WatchTime, in partnership with Watch Anish and 11 watch boutiques, launched a new watch fair at Miami’s Design District on Nov. 10. “WatchTime Miami at the Design District” drew 200 guests to the area well-known for its concentration of luxury-brand boutiques.
From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., guests were treated to an extraordinary watch experience as the boutiques welcomed them with an array of exceptional watches, exhibitions, and experiences.
The participating boutiques were A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet (run by East Coast Jewelers), Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Seiko, Tourbillon (which sells the Breguet, Harry Winston, Glashütte Original, Jaquet-Droz, and Omega brands), and Vacheron Constantin.
Guests had the chance to see, feel and wear prized models from the brands, some of them brand new, like the Piaget Polo S and an exclusive boutique edition of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 60th anniversary Memovox watch. Plenty of brand staff, including some CEOs of the brand’s U.S. subsidiaries, were on hand to answer questions and talk watches with guests.
In addition, the boutiques made a special effort to provide a memorable evening for the guests. Piaget had a professional cigar roller on hand, who hand-rolled personalized cigars for guests.
Seiko, which showed its Grand Seiko models, served traditional Japanese whiskey. In addition, a kimono-clad Japanese calligrapher presented guests with the gift of a rendering of their name written in Japanese characters suitable for framing.
Two boutiques had demonstrations of the art of crafting watch straps. At Vacheron Constantin, an artisan from Manufacture Jean Rousseau showed how to stitch and craft bespoke watch straps. IWC Schaffhausen had a master craftsman from luxury Italian shoemaker Santoni, who hand-colored leather straps made exclusively for IWC.
Parmigiani Fleurier had an exhibition of key movements developed over the brand’s 20-year history.
Two boutiques had an art theme. At the East Coast Jewelers’ Audemars Piguet boutique, renowned horology artist Marcus B. Williams displayed his skill at drawing watches with pencils and ink. TAG Heuer installed art from the acclaimed Oliver Gal Art Co.
Four boutiques – TAG Heuer, Lange, Vacheron Constantin, and Hublot – had master watchmakers in the boutique. Hublot served Champagne and allowed guests to assemble movements at two watchmakers’ benches under the master watchmaker’s direction.
On hand to meet with guests were Anish Bhatt, founder of the famed WatchAnish blog and website, who flew from London to be at the event, and long-time WatchTime editor Joe Thompson.
WatchTime event manager Minda Larsen noted that the enthusiasm of the guests and the boutiques for the event showed the tremendous interest in luxury watches among the growing group of watch aficionados in Miami. “WatchTime is very excited to be the first to offer an exclusive watch event to the Miami watch community in such a vibrant location,” she said.
WatchTime publisher Sara Orlando expressed gratitude for the support for the new event shown by the boutiques and the collectors. “This event, coming on the heels of our successful WatchTime New York event in October, solidifies WatchTime’s position as the top producer of luxury-watch events in the U.S. We will continue to create events that bring watch collectors and producers together to share their passion for horology.”
