Shortly, after signing on Schwarz Etienne into their retail portfolio, Fairfax and Roberts, Australia’s oldest established jeweller, is now opening its doors to two more highly exclusive independent watch brands – Chronoswiss and Pierre DeRoche; where each brand will only be available in Australia for six months.
Watches have been a part of Fairfax & Roberts’ agenda for quite sometime. As a bespoke jeweller, Fairfax & Roberts’ CEO Georgina Brujic, knew exactly what her clients wanted earlier this year at Baselworld 2018 – ‘a portfolio of brands who focused on true connoisseurs – not just people who like watches’.
“While the big-name brands will always be popular, the market is growing for those who prefer their luxury to be a little more understated, like a secret hand shake to a club that not many people know even exists. We want to disrupt the luxury watch market, says Brujic.
“We specialise in bespoke luxury, and we know that our customers enjoying wearing something they’re not going to see on the person sitting opposite them in the next meeting they attend. We wanted to talk to brands who focused on true connoisseurs – not just people who like watches. These brands may not be well known by the general population, or have celebrity ambassadors, but amongst those who appreciate fine watches, they are considered very highly”.
Retailing between $20,000 – $200,000 Australian Dollars, Pierre DeRoche, covers a broad spectrum of timepieces. From unique complications, to delicate gem-encrusted pieces to robust, military-inspired watches. The diversity of the Pierre DeRoche range is exciting, says Brujic. Not only will it appeal to those wanting a beautiful style statement, but also to those connoisseurs who appreciate the ingenuity and effort that has gone into creating one of these pieces. We know that our customers don’t need to purchase a watch, so we need to ensure that the watches they do purchase do far more for their owners than just tell the time. They are really signalling something about their wearer to the world.
So without further ado, we present to you our top 2 picks from the house of Pierre DeRoche:
‘SplitRock Big Numbers’ – a chronograph with three concentric hands on a single counter.
‘TNT Royal Retro Gold’ – The world’s only calibre capable of housing six retrograde seconds mechanisms. The Result: A fascinating ballet of six hands dancing across ten-second periods
Retailing between $8,700 and $54,000 Australian Dollars, Chronoswiss is a company that prides itself on its dedication to quality for a select few. Their commitment to age-old watch-making skills such as enamelling, skeletonisation and guilloché appealed to Brujic, who runs an on-site atelier at the jewellers showroom. This appreciation of traditional techniques is something we value highly, she says. “We have our own in-house studio where we design and create bespoke pieces using long-established skills, so working with a brand like Chronoswiss makes philosophical sense for us”.
And the winner is:
Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Open Gear – where the hours, minutes, and seconds are read off separate dials (Minutes on the main dial and hours and seconds on subsidiary dials at 12 and 6 o’clock respectively)
For more information visit: www.fairfaxandroberts.com.au