of what made us want to embark on Project WristPop in the first place.
Since we announced Project WristPop, we’ve had a lot of people ready to purchase the case-strap even though we've explicitly said we don’t have an actual product or price yet, that it’s still in development. Some have said they’d buy multiple colours, one for each Royal Pop.
We’ve also had a lot of requests from people wanting to distribute our product in their country and sell it to their market. Both reflect the level of demand for this product globally and the confidence people already have in how well it will sell, even though nothing is confirmed yet.
What’s been most heartening is the number of DMs we’ve received from people sharing their own ideas for how the case and strap might integrate with the Royal Pops. People genuinely want to be part of the design and development process for this.
Above The Royal Pop Otg Roz, rendered by Delugs as part of Project WristPop. Eight colourways, one mission: getting the Royal Pop on your wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
The Royal Pop Otg Roz, rendered by Delugs as part of Project WristPop. Eight colourways, one mission: getting the Royal Pop on your wrist (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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Tell us the reactions of your loyalists and the watch community in general when you first officially announced that Delugs will be making straps for the Royal Pop.
There’s been an incredible amount of enthusiasm from our community since the announcement. A lot of people are very excited that we’re throwing our weight behind this project because they know whatever product we set out to develop, we’ll do our absolute best, and they trust that the straps will be of a certain quality and standard.
One theme that keeps coming up is trust. The top comment on our announcement post has over 2,600 likes after 24 hours, and it simply says, “You guys are our one true hope.” That comment reflects the sentiment well. There are many other companies trying to make straps for this watch, but the people who know Delugs and follow our story are most excited that we're the ones doing it. They know the quality and attention to detail we put into every product we develop, whether it’s for the MoonSwatch, the Royal Pop, or for Cartiers, Pateks [Philippe] and VCs [Vacheron Constantin].
A number of people have also said that if we make the case-strap for the Royal Pop, it will be the reason they buy the watch. Conversely, if we can’t make straps for it, they don’t see a reason to buy it.
This is the most heartening part of the entire project: knowing we have a loyal community putting their trust and hope in us to make a strap that lets them wear this watch. They trust that we’ll do our best, that we’ll design something in line with what they’ve come to expect from Delugs, on both quality and design. Knowing that what we’re doing makes a real difference to these people is what makes this worth the effort.
You can’t design without the physical watch. In an industry where everyone is racing to be first, how do you reconcile craft and speed?
It’s true that we can’t fully design without the physical watch, but we have photos and videos, and enough experience to talk through a lot of the design and plan ahead. From the moment the watch was announced to the point where it’s actually available to us, we’re using that window to plan our approach to the design, the case, and the strap. We’re talking through the options and mapping out what the next few weeks will look like, so that the moment we have the watch in hand we can move straight into the development process with fewer decisions still pending.
So no, we won’t reduce our emphasis on craft just to be faster. We’ll speed up in the areas where it’s possible to do so without compromising the craft.
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A number of people have also said that if we make the case-strap for the Royal Pop, it will be the reason they buy the watch. Conversely, if we can’t make straps for it, they don’t see a reason to buy it.
Walk us through Operation Clockwork. What exactly is the mission, and what happens if you come back empty-handed?
The first step in the entire development process is making sure we have the watch in our hands. Honestly, [co-founder] Pei Qi and I would happily queue ourselves and be part of this cultural moment, but having two young kids makes a long night of queuing practically impossible. So we have people from the office preparing to queue on Saturday instead. The goal is to come away with at least one watch.
If they come back empty-handed, we’ll find another way. I’ve said in the past that we wouldn’t pay secondary market prices, and that’s still our preference, but this project matters enough that we’ll do what’s needed to get a watch in our hands, including the secondary market if it comes to that.
Once you get your hands on the Royal Pop, what’s the first thing you do with it before you even think about design? How do your next 72 hours look?
