OP4 • THEEDGE SINGAPORE | JUNE 22, 2009 TOP STORE E A ndreas Boesch, general manager of IWC South- east Asia, has been searching over the last two years for the perfect boutique location that will do justice to the stable of IWC time- pieces. Boesch did his legwork and identified some places that he thought were suitable but “for var- ious reasons they didn’t materialise”. The disappoint- ments were, however, blessings in disguise. “Looking back, we are glad they didn’t materialise because we are now able to get a space there,” Boesch says, point- ing to the almost-ready ION Orchard building across the street from the Japanese restaurant at Wheelock Place where Options met Boesch for a chat. IWC is set to open its first standalone boutique in Singapore there on July 21. ION Orchard, a gleaming new development that oc- cupies Orchard Turn, will house more than 300 stores spread over eight floors. The shop mix will feature top luxury, fashion and lifestyle brands and a host of F&B outlets. Global flagship and concept stores will enjoy up- to-date facilities such as a media wall, a sheltered pub- lic square to hold events, an ION Sky viewing deck and ION Art, which is an art exhibition space. Boesch is very pleased at the prospect of being part of this new retail icon. He feels that the match between the IWC brand and ION Orchard is perfect: “ION Orchard fits in with what the brand stands for when it comes to contemporary understated luxury and the technical in- novative approach to how we do things.” The boutique will provide fans of IWC with a ded- icated environment to fully appreciate the timepieces on show. This will also be a place where new custom- ers can be introduced to what IWC is all about. Boe- sch adds that the boutique, measuring 1,000 sq ft, will give the brand better visibility and “allow us to show the brand in a depth and in a richness that can only be done in a boutique”. IWC was founded by Boston native Florentine Aris- to Jones, who was only 27, when he started produc- ing pocket watches in Switzerland for the US in 1868. During his time in Europe, the talented young man de- veloped and produced his own movement, the Jones Calibre. In 1878, however, Jones sold the company and moved back to the US for good. ‘Minimalistic or puristic’ The design of the IWC boutique captures the essence of what the brand stands for — understated luxury. If first impressions count, then the boutique has succeeded, with a clever interplay of flamed and brushed granite, brushed metal and dark chrome elements — or best described by Boesch as “very technical and clean… It is not overloaded… I guess we can call it minimalis- tic or puristic”. According to Boesch, the first thing one sees upon entering the boutique is the corporate area, which is bathed in the IWC corporate colours of black and white. To the left of the boutique is a designated exhibition area, where highlights of the season will be prominently fea- tured. For this year, the star will be the Aquatimer fam- ily of timepieces. Of note is the Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold — a dream timepiece for the busy man with a penchant for diving. Featuring a longer replaceable strap so that the timepiece can be worn over a diver’s suit, it is wa- ter-resistant to 12 bar, or about 120m. The red-gold case comes with a flyback chronograph and analogue display. The 44mm case ensures clear readings in poor visibility conditions under water. At the club An exciting new feature in the boutique is the gentle- men’s club. A lounge area that can be best described as a haven for watch connoisseurs to gather or just spend a quiet moment reading a tome selected from the ex- tensive library, it is inviting, with wooden elements, a fireplace and comfortable plush chairs. And does this mean that a portion of the boutique is off-limits to wom- en? “Of course women are allowed. They are more than welcome,” Boesch says with a laugh. Plans are already underway to use this boutique for IWC events, ranging from the launch of new products to cocktail events. The first will be the grand opening, and Options understands that a celebrity will be present to grace the occasion. At this point, Boesch is not at lib- erty to disclose the identity of the guest-of-honour and all he is willing to reveal is that this celebrity is “truly knowledgeable when it comes to IWC timepieces as he is a true friend of the brand”. So, we can only try to guess who this celebrity is and wait patiently to see the boutique swing into ac- tion next month. Boesch: ION Orchard fits in with what the brand stands for when it comes to contemporary understated luxury and the technical innova- tive approach to how we do things Artist’s impression of the IWC boutique at ION Orchard The lounge area is inviting with wooden elements, a fireplace and comfortable plush chairs A PERFECT UNION Audrey Simon gets a sneak peek of the new IWC standalone boutique that is scheduled to open soon at the most coveted retail space on Orchard Road The Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold is a dream timepiece for the busy man with a penchant for diving
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Mar 14, 2016
‘Minimalistic or puristic’ The design of the IWC boutique captures the essence of what the brand stands for — understated luxury. If first impressions count, then the boutique has succeeded, with a clever interplay of flamed and brushed granite, brushed metal and dark chrome elements — or best described by Boesch as “very technical and clean… It The Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold is a dream timepiece for the busy man with a penchant for diving E
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OP4 • THEEDGE SINGAPORE | JUNE 22, 2009
TOP STORE
E
Andreas Boesch, general manager of IWC South-east Asia, has been searching over the last two years for the perfect boutique location that will do justice to the stable of IWC time-pieces. Boesch did his legwork and identified
some places that he thought were suitable but “for var-ious reasons they didn’t materialise”. The disappoint-ments were, however, blessings in disguise. “Looking back, we are glad they didn’t materialise because we are now able to get a space there,” Boesch says, point-ing to the almost-ready ION Orchard building across the street from the Japanese restaurant at Wheelock Place where Options met Boesch for a chat. IWC is set to open its first standalone boutique in Singapore there on July 21.
