Horological Meandering

Report of the visit of the first Parmigiani Boutique in France

 

So here it comes! After several projects, the first Parmigiani boutique opened a few days ago in a quite unusual location: in the Galerie de Valois, around the Palais Royal Gardens in Paris.

If you read my report of the visit of the Richard Mille boutique, you may start to think that Paris is now becoming the capital of the original places for brands stores. You would be right! Actually, the brands which want to launch a new boutique look for fresh concepts to offer a different experience to their customers. It is obviously also the case with Parmigiani which even named its boutique: "the Parmigiani Studio". The main idea is to make the clients, the visitors as comfortable as possible, like feeling to be at home seated on a sofa. Forget the usual tables dedicated to the selling act. Forget the formal atmospheres of some boutiques of the Rue de la Paix. The purpose is to welcome the clients in a both relaxed and classy environment and the Studio was designed with this objective.

The around 40 square meters of the boutique (all rooms included) were really optimized thanks to a lay-out which favours the spaces and despite a rather small surface dedicated to the customers compared to other points of sale in Paris, you never feel to be cramped inside. The lights enter the boutique from the front and the back sides what gives a clear and bright atmosphere.

My question mark is now to know how Parmigiani will manage to attract the customers. Due to the location, I don't have any doubt about the passage of numerous people in front of the windows and the entrance. The Palais Royal Gardens is one of the nicest places in Paris and during the summer, a lot of people like to enjoy the central fountain and the greenery. But how can be sure that potential customers will enter the Boutique?

Parmigiani will work on two directions. The first one being the corporate communication and the official press launching will be done after the summer holidays. The second one will be the action of the store manager, Adrien, who will organize on a regular basis private events with customers to make this place familiar to them.

In addition to its prestigious location, the Studio has another asset. It is surrounded by high-end Fashion boutiques. And if I consider that the context of the watch industry is moving and that more and more brands communicate toward "life-style" clients, I think it could be an excellent idea to open it far from the Rue de la Paix or the Place Vendôme. When I say far, it is an image. Because if you know well Paris, the Palais Royal Gardens are at a walking distance from the prestigious luxury street of Paris. Let's say around 15 minutes. I did the walk this morning so you can enjoy a visit of the boutique, go back to the traditional luxury area in a limited timeframe... and what about to take the opportunity to be at the Palais Royal to visit the Louvres Museum? 

The precise address of the Studio is 125-126 Galerie de Valois in the First district of Paris. Adrien and his team will warmly welcome you.

I propose you to browse the pictures I took during my visit... and of course, the temptation was too high! I used the Gardens as the scenery of the main part of the pictures. It was a beautiful and sunny day in Paris, it would have been a pity to miss this opportunity!


The view on the Galerie from the Gardens:







The entrance of the Studio:




The comfortable sofa and seats to welcome the visitors:



The displays are perfectly integrated into the bookcases. They are organized by collections:

Did you say cosy?

Of course, this Studio being the first Parmigiani boutique in France, my expectations were very high when it came to the availability of the timepieces! I was not disappointed!

This watch is not on sale but it is always a pleasure to meet this intriguing and rare bird: the Ovale Hebdomadaire Monsieur A. (by Andre Saraiva). It is a limited edition of 10 pieces only.

One of the most original watches I've ever worn. It is much better in the metal than on pictures even if I regret the long shape of the lugs which are, for me, inconsistent with the case design.

The big surprise was for me the opportunity to see this superb Tonda 1950 Tourbillon.

This watch, powered by the automatic PF517 movement with micro-rotor is a fine example of the skills of the manufacture because the watch features a very thin case (less than 9mm). I will have the opportunity to come back later to this 40mm watch.

The beautiful blue dial of this version:

Another original watch is the Ovale Pantograph. We know very well the behaviour of its hands but we don't have to forget the flawless finishes of the handwind PF111. Look at the numerous inward angles. The plate and bridges look like clouds! The power reserve of the movement is 8 days what explains the display on top of the dial.

The Tonda Metrographe and its typical dial lay-out which highlights the minutes and hours of the chronograph. Its 40mm case and the lugs shape make it very comfortable to wear.

We change the atmosphere: after the Metrographe which uses a quite classic range of colours, the Pershing CBF looks totally crazy.

I know that it is the first anniversary of the loss against Germany during the last edition of the world cup, but it is not the reason to proudly wear the love for Brazilian football! But now, I wonder when the sixth star will appear on the dial... it seems a long way before the Brazilian team will become able to be a very credible contender to win a new World Cup!

This Pershing manages to catch the daylight thanks to its very ostentatious bezel:

Brazil in Paris!

This is what I call an U-turn after the Pershing CBF! The Tonda 1950 is one of the most convincing watches of the collection thanks to its elegant and thin case and the use of the PF701 movement featuring a micro-rotor:

I will also come back later on this watch I appreciate:

The Tonda Hemispheres and the open dial of this SS version embody a kind of intermediary style. It is a rather surprising mix between the classicism of the Tonda line with the originality of the decorative approach. I like this watch but I think that on a long run, I would prefer the solid dial.

We tend to forget it but Parmigiani offers a wide range of in-house movements and complications. The Studio gives the ability to closely observe some of these movements.

B means Bissextile (Leap Year in French):

The famous PF701... which is actually the Vaucher VMF 5400. This base is used by other prestigious houses like Richard Mille (in the RM033).

I wished to end the report with these movements as the proof that there is now in Paris a new interesting place to visit for any lovers of fine watchmaking: the Parmigiani boutique located 125-126 Galerie de Valois in Paris. I do hope that the opening of the Studio will give me more opportunities to write about Parmigiani because it is a brand which deserves it.

I wish the best and a successful future for the Boutique!

Thanks to Adrien and his team for the warm welcome this morning.

Fx

 

This message has been edited by foversta on 2015-07-18 15:14:50