The very first thing is to appreciate the watch for what it is, to understand the design intent of Swatch and Audemars Piguet. I don’t own a Royal Oak myself, so it’ll be genuinely interesting to get some hands-on time with the Royal Pop. From there, our team will examine the watch closely, to see how the popping mechanism works, to get the exact dimensions, and whether there’s anything we couldn’t pick up from our initial research.
Then we go deep into the design process: modelling the entire watch, then developing a case that can integrate with the Royal Pop and also accept a strap attachment. We’ll likely run through a few rounds of 3D printing or even milling out different case designs in-house to get a feel for the proportions on the wrist and see what works. Having these capabilities internally is what lets us prototype and iterate quickly on a project like this without waiting on external suppliers between revisions.
Tell us about the straps. What do you envision? How many strap options are you thinking of?
We will create rubber straps for the Royal Pop with a design language similar to the Royal Oak Offshore. Given the familiarity people have with the Offshore, that’s likely to be the most universally appealing direction. Where things will differ is in the range of colours. The Royal Pop has such a playful character that the strap options have to match the specific model and lean into the fun.
We’re also designing them to be interchangeable, which is a core tenet of every Delugs strap. We believe it’s a lot more fun when you can easily swap out different straps for your watch, and the same thinking applies here.
Eight colourways, bioceramic, Pop Art DNA. Which colourway are you hoping the intern gets, and does it change your design direction?
Any colour would be great, but the one I personally like is the Huit Blanc. That said, whichever watch we get doesn't change the design direction. We’ll still be designing and developing straps for all the different models. Having a watch on hand matters more for the technical side, working out how the case and the strap come together, than it does for the colour design itself. When we move into production, we’ll find a way to get our hands on each of the different models to do any Pantone or colour matching that’s needed.
Above Kuan’s second pick for himself, the Royal Pop Orenji Hachi paired with a navy strap (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Kuan’s second pick for himself, the Royal Pop Orenji Hachi paired with a navy strap (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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The Royal Pop is priced at US$400 to 420. In your world, a Delugs accessory for it could easily be 10 to 20 per cent of that. How do you think about pricing an aftermarket accessory for a ‘democratised luxury’ watch?
Pricing has to be rooted in reality, and that reality is our development and production costs. That includes not just procuring the watches but also time spent in development, moulding costs, and so on. It’s a bit too early to talk about an actual number, but I don’t think we need to frame it as a percentage of the watch’s retail price.
There’s another way to think about it: how much would you pay to have a Royal Pop on your wrist? In a sense, you’re getting something very close to a Royal Oak at a fraction of the price. Through that lens, even if the strap ends up being a large percentage of the watch’s retail price, as long as the combined cost of the watch and strap still feels reasonable, it might be worth it to some customers.
Ultimately, the goal isn’t to price something unobtainable or that doesn’t make sense for the average buyer. We want to price the product at a level where most people see it as a logical, no-brainer purchase if they’re picking up the Royal Pop, as long as the economics and cost structure work for us. At the same time, we won’t compromise on quality just to keep the price low. We want to produce a strap we’re genuinely happy with, one that holds up to the standard people expect from Delugs, so that owners feel they’re putting a well-made product on their watch, something that elevates the Royal Pop rather than just accessorising it.
Above The Royal Pop Blaue Acht gets the Delugs treatment—this is what eight on the wrist could look like (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
The Royal Pop Blaue Acht gets the Delugs treatment—this is what eight on the wrist could look like (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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The MoonSwatch was our generation’s first big test of this. Did Delugs win from that launch? And what did you learn from it going into the Royal Pop?
The MoonSwatch launched in March 2022. The Delugs of 2022 and the Delugs of 2026 are very different companies. Back then, we were essentially a leather strap specialist operating direct-to-consumer. We did run some marketing campaigns around the MoonSwatch and produced a few straps that would fit it, but we weren’t in a position to bring something to the table at the scale or ambition we’re capable of today.