ION Orchard, a gleaming new development that oc-cupies Orchard Turn, will house more than 300 stores spread over eight floors. The shop mix will feature top luxury, fashion and lifestyle brands and a host of F&B outlets. Global flagship and concept stores will enjoy up-to-date facilities such as a media wall, a sheltered pub-lic square to hold events, an ION Sky viewing deck and ION Art, which is an art exhibition space.
Boesch is very pleased at the prospect of being part of this new retail icon. He feels that the match between the IWC brand and ION Orchard is perfect: “ION Orchard fits in with what the brand stands for when it comes to contemporary understated luxury and the technical in-novative approach to how we do things.”
The boutique will provide fans of IWC with a ded-icated environment to fully appreciate the timepieces on show. This will also be a place where new custom-ers can be introduced to what IWC is all about. Boe-sch adds that the boutique, measuring 1,000 sq ft, will give the brand better visibility and “allow us to show the brand in a depth and in a richness that can only be done in a boutique”.
IWC was founded by Boston native Florentine Aris-to Jones, who was only 27, when he started produc-ing pocket watches in Switzerland for the US in 1868.
During his time in Europe, the talented young man de-veloped and produced his own movement, the Jones Calibre. In 1878, however, Jones sold the company and moved back to the US for good.
‘Minimalistic or puristic’The design of the IWC boutique captures the essence of what the brand stands for — understated luxury. If first impressions count, then the boutique has succeeded, with a clever interplay of flamed and brushed granite, brushed metal and dark chrome elements — or best described by Boesch as “very technical and clean… It
is not overloaded… I guess we can call it minimalis-tic or puristic”.
According to Boesch, the first thing one sees upon entering the boutique is the corporate area, which is bathed in the IWC corporate colours of black and white. To the left of the boutique is a designated exhibition area, where highlights of the season will be prominently fea-tured. For this year, the star will be the Aquatimer fam-ily of timepieces.
Of note is the Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold — a dream timepiece for the busy man with a penchant for diving. Featuring a longer replaceable strap so that the timepiece can be worn over a diver’s suit, it is wa-ter-resistant to 12 bar, or about 120m. The red-gold case comes with a flyback chronograph and analogue display. The 44mm case ensures clear readings in poor visibility conditions under water.
At the clubAn exciting new feature in the boutique is the gentle-men’s club. A lounge area that can be best described as a haven for watch connoisseurs to gather or just spend a quiet moment reading a tome selected from the ex-tensive library, it is inviting, with wooden elements, a fireplace and comfortable plush chairs. And does this mean that a portion of the boutique is off-limits to wom-en? “Of course women are allowed. They are more than welcome,” Boesch says with a laugh.
Plans are already underway to use this boutique for IWC events, ranging from the launch of new products to cocktail events. The first will be the grand opening, and Options understands that a celebrity will be present to grace the occasion. At this point, Boesch is not at lib-erty to disclose the identity of the guest-of-honour and all he is willing to reveal is that this celebrity is “truly knowledgeable when it comes to IWC timepieces as he is a true friend of the brand”.
So, we can only try to guess who this celebrity is and wait patiently to see the boutique swing into ac-tion next month.
Boesch: ION Orchard fits in with what the brand stands for when it comes to contemporary understated luxury and the technical innova-tive approach to how we do things
Artist’s impression of the IWC boutique at ION Orchard
The lounge area is inviting with wooden elements, a fireplace and comfortable plush chairs
A PERFECT UNIONAudrey Simon gets a sneak peek of the new IWC standalone boutique that is scheduled to open soon at the most coveted retail space on Orchard Road
The Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold
is a dream timepiece for the busy man with a
penchant for diving
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