A VISIT TO THE IWC BOUTIQUE IN SINGAPORE
(c) Decksurgeon July 2009
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International Watch Company is synonymous with Probus Scafusia which means "Good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen". Collectors and owners of IWC timepieces emanating from the house of Schaffhausen will always be enthralled with the strengths of the IWC brand and what it represents.
IWC watches have this air of a gentleman's atmosphere, distinct restraint and calm.
They are never loud and 'in your face' but inversely have a tendency towards the understatement. Combined with the high watchmakers art and complex technology the brand has become a personal favorite and many other fans would no doubt agree to this.
The fortunate opportunity to travel has brought me into contact with many IWC boutiques all over the world. Boutique Schaffhausen, Istanbul, Macau, Dubai, Hong Kong and even our neighbor Kuala Lumpur - Now perhaps I need not travel anymore!! We are blessed today with an IWC Boutique in Singapore. It is situated in the island's latest premier shopping mall ION Orchard (on the second floor).
The original birth of the IWC boutique design was tasked to a chap called Guy Bove. Like the founder of IWC, Mr Bove is an American and spent his childhood between Switzerland and the USA. He studied in the Art Center in California but grew up near Geneva. Mr Bove is also graced with an engineering degree and this provides any designer with a balance to the technical side of a project.
When he joined IWC in 2002, Guy was tasked to overhaul the pilot's watches and come up with a new design for the DaVinci. Both product identities now are stronger and unmistakable. This is the purest truth and outcome in any product design! His other task was also to give the IWC boutiques its distinctive look. The original look of the old boutique concept was very classy but industrial in nature, plenty of glass, polished aluminum and white surfaces. This older design was sometimes though of as too 'cold & clinical'.
Present day, Guy has left IWC but his hallmarks of exceptional talent and design vision would continue to live on and are improved upon. The second generation boutiques of IWC have changes to them to make them more warm, more inviting and not so 'cold clinical'. I spoke with Alexandra Weis from IWC that is the Trade and Marketing Project Manager that is responsible for the look and feel of all the new generation boutiques today. She works in close collaboration with the Chief design Architect of IWC (Christoph Grainger) to bring you the new boutiques with what Alexandra describes as "a woman's touch" - The new generation boutiques are still as sharp and smart but with the inclusiveness of "welcoming warmth" factor.
When you walk into a IWC Boutique (any boutique worldwide actually) there are two things that strike you:
(1) The luxurious ambience - (in the older generation boutiques black, white and grey, latest generation adds brown warm shades) restricts itself to the essential and underlines the engineering-related character of the brand.
(2) The clear and technically elegant design - emphasizes the high quality standards of IWC.
The interiors of these boutiques were all created at the IWC Creative Center in Schaffhausen. The showcase utilizes materials such as polished stainless steel, brushed aluminum and black/brown color elements. All these themes are based directly on IWC’s watch designs. Every attention is given to fine detailing and craftsmanship. The ambient finishes add a layer of luxurious warmth to the spatial experience. In the Singapore boutique a large open lounge with low display tables marks the highlight of this distinctive boutique. The display furniture is executed in glass, steel. Tinted wood furniture is complemented by smoked oak flooring and brown brushed timber wall paneling.
Patrons of IWC who wish to combine the purchase of their timepiece with a maximum of brand identity can make close contact with the Schaffhausen masterpieces at any IWC boutique worldwide. No boutique would be complete without a comprehensive collection of IWC watches and boutique exclusives that collectors vie for with great determination and grit.
All the boutiques have themes that unify the brand experience and align the customer experience to a consistent level of par-excellence. Every single boutique that I have personally visited exudes a level of service that is consistent with expectations.
With this opening of a Boutique shop in Singapore, the boutique can perhaps also serve as a location for exclusive IWC events in the future. I won't let the cat out of the bag too much........ but over lunch at the Rhine falls not too long ago with the man himself - expect soon a visit from the "Einstein of Schaffhausen" to Singapore.
Enjoy the photoessay :-)
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