The Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann have just inaugurated a gigantic new space exclusively dedicated to Rolex, a brand already present since 2009 in the Parisian department store.
With its 250 m2, this Rolex space in the heart of the famous Parisian department store is basically larger than many boutiques.
But when it comes to targeting both a local clientele and quality tourists (re) from all over the world, there is no question of doing things by halves.
Even less when Paris will host the Olympic Games in 2024…
To discover
SERVICE: Win a Delonghi espresso machine and six packets of coffee beans
A stucco paying homage to the famous dome.
rolex
“The health crisis was a real shock and prompted us to accelerate the strategy that was already ours,
explains Marianne Romestain, General Manager of the Watches and Jewelery branch of the Galeries Lafayette Group, on the occasion of the inauguration of this space.
Our strategy is really to focus on local and international VIP customers.
As a result, we have carried out quite important work.
We have renovated the 4th floor to make it the leading shoe space in Europe, if not the world, in terms of assortments.
In the process, we renewed the customer journey for women on the 2nd and 3rd floors, with innovations such as a second-hand corner.
We have the same ambitions in the Watchmaking & Jewelry space.
We are starting with a legendary house if ever there was one, and are happy to open this space, the largest ever granted at Galeries Lafayette to a watchmaker, the largest area in a European store.
We have the ambition to be the most beautiful space on the Paris square, even in Europe.”
The new Rolex space in Galeries Lafayette at Pari Rolex
Eric Collombin, CEO France of Rolex, does not usually speak for the opening or reopening of a point of sale.
“But here we are in something extraordinary.
When we discussed this space two years ago with Arthur Lemoine, we hardly expected that much!
This is part of the European leadership project of Galeries Lafayette.
I'll give you an appointment in a few months, right next door, for the opening of the Tudor space.
The workshop of the new Rolex space at Galeries Lafayette in Paris.
rolex
The two watchmakers at work in the workshop located within this new space are specially trained by the brand.
They will carry out different types of operations there in compliance with Rolex standards, thus guaranteeing the performance of the watches over time.
“It's a fairly exceptional point of sale for us,
comments Eric Collombin.
The idea was really to give a service experience to our customers.
We sell a lot of watches every year.
But we also do a lot of service on Rolex watches in circulation in France, and there have been a lot of them for all these years.
Most are still worn;
they return regularly, approximately every ten years.
The first thing to point out is this complete watch workshop.
Its watchmakers can repair or completely restore a watch in three weeks, provided it is less than thirty years old.
It's great to be able to do it like that, in a department store.”
A "Watch Bar", surmounted by "Cyclops" suspensions.
rolex
They can also discover the brand's watches around a "Watch Bar", surmounted by "Cyclops" suspensions, a nod to one of Rolex's signatures (the Cyclops magnifying glass, patented in 1953 to enlarge the date on the dial).
Impressive Alpi Verde marble, the space's signature element, adorns one wall and, like the walnut lath ceiling, extends over the different levels.
This marble has been worked in grooves, evoking the iconic fluted bezel of classic Rolex models, its aquatic veining evokes the marine world, dear to Rolex, to which we owe the first waterproof wristwatch in 1926 .
Many nods to the brand's timepieces. A "Watch Bar", surmounted by "Cyclops" suspensions.
rolex
For the occasion, the architects of Interior Design from Rolex imagined a space on two levels, which can be accessed either from the ground floor or from the 1st floor.
On the ground floor, the entrance is framed by a wide facade in fluted travertine and brushed bronzed brass.
Visitors are welcomed by a counter also in travertine, behind which a "stucco", a unique piece created by the architects in Geneva, takes up the motif of the dome of the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann.
“We know that there are a lot of requests for watchmaking in general and for Rolex in particular,
recognizes Eric Collombin
.
It is not always possible to satisfy the request of an entering customer.
On the other hand, we can offer him a real experience of discovering the brand within Galeries Lafayette.
At the entrance, the stucco representing the famous dome creates this small link with the historic building.
We also find many nods to the brand such as fluted structures, which we find on the glasses, on this Alpi Verde marble, one of the traditional marbles of Rolex, which disappears from time to time from the shops and then returns .
Without forgetting these beautiful chandeliers that take the shape of the Cyclops, the famous magnifying glass that you find on the glass of Rolexes displaying a date.
The largest space dedicated to a brand in Europe in a department store.
rolex
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