The year just keeps getting better and better for watch retail here in Australia. In just a few weeks, Watches Of Switzerland and the Saxon watchmaker A.Lange & Söhne, will open its first Australian boutique at 14 Martin Place, in Sydney.
With an area of over 164 square metres on three split-levels, the A. Lange & Söhne Sydney boutique will officially rank among the watchmaker’s largest boutiques worldwide. The spacious rooms provide ideal pre-requisites for a new interior architecture concept characterised by openness, clarity, and eloquence. A large glass façade exposes the showroom, inspiring passers-by to enter the boutique. Perpendicularly intersecting volumes offer stimulating perspectives and subdivide the space into various functional islands. Each space of the boutique fills a specific role.
Moving across the boutique, much like a conning tower, the glazed VIP lounge overlooks the centre of the room. From here, everything is visible: the counter where customers interact with the staff members, the wall showcases that set the stage for the precision-engineered masterpieces, and the “Wall of Parts”. This vast showcase exhibits hundreds of hand-finished components integrated in the watch models TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL “Pour le Mérite”, the TRIPLE SPLIT, and the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON.
A fundamental aspect of the lounge is the Experience Library. It is an induction into the world of A. Lange & Söhne, with numerous exhibits which tell the story of the manufactory and its craftsmanship using intricately designed objects. Several important moments in the history of the brand are represented in clear ways.
The design concept plays on a spectrum ranging from utilitarian steel to natural stone, reminiscent of the hues of the Ore Mountains in Saxony, Germany, where the manufactory is based. It’s these subtle details that create a warm yet vibrant atmosphere. The company’s signature grey also gets a few new flourishes, including a shade that was specially developed for the boutiques, to match the traditional German silver used in every watch movement – a unique, warm tone in between gold and silver.
Furthermore, metal pilaster strips have been fitted on the walls to add visual highlights as well as bring to mind the distinguishing traits of a Lange timepiece. Like the edges of watch parts, the strips are bevelled at a 45-degree angle and polished to a mirror finish. The insides of the strips are even accentuated with straight graining – another finishing technique typical of certain watch components.
Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne, believes that this new design concept is a milestone in the company’s global communications and sales strategy: “We wanted to create a space that reflects the A. Lange & Söhne personality down to the very last detail.” He went on to highlight the importance of the new presence in Sydney: “The number of knowledgeable watch enthusiasts and collectors in Australia is continuously growing, as is the demand for our timepieces. This is why Sydney is among the first sites where we implemented our new store design.”
Congratulations to A.Lange & Söhne and Watches of Switzerland on the opening of their first Australian boutique. For more information visit Watches Of Switzerland or www.alange-soehne.com