Swatch closed its stores in the UK and in some cities in Europe and the US at the weekend after the launch of a limited-edition watch caused chaos.
Shoppers waited throughout the night, and in some cases for several days, hoping to buy the Royal Pop timepieces – made in collaboration with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet – on Saturday.
But police were called when huge crowds descended on stores in Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.
A dispersal order was put in place in Birmingham, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Cardiff and issued with a Section 35 dispersal notice, and police dogs were deployed at the Battersea power station and Westfield shopping centres in London to tackle the chaos.
Footage posted on social media appeared to show people forcing their way past security in Battersea, while a fight reportedly broke out at Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
Swatch kept its Manchester and Liverpool stores closed for a second day on Sunday.
“In light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff, Manchester store will be closed for the day,” a post on the company’s Instagram account said.
In several French cities, queues of hundreds of people formed overnight from Friday to Saturday.
A police source said officers had fired teargas to control a 300-strong crowd outside a Swatch shop in Paris, where a metal shutter and two security gates were damaged.
The police said the stores had underestimated the need for security.
A fight also broke out in front of a Swatch store in Milan, Italy, at opening time on Saturday, according to footage broadcast by local media.
In the Netherlands, police had to intervene at a shopping centre near The Hague after hundreds of people flocked to its Swatch store. The store did not open, and the police said there had been a tense atmosphere and some quarrelling.
Swatch stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht also remained closed. It is not clear when they will reopen.
In New York, there was pushing and shoving at the opening of the Swatch store in Times Square, according to John McIntosh, who had been in the queue since Wednesday.
“It was like a mosh pit,” he said.
McIntosh said he had hoped to get his hands on the brightly coloured watch – sold in store for about $400 (£300) – to resell immediately at a huge mark-up.
On Sunday the watches were listed for sale on eBay by UK sellers for up to £3,000. Audemars Piguet watches usually cost more than £15,000.
Another buyer in New York, who gave his name as Mac, said he had managed to get one after five days of queueing.
“It was pretty hectic … it’s nasty, but I was able to get in,” he said. “Retail for them is about $400 – I sold one just now for $4,000.”
Benny, 30, said he had decided to pay rather than to wait, and had spent $2,400 for one of the watches.
“It’s basically $2,000 over retail, but you can’t get an AP [Audemars Piguet] for less than $2,000, so I think it was a steal,” he said. “I’d rather pay a premium than come out and get it.”
Swatch later urged people not to “rush” to buy its new watch, which costs £335 in the UK.
“To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, 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. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”
Swatch did not respond to a request for further comment.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