What’s changed comes down to a few things. We have a much stronger team, and everyone is rallying around this project and moving together as one company. Our product development capabilities have grown significantly, particularly in our ability to work confidently across rubber, metal, and plastics in addition to leather, which is exactly what a project like the Royal Pop demands. We also do most of our prototyping and development work in-house, which lets us iterate at the pace a project like this requires. On the operational side, we now run fulfillment warehouses in the US, UK, and Singapore, so we can get straps to customers around the world quickly and at lower cost. The overall online shopping experience is also far stronger today, from the website itself to customer service to the smaller things like instruction and how-to videos that walk people through installing a strap or address any concerns they have about the product. And on top of all that, we have a physical boutique in Singapore with another opening in Hong Kong, plus co-branded partnerships with established maisons and independent makers. When the MoonSwatch launched, we weren’t ready to fully seize that moment. For the Royal Pop, we are.
Moments like this don’t come around often. It almost feels like we’ve spent the past few years building the team and the company to a level where we could take on this kind of mission. We know it’s going to be a significant moment, not just for our business but for the watch industry. We want to leave our mark in this moment, to be the first brand that successfully develops a strap for the Royal Pop, to be part of this cultural moment. That’s why we’re putting so much weight behind this project.
Above All black, all business. The Royal Pop Ocho Negro rendered as Delugs imagines it—on the wrist, where it belongs (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
All black, all business. The Royal Pop Ocho Negro rendered as Delugs imagines it—on the wrist, where it belongs (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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Swatch collaborations create insane hype, then the discourse moves on. How do you build a product that still makes sense to buy three months after launch?
Even when the discourse moves on, the demand stays. People don’t talk about the MoonSwatch as much these days, but you still see everyday people wearing one on the street. I wouldn’t underestimate Swatch’s ability to create a long-lasting impact, and I wouldn’t underestimate the potential for the Royal Pop to stay relevant for a long time.
What matters most is whether the product has some inherent quality that keeps people coming back. For the Royal Pop and the MoonSwatch, that’s the design and the heritage of the Royal Oak and the Speedmaster. In our case, we’re trying to build a case-strap that’s well constructed, that elevates the Royal Pop, and enhances the overall wearing and owning experience of the watch. So even after the hype dies down, people will still be seeking these straps out.
Above Kenneth Kuan’s personal favourite, the Royal Pop Huit Blanc, paired with a white rubber strap (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
Kenneth Kuan’s personal favourite, the Royal Pop Huit Blanc, paired with a white rubber strap (Photo: courtesy of Delugs)
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As a creator, what do you hope to achieve from this project? How do you give back to the watch community?
From a creator and marketing perspective, what we hope to achieve is bringing more awareness to how these products are actually created. Not many people know what goes on behind the scenes in developing straps, the complexities, the design considerations. We want to shed some light on how it’s done.
If our content can keep people interested in watches and horology, and even nudge consumers who were only interested in the Royal Oak toward exploring other mechanical watches and getting deeper into the hobby, then we’ve succeeded. I also want people to realise that changing straps for different watches isn’t a complicated process, and that one simple act can make a watch come alive. You end up with a watch that's truly yours, different from everyone else’s, just from a simple strap change.
Which of the Royal Pop watches would you pick for yourself and what strap would you pair it with?
My everyday pick would be the Huit Blanc with a white rubber strap. I’ve always liked a white rubber strap, and pairing it with a white case is going to be a lot of fun. Up close, you get those little hints of colour that make it more interesting and playful. It also makes it easy to live with one watch and many strap colours, because they’ll all go so well together.
My second choice, for a stealthier look, would be the Orenji Hachi paired with a navy rubber strap. A lot of my clothes are in blue and navy shades, so that pairing would be easy to wear. I also really like the orange and navy colour scheme together.
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*Delugs is an independent brand and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially associated with Audemars Piguet or the Swatch Group in connection with the Royal Pop collaboration
As the Regional Editor for Watches and Jewellery and Editorial Content Lead for Tatler GMT, Amrita Katara specialises in luxury watch and jewellery coverage across Asia, with expertise in editorial strategy, feature writing and interviews with industry leaders. Her past roles span luxury lifestyle media and client partnerships. Based in Mumbai, Amrita’s work bridges global trends and Asian market insights.
