Field Trip

My day job brought me to Boston and I found myself with a hour on my hands before catching my train back north, so I wandered down to Newbury and Boylston streets -

Although we haven't hit Thanksgiving here in the lower 48, everyone is already pushing that Christmas vibe.

I used to work in the main branch of the Boston Public Library, but in truth it has been a minute since then. I would walk from North Station to work, and this would take me down Newbury street. Needless to say, the IWC and Panerai boutiques are new, and Long's has a new Patek Philippe boutique across the street - complete with two very imposing security guards and a locked door ; )

Ordinarily, I am not a fan of mono-brand boutiques. Small selection, small space, disengaged staff. But yesterday I went against my bias, and popped into the Panerai boutique. And suffice it to say, I was very, very impressed!

I will sum it up later this evening, as work is calling and it's a long drive to the Merrimack Valley ; )

Stay tuned!
 

The Gardner Museum Meets Audemars Piguet... Sorta'

"Four guys walk into the Audemars Piguet Boutique..."

No, gentle reader, this is not the start of a joke.

Yesterday afternoon four people entered the Boston Audemars Piguet Boutique on Boylston Street, one allegedly (per some news reports) with a gun, the others additionally armed with sledgehammers and proceeded to smash the display cases before making off with at least one (according to a security staff member) if not more APs. Thankfully, nobody was physically hurt.

James Cullity News 

@JCullityNews

And here's where it gets interesting. For those of you unfamiliar, that portion of Boylston street is one-way, at times divided into two separate sections, littered with traffic lights, a bike lane and a lot of absent minded tourists and locals with a propensity for crossing the street without really paying attention. Long story short, traffic there is a bitch. While there are boutiques, shops, and hotels on one side of the street, the other side is the Public Garden and Boston Common, rife with tourists this time of year. 

James Cullity News 

@JCullityNews

Three suspects were arrested when their car was stopped a little less than 2 blocks from the crime scene. The fourth was the driver of one of the cars who fled on foot, heading away from Boylston towards Stuart Street. He is still, to use the parlance, at large. One AP watch apparently in the box (if anyone can explain that one to me, I am all ears) was recovered from one of the cars.

While AP is name-checked in several songs from Beyonce's Upgrade U to Lil Wayne's “Marvin’s Room (Freestyle)”, it is perhaps ironic that the haul probably would not have netted as much as the robbers would have hoped for, both monetarily and status wise. As Royal Oaks are pretty thin on the ground, it is likely that the watches taken were from the less sexy, less desirable collections. The robbers can thank outgoing CEO François-Henry Bennahmias for that last bit of ironic insult to injury. Maybe it was a good thing that he essentially made AP solely about the Royal Oak, and conveniently those are pretty much never available. Looking to offload a Code 11:59? Bonne chance...

Now to be clear, I do not intend to make light of the trauma that the staff at the AP boutique experienced, thankfully nobody was hurt. And moreover, full marks to the Boston PD, that was quite a collar in record time. But in a city where over three decades later, they still haven't solved the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the AP Boutique Caper of 2023 seems more of a misadventure than anything else, and underscores that while there are several movies with successful heists and car getaways set in downtown Boston, they are just that - movies. 

The Ayn Rand School of Watch Retail

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide info-web

In fairness, I am still a relatively new transplant to the Metro-Boston area, but I like to think that I am a pretty quick study. There is one thing that I am fairly confident about, it is probably not the ideal city to set-up mono brand watch boutiques, with perhaps the exception of the Rolex boutique that is being opened in partnership with a large, regional jeweler.

Boston welcomed the opening of the Richard Mille boutique on Newbury street with all of the pomp and circumstance of a damp fart. A friendly note to the folks financially backing this venture, you might want to actually, I don't know, engage with the people you are hoping to attract into your store. On a side note, I passed by again yesterday and noted a somewhat anxious looking sales person, gaze transfixed on the Boxing Day traffic passing by. Now it is, of course, entirely possible that this is not the loneliest retail outlet on the street, but I passed it twice daily when I worked in the city, and let's just say it was not exactly "jumping".

And on my way to Pho Pasteur for a particularly tasty bowl of yumminess (travel tip for you out of towners from your old pal Henki - skip the food courts, and head to China Town for a bowl of the real deal), I came across this curious decision -

And while this could be viewed as another bit of folly, it is at least a potentially more reasonable bite of the real estate pie. AP made the decision a year or so back that they would separate from their former retail partners and move solely to direct distribution.

Which inevitably means that you have to have stores. And for AP this is either going to be a genius move, or a minor bleed. While Cartier, the aforementioned Rolex partner boutique and the Richard Mille monument to Howard Roark are nestled at the head of Newbury street, tucked in with Giorgio Armani, Van Cleef & Arpels and Burbury holding the "anchor" spot, the new AP boutique is somewhat off the beaten path. It is a block over, and another half block down on Boylston street, a stone's throw from Hermès. It is decidedly heading away from the prime shopping area. If I am not mistaken it is either in the retail section of a hotel, or snugged up right next to one, facing the Public Garden (not to be confused with Boston Common which is right across the street). As gently as I can put this, it would be somewhat easy to miss it.

But on the other hand, my suspicion is that the rent is much more affordable than on Newbury, which is reputed to be the most sought-after, and most expensive retail space in the city. And AP might be an unusual enough choice that its clientele will seek them out. Which again begs the question - why have a boutique?

More than anything else, this renewed push towards mono-brand boutiques begs the question - how often has this REALLY worked in the watch business in the US? (Spoiler alert - it has!)

And where has it worked? Places like New York (sort of), Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and Miami. And where it hasn't worked is a list that would make you scratch your head when considering whether or not these boutiques make sense here in Boston - or in other cities such as San Francisco.

But, in all fairness to AP, this decision although seemingly rather contrary in most cities, might just be the ideal location for a Boston outpost.  The Leica boutique is around the corner, Hermes is nearby, and in fairness, the typical AP customer is more likely to walk the extra distance to lay eyes on the latest Royal Oak.  AP is not SWATCH, is not Richemont, it is independent.  And although not jammed in with the others, this location might just be the ideal spot.  

We shall wait, and we shall see.