Tourneau CEO Ira Melnitsky confirmed two weeks ago that midtown Manhattan’s famous watch showroom, Tourneau Time Machine, would be reopening this summer under the name of its Swiss owner Bucherer.
Few details of what customers can expect have been revealed, but an exclusive WATCHPRO interview with Bucherer’s global chief commercial officer Patrick Graf last night has raised expectations even further.
The showroom at the foot of Trump Tower will occupy over 17,000 square feet over three floors, and has been entirely under the design direction of Bucherer.
Even Rolex and Patek Philippe, which will anchor the store, gave Bucherer freedom to style their areas in their own unique way, Mr Graf reveals.
The emphasis will be on surprising and delighting customers, and that means experiences outside the normal retail of watches and high end Bucherer jewellery, and on top of the event spaces, bars and private meeting rooms that are now commonplace at luxury showrooms.
“We are working on partnerships that you would not expect from a retailer,” Mr Graf hints. “It should not just be watch brands that forge these sort of collaborations,” he continues when asked whether he is talking about deals in the worlds of sports, motoring, aviation and others. “We think retailers should be at the forefront of this as well.”
