The king of the sports watch, Rolex, and Cortina Watch have just opened the doors of a palatial boutique and permanent exhibition at Marina Square in Singapore. In the 513m² boutique, you'll be seeing lots of green, a very comprehensive display of the Oyster and Cellini collections (among other Rolex watches set with diamonds, sapphires and rubies) and a proper bar that could easily keep a party of 100 sipping all night.
The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and second to the first exhibition erected in Shanghai in 2011, the Rolex Experience looks to replicate this concept bringing you to the heart of legendary technical performance. The serene yet elegant space itself, decked with marble finishes from Italy and Vistosi Murano chandelier, will also serve as the place for future private, small-scale parties galore -- that is, if you were to get an invite from Jeremy Lim, Cortina's COO. Unfortunately, there isn't so much to look at regarding heritage, nor anything vintage, if those are your inclinations. The exhibition focuses on performance aspects, the waterproof appeal and the international involvement of Rolex, but all the more to let people understand what it is they are buying into. One only needs to trek out to Singapore now for an immersive experience of this enduring and instantly recognisable icon.
The Rolex Way, something of a walk-in dictionary with automated showcases that feature how Rolex parts are made, is housed in bronzed, tunnel-like walls. There are lighted windows within these walls that illustrate different components of the Rolex watch: how the Parachrom hairspring is reduced from the size of a tube to barely a hair; how the President bracelet consists of over 200 separate links; how the Cerachrom bezel -- the iconic numbered rim that circles the watch -- is made of ultra-hard ceramic that's scratch-proof and has colours that don't fade with time. This ceramic part is in fact an embodiment of Rolex's innovation against the most extreme conditions, as diamond tools must be used to work with such an impregnable surface, and gold or platinum is used to fill in the numerals for lasting readability.
Although the world of Rolex famously overlaps with that of sport, its sponsorship also spans into exploration, philanthropy and the arts. In this section, named The World of Rolex, a glossy wall of screens feature looped videos in a high-ceilinged lounge. Take in the emerald-green trademark in a varied number of sporting fields and stages, possibly with a drink and crown-stamped chocolate in hand, thanks to the bar with a bronzed mirror finish.
The World of Rolex lounge area.
In the last part of the exhibition, Rolex and the Deep, witness the natural ties between Rolex and the sea. There are models of the bathyscaphes -- one-person submarines -- that made expeditions in 1960 and 2012 to places so deep, you can have foreboding nightmares of them. Down into the Mariana Trench, the only two watches to have withstood and been to the deepest reaches of the ocean are the Rolex Deep Sea Special and Rolex Deepsea Challenge, strapped to the hulls of the vessels. James Cameron, a National Geographic explorer, was the face that manned the record-breaking 2012 mission, and also of the movie Deepsea Challenge 3D, if you need visuals to connect the water world with Rolex.
Rolex and Cortina Watch's new boutique and exhibition space illustrate the increasingly difficult disposition of today's retail landscape: to simply sell is no longer enough -- it must offer more. In a field where even the biggest boutique or most glamorous renovation is a bare minimum, brands must compete by engulfing the customers' senses with experience. "With regard to retailing watches today, it's not just about having the right product," explains Jeremy Lim. "The power of the internet means anyone has information about anything at their fingertips. This change means customers come in already with the knowledge, and that is not enough to close the deal. What we're doing right now is not just being a boutique that shows and lets them feel the watch, but giving more in-depth knowledