Would there be any value in opening a Rolex boutique onboard a luxury cruise liner if it only presented “Exhibition Only” watches?
We are about to find out.
Geneva-based Explora Journeys, which is launching some of the world’s most luxurious cruise liners over the next five years, will be opening its very first Rolex boutique aboard Explora I when it sets sail in the Caribbean in November.
It may be just the first of many ocean-bound watch boutiques, since Explora I is the first of six luxury cruise liners rolling out between now and 2028.
Explora I will cross from the UK to the United States this summer before its first winter season in the Caribbean.
It’s first summer season begins in May 2024 with a transatlantic crossing from Miami to Lisbon where it will pick up passengers for tours of the Mediterranean.
MSC, which owns the liner, is promising to redefine luxury cruises by offering an unprecedented experience for a new generation of travelers.
Of course, an on board Rolex boutique will face the obvious challenge of securing an allocation of watches to offer to these discerning tourists who will have no purchasing history with the new store.
Cruise liners look like becoming a new market for luxury watch brands.
Last year MSC Cruises announced it would have its first TimeVallée showroom on board its MSC Seascape, a luxury cruise ship that officially launched at a ceremony in New York last November.
TimeVallée is a Richemont-owned multibrand luxury watch retail concept with stores opening all over the world, starting with Asia, but now beginning to launch in Europe.
The omega store on msc ventura didnt even have moonwatches in stock , so i wouldnt hold my breath for any rolex the staff would have anything sports before the passengers got a chance .