After the opening ceremony, we stopped by the boutique, which shares retail space with luxury brand Ulysse Nardin, to have a closer look at the operation and check out a few of the brand’s offerings.  Unlike many of the other single-brand boutiques that have opened in the city in the past several years, the Bovet space isn’t what you’d expect.  Unlike many of their timepieces, which could be considered flashy or even intimidating, the space is private and personal, decorated with warm wooden hues evoking the ultimate desired luxury: time to relax.  Many other boutiques in the city characterize their respective brands: high tech, austere, and even cold.  Bovet has gone to great lengths to separate themselves from the competition, and viewing the pieces on display is a calm and almost understated affair.

In addition to their regular product offerings and New York Boutique special editions, they also have a few vintage pocket watches on display, ornately crafted by artisans in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  Most brands would keep treasures like these under lock and key, but the folks at Bovet are more than happy to take them out for you to see and handle.  As a watch enthusiast who is more than a little obsessed with the past, it was wonderful to see this honest appreciation of Bovet’s heritage and their willingness to share it.

The traditional watch retail model is changing, and many brands are beginning to add company-run boutiques into the mix (others are moving out of the traditional brick and mortar retailers completely).  As more and more boutiques are opened in major cities like New York, it will be interesting to see who “nails it” and who doesn’t.  After our visit to Bovet’s new space, we can safely say that they have done the former, in spades.  We’ll be going in-depth with some of Bovet’s offerings in the coming months.  In the meantime, enjoy the photos from our visit, and if you’re in town, be sure to stop by and check them out yourselves.  Tell them aBlogtoWatch sent you. Bovet boutique address: 50 Central Park South, New York City. bovet.com