Roger Dubuis Looks to Become the ‘Hype’ Fine Watchmaker With SoHo Boutique
Roger Dubuis has introduced a new retail format as the label looks to target a younger, edgier clientele. The boutique, located in Manhattan’s SoHo shopping district, is a departure from typical, prim haute horologie boutiques. In what the brand is calling its first “lifestyle-driven boutique,” there are covetable vehicles on display from makers like Lamborghini, a private ping-pong club, as well as watchmaking and private dining events — all layered in the brand’s signature bold “traffic” red color.
“The space is connected to the local culture. We wanted to be in SoHo where there is more hype and we could display the creativity of our maison. We found not only the perfect location, but the perfect way to convey a message of something new — a new way to do retail for a fine watchmaking brand,” said Nicola Andreatta, chief executive officer of Roger Dubuis.
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He added that he wanted to move in the opposite direction of the industry’s “tiny clean boutique.”
While Roger Dubuis is selling watches that start at around $45,000, its store pulls elements of its sales atmosphere from more casual, hype brands like Supreme and Aimé Leon Dore. While the format is a gamble for a watchmaker of Roger Dubuis’ ilk, it does offer younger consumers a type of setting that they may be more accustomed to shopping in.
Andreatta went as far as to say that this store format proves that the label is “about the future of the fine watchmaking world. This expressive approach is not only what we do but how we do it — it’s this contemporary feeling that we need to put in everything we do.”
Courtesy/Roger Debuis
Located at 134 Wooster Street, the store is a significant switch for Roger Dubuis, which has long had a location on the Upper East Side’s Madison Avenue.
“Madison Avenue does not match our attitude,” said Andreatta. “It is a much more classic [place] — it’s great for that kind of boutique, a very classic watchmaking brand, but that’s just not us anymore. We are bringing a much more contemporary touch and needed to move. With this exercise we can convey the right message.”
He added that SoHo offers “a younger clientele, but also a lot of creativity on display, not only from us, but a lot of different brands. We have the right neighbors now to show who we are.”
The Roger Dubuis store will be renewed with partner product, merchandise and display fixtures every month or so. The boutique will remain in place for about a year, with the option to renew or take up residence in another nearby location, depending on the current store’s success.
It is the latest location for Roger Dubuis’ localized retail concept. Recent stores have also opened in Sydney and Hangzhou and Andreatta is on the lookout for additional locations in cities including Paris and Milan. “We are talking about cities that are key for a certain clientele,” he said.
“We have a very diverse clientele all around the world — it’s difficult to define a persona. We have an affluent clientele that’s new and excited as well as older people attracted to fine watchmaking. In New York, specifically, we are trying to connect with a younger clientele. This is definitely the future of our maison — to connect with younger and younger consumers,” Andreatta said.
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