Two major timepiece retailers here have opened their digital doors.
Two major timepiece retailers here have opened their digital doors.
GOING DIGITAL
A sampling of the timepieces available on Cortina Watch’s e-shop.
The world of luxury is a highly experiential one but it understands that convenience is also a part of it. So it’s good news that luxury timepiece retailer Cortina Watch finally launched its own e-commerce platform at the end of August.
The brands available on www.cortinawatch.online are Bell & Ross, Corum, Ebel, Tag Heuer and Zenith, which means you’ll still have to go to the boutiques for top-tier brands. The e-shop does, however, promise special promotions and online exclusives in the future.
In fact, fellow retailer Sincere Fine Watches is already on that path with its e-commerce platform, ww.sincerewatch.com, which was launched in July. It has partnered Laurent Ferrier for a world exclusive: the Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller with Asia Map Enamel Dial Limited Edition. Sincere’s online stable also includes watches from brands like Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Maurice Lacroix and Unimatic.
The Hour Glass, while having experimented with capsule collections on its website for a limited period, has yet to move to an “always on” Web store. “We applaud the efforts taken by our peers to deepen their digital reach with prospective watch buyers, but we hold a slightly different view,” shares Michael Tay, group managing director of The Hour Glass. “Our immediate priorities are to enhance the quality of watch-related content on our revamped website, www. thehourglass.com, and improve our in-boutique service engagement. We believe that the luxury watch business necessitates personalised, face-to-face rapportbuilding and specialist consultation.”
Regardless of the different avenues – electronic or otherwise – retailers and brands explore, one thing is clear: More avenues for building one’s horological collection are always welcome.
ONLINE ONLY
02 UNFAMILIAR FACE
03 OFF THE CLOCK
04 LET THERE BE LIGHTS
The Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting watch is the latest to join Longines’ recently relaunched ultraprecise quartz line, and embraces modern technology in an unexpected way: The watch can be synced with a smartphone but, instead of using Bluetooth, it uses Morse code. A dedicated phone app will help set the watch time by using the phone’s flash to send light sequences into a tiny opening on the watch dial (hidden in the number 12). The watch is also able to swop between home and travel time zones by pushing the crown. Less generic than a typical smartwatch and more accurate than a mechanical one, Longines has given us a happy medium in the travel-watch category.
