Messages: 2611 Location: East Coast, USA
Registered: November 2003
A visit and photo tour of Vacheron Constantin's new New York Boutique >>>
Thu, 28 July 2011 12:18
Hi All,
Yesterday, with the eagerness of a child visiting a brand new toy store, I visited the new Vacheron New York Boutique in midtown Manhattan. I received a tour from Hugues de Pins, President of Vacheron North America, who spent nearly an hour walking me through the boutique and describing how it came to be.
It opened just this past Tuesday, July 26th, and like many Vacheron fans in the US, I've waited years for this day. As has Vacheron...speaking with Hugues, you could sense his pride, happiness, and excitement as he discussed the nearly two-year journey to complete the Boutique.
What a great boutique it is. Elegant, refined, and very upscale, it's the perfect showcase for Vacheron's watches. Hopefully these pictures give a sense of its elegance to those unable to visit...
Situated on the corner of Madison Ave and 64th St, it's located within a building built in 1908...
Looking up at the building...it was a gorgeous sunny day yesterday...
Notice the "frieze motif" just above the Boutique...
Looks familiar, doesn't it? The unique Patrimony Traditionnelle Caliber 2755 Boutique New York's case is engraved with this motif...
A look at the two windows surrounding the entry door...
Large, engraved glass panels sourced from France with the NY skyline serve as the backdrops...
The right side showcases the new Overseas Perpetual Boutique New York limited edition...
...and the left window showcases the American 1921 Boutique New York limited edition...
Upon entry, the left and right sides of the boutique present a superb selection...
Left side...
Right side...
Above, a dramatic Italian hand-blown Murano glass chandelier...
Friendly and knowledgable sales consultants - Andre and Mary...
Stepping past the watch display area, a lounge area with library is at the center of the two-story boutique...
Look at these exquisite bookends...I want them!
Vacheron-branded decorative items are found throughout...
To the right of the lounge area, just after the stairway to the second floor...
Behind the doorway is a space for private viewing. The intention is to build vaults into this room that will store collectors' private collections. With a little advanced notice, a collector would alert the Boutique that they would like to pick up a watch of theirs, such as a perpetual calendar, and the Boutique's watchmaker would prepare the watch (such as correctly setting the date) for the client, prior to his/her arrival...
To keep clients' children busy while mom and dad pick out a watch, some Vacheron wooden puzzles were created for the Boutique...once again, I want!
Upstairs, a full-time watchmaker staffs the Boutique. He can service complicated watches, up to and including perpetual calendars, on-site. Vintage watches, new watches less than one year old, and more complicated watches (such as tourbillons and minute repeaters) must be shipped to Geneva, however if they require more than a minor adjustment. The basement of the Boutique contains watchmaking equipment to support service needs, including polishing/case refinishing machines (Overseas cases and bracelets can be refinished to factory standards on-site).
On display, a VC caliber 2450 fitted with retrograde day date complication module...
Looking inside the display cases...
New Quai de l'Ile models...
The very last Overseas American Limited Edition is available for purchase...
My favorite Overseas Chronograph model - the Overseas Grey...
The first set of Métiers d'Art Japanese maki-e...
A limited edition Malte Tourbillon in rose gold with black dial...
An all-diamond version...
A Patrimony Traditionelle skeletonized perpetual calendar in rose gold...
Patrimony Contemporaine models...
The Historiques 1968...
Another American 1921 Boutique New York...
Dorit Engel, the lovely Boutique Manager, kindly showed me a special and rare watch that was in their vault, on hold for a client who purchased it the day prior...
A Métiers d'Arts Tribute to Great Explorers Marco Polo - one of just 60 pieces made...
The Boutique is off to a great start - on the first day, three watches were sold, including an American 1921 New York Boutique.
Special thanks to Hugues, Ellen Sorensen, and Jamie Williams for inviting and hosting me on this tour.
If you're a fan of watches and you're in/near NYC or will be visiting, I urge you to stop by!
- Paul Boutros