Watches of Switzerland’s three-story flagship is more than a watch store; it is a precisely engineered masterpiece.
With three floors and 17,000 square feet of space to work within, the designers created a “one door, three stores” concept – a three-story kit-of-parts with seemingly separate floors, each with its own sense of time, that work well together or separately. Each floor has a specific material palette calibrated to its respective clientele, ranging from the lightest palette of the lower-level Calibre Room, to the darker upper level that caters to the VIP client. Each floor is further designed to function as its own store if the client were to market the concept to single-story developments.
Because so many prestigious watch brands reside under one roof, the design needed to support each brand with equal presence and attention while maintaining a cohesiveness throughout. The key was to differentiate each brand through signage and graphics while allowing the brands to create their own unique presence through custom case lines and finishes within their individual boutique.
Each boutique’s façades are standardized to fit the Watches of Switzerland design aesthetic. Smoked glass walls with LED trim and marble floors unite the individual boutiques while video screens and interactive displays educate customers and provide navigation to the boutiques and floors.
Rounding out the showroom’s uniqueness, the store boasts space capable of hosting after-hours events for hundreds of people at once, accommodating ‘in-store theatre’ exhibitions, product launches and product anniversary parties. A series of service corridors and a large event catering room are hidden along the store's perimeter–tucked away from customer view. Customers won’t see employees making sales, shuttling product or setting up for after-hours parties.
For more information, visit: http://www.callison.com/projects/watches-of-switzerland-regent-street
Awards
Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) Design Awards, Gold Award, Hardline Specialty Store 7,501-25,000 sf
Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) Design Awards, Element Award, In-Store Communications
Retail Design Institute (RDI) International Store Design Competition, First Place, Hard Line Specialty Store
FX International Interior Design Awards, Finalist, UK Project of the Year
ISG Retail Week Interiors Awards, Finalist, Best Lighting and Fixturing of the Year
ISG Retail Week Interiors Awards, Finalist, Best Use of Design with Technology In-Store