The relaxed and inviting atmosphere of the Tourneau Bucherer TimeMachine rethinks the customer experience.

Hospitality and community are shaping the future of luxury watch retail.

For watch collectors, the community aspect of collecting is arguably its most important facet. Sitting down with other people who share the same passion for timepieces allows collectors to share and expand their knowledge about watches and form lasting friendships over a common interest. These interactions and connections have typically taken place outside within social settings since traditional watch retail, with counters between the customer and salesperson, can feel impersonal and ephemeral. But that is changing due to forward-thinking retailers building spaces that provide welcoming and inviting environments where customers can relax and feel right at home.

The latest and most notable of these reimagined retail spaces is the newly opened Tourneau Bucherer TimeMachine flagship store on 57th Street in New York City. The main area is inviting, with a coffee bar immediately visible as soon as you walk through the door. Customer experience is at the forefront throughout the space, with multiple seating areas throughout the three floors.

The just-opened Tourneau Bucherer TimeMachine on New York City’s Billionaires’ Row offers new ways to spend time.

“Designing the TimeMachine store gave us the opportunity to rethink how customers experience watch retail. The space was purposefully designed to be inviting and comfortable, using elements of Swiss hospitality with luxury retail,” says Ira Melnitsky, CEO of Tourneau and president of Bucherer USA. “The traditional counters are no longer a key element of the store but rather lounge areas where customers can feel comfortable while they shop. One of the key sources of inspiration came from luxury residential spaces, for example, with the large, curated bookshelves—and customers instantly feel at home when they enter the store.”

On the lower floor of the TimeMachine store, the watchmaking area, typically hidden behind a wall in traditional retail spaces, is visible to clients, who can see the watchmakers and view a camera projecting their watch being serviced in real time on the screens in the waiting area.

“Having watchmakers visible to the customers as they repair and customize timepieces allows visitors a glimpse behind the scenes into the highly skilled technique and art involved in this delicate process,” says Melnitsky. “Customers have become more and more interested in craft smanship and knowing how their purchases are conceived. We felt like giving our watchmakers and customers the possibility to interact was a great sign of respect for both.”

This approach can be viewed as part of a larger sea change in luxury watch retail. Breitling, which has been rolling out its Industrial Loft concept across its boutiques in Nashville, Tenn.; Beverly Hills and San Jose, Calif.; and Orlando, Fla., plans to continue this concept with the renovation of its flagship boutique in New York.

The innovative, casual Industrial Loft concept for Breitling being rolled out worldwide

Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, says, “Approachability and inclusiveness are the two key drivers behind our boutique design concept. Evoking the sensation of a contemporary urban loft allows our customers to feel completely at ease and relaxed while exploring Breitling’s entire range. Our boutiques create a warm and welcoming, stylish, cool and informal environment that reflects the inclusive character of our brand.”

Material Good, a New York City-based luxury goods boutique and showroom, designed its space to feel like customers are spending time in a glamorously appointed Soho loft rather than a retail store.

“It was always our intention to disrupt the traditional sales practices and reimagine the retail experience for watches and jewelry,” according to Rob Ronen, co-founder of Material Good. “What you notice from the second you walk through our front door is that the store has a residential feel. We deliberately removed the physical barrier [of] product showcases placed between clients and our sales associates. As a result, you see sales transactions taking place while sitting on the sofa, at the large central table or even at the bar. Presenting our collections in this casual environment immediately changes the dynamic of the sales relationship and allows our customers to really enjoy the shopping experience through conversation and self-discovery.”

Material Good in the Soho neighborhood of Lower Manhattan pioneered the concept of a reimagined retail experience.

These store concepts share the same goal: providing a relaxed, inviting atmosphere that makes customers want to come back time and time again. “The design of the store allows us to offer visitors not only exceptional timepieces and jewelry but also exceptional experiences. It is wonderful to see the life the store has, as people share stories over coffee or a glass of wine at one of our three bars,” says Melnitsky. “Our goal is to have ongoing programming inclusive of cocktail events and master classes, but also expand further beyond the space of luxury timepieces to connect with other passions of our clients and the community.”