Tourneau, the largest multi-brand watch retailer in the U.S., celebrated the opening of its newest store—an elegant location on the southwest corner of New York City’s Bryant Park—with a well-attended ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning.
The 3,330-square-foot store is the third Manhattan location for the brand, which was founded in Western Europe in 1900 but opened its first U.S. flagship on Madison Avenue in 1925 and has had a robust presence in New York City ever since.
Courtesy of Tourneau
Inside the new Manhattan Tourneau store
The new corner unit, which boasts entrances on both 6th Avenue and 42nd Street, features approximately 17 luxury watch brands, many spotlighted in branded shop-in-shops. Brands include Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, IWC, Breitling, Tudor, Longines, Ball, Bell & Ross, Nomos Glashütte, Carl F. Bucherer, and Tourneau certified pre-owned models.
It’s a deliberately pared-down selection, says CEO Ira Melnitsky, to allow space for splashy label presentations. “These brands are some of the longest-standing brand partnerships that we’ve had as a company,” he notes, “and it was really hard to decide [which brands to showcase]. But our philosophy for this store was ‘less is more.’ So we shrunk the number of brands…and we increased the exposure of each brand.”
Courtesy of Tourneau
The ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the new Tourneau Bryant Park boutique
The store’s sales floor is dominated by a massive rounded display case wrought in uber-luxe materials including Makassar ebony and bronze. Every element was custom-created for the store, adds Melnitsky. The shop will serve as a model for the look of all Tourneau locations nationwide in the coming years. Prices for timepieces begin just under $1,000, and ascend “to the very high end,” adds Melnitsky.
Construction on what’s been coined Tourneau Bryant Park began in September, and the store is part of a city-led effort to revitalize commerce on Bryant Park.
“To me, this location is the perfect corner,” adds Melnitsky. “It [attracts] a blend of locals and visitors. It stretches from Times Square to Bryant Park—which is incredibly exciting.”
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