Harrods to launch 23 exclusive timepieces from horological mainstays

Breguet Harrods Classique Special-Edition 7337

British department store Harrods is proving itself as a leading horological destination with a storewide fine-watch takeover that touts its dedication to the category.

Harrods’ “Made with Love and Precision” in-store campaign begins on July 1 and will extend into the first two weeks of August. The campaign, marked by displays and in-store exclusives, is Harrods’ way of paying tribute to the high-end timepiece portfolio available in its Fine Watch Room.

“With the right retailer and the right promotional campaign, the high-end watch industry, which is really the jewelry industry, as it’s more than a watch, should benefit from this program,” said Eric Tunis, partner at Friedman LLP.

“To have Harrods deliver the message is great for the industry,” he said.

Mr. Tunis is not affiliated with Harrods, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Harrods was unable to comment by press deadline.

Wonders of the Fine Watch Room
To create Made with Love and Precision, Harrods worked closely with the watchmakers it carries within its Fine Watch Room.

Made with Love and Precision will include an in-store exhibition within the department’s exhibit space and Harrods’ first-ever Brompton Road window displays dedicated to horology.

Working with watchmakers also allowed Harrods to time a number of new timepiece launches with the start of Made with Love and Precision. With many of these watches exclusive to the London retailer, Harrods is likely to see an increase in horologists vying to see the latest timepieces designed by industry leaders.

For the window displays facing Brompton Road, Harrods will focus on craftsmanship and rare materials. To showcase these points, the windows will feature an oversized version of each timepiece fitted with a particular type of material in a dedicated window pane.

Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubuis was selected for the windows and will celebrate the retail launch of its Black Velvet Trilogy and Excalibur 45 Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon with black spinels alongside Harrods. Both watches retail for £26,000, or $34,646 at current exchange rates.

Roger Dubuis’ Black Velvet

Similarly, a number of watch brands have designed bespoke men’s and women’s timepieces to be launched exclusively during Made with Love and Precision.

Highlights include Panerai’s limited-edition PAM00693 Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic Titanio. The watch features a green dial and the Harrods logo engraved on its caseback.

Harrods will also be the setting for notable launches include Bremont’s nearly $90,000 B2 Marine Chronometer, the exhibition’s sole clock, designed to celebrate the watchmaker’s partnership with America’s Cup.

Bremont B2 Marine Chronometer

Others include the $39,000 Breguet’s Classique Special edition 7337, the first edition of this model to feature a blue dial, and Omega’s Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon “Meteorite” watch with meteorite dial, which made its debut at Baselworld 2016.

Limited-edition pieces featured in Made with Love and Precision include Cartier’s Rotonde de Cartier Mysterieuse Double Tourbillon, making its global debut at Harrods. The limited-edition timepiece was created in a 100-piece series.

Upping the exclusivity is Harry Winston, which will display its Premier Moonphase 36mm timepiece at Harrods. The Premier Moonphase, which debuted at Baselworld 2016 and is limited to only five pieces globally, retails for $34,263.

Harrods is also vetting consumer experience within its Fine Watch Room and around the store. Sales associates will be on-hand to assist in showing consumers exclusive product offerings and bespoke services.

Harry Winston’s Premier Moonphase 36mm

“We are delighted to celebrate our exceptional watch offering with the launch of Made with Love and Precision,” said Jason Broderick, fashion director of menswear, sports and fine watches at Harrods, in a statement.

“The six-week-long takeover will feature special-edition timepieces created exclusively for Harrods, innovative retail theatre and 23 extraordinary timepieces launching exclusively in-store,” he said.

“This exciting campaign — the first of its kind for Fine Watches at Harrods — will further establish us as the ultimate fine-watch destination.”

Watches in focus
In the past, Harrods has orchestrated smaller scale efforts with watchmakers carried in the Fine Watch Room.

For example, Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille hosted a pop-up exhibition at Harrods to immerse consumers in its artisan production.

The brand set up shop in the retailer’s windows, enabling consumers to enjoy the installation from afar on the street or interact with the display by entering the store. Placing such an exhibit inside a department store, especially one that receives heavy tourist foot traffic, enables a brand to share its story with a wide audience (see story).

Likewise, watchmakers have turned to Harrods to showcase expertise and standing by creating bespoke pieces exclusive to the London department store.

For instance, British jeweler and diamond company Backes & Strauss honored the prestige of London-based retailer Harrods through the creation of a “pièce unique” women’s watch.

Together with responsibly-sourced precious stone supplier Gemfields, Backes & Strauss’ created the “Harrods Princess” to celebrate the retailer’s La Biennale des Antiquaires 2014 in London. Given that Backes & Strauss only recently entered the timepiece market in 2006, the brand likely benefited from having a one-off timepiece present during Harrods’ event (see story).

As shopping habits evolve to be increasingly experiential, in-store programming may work to capture the attention of affluent consumers, especially those in the millennial age bracket.

“High-net-worth consumers may have changed their buying habits post-Lehman Brothers bankruptcy at the end of 2008,” Mr. Tunis said.

“Some of our clients that sell diamond jewelry to the high-net-worth consumer are marketing differently, and are marketing to them globally,” he said. “A consumer might have stopped in at a client’s store in one part of the world, and our client later reached out to their client in another city where they know they live or shop.

“One question everyone is asking is, ‘What will the next generation of consumers want, what do they want in jewelry and how can we deliver a message to them?'”

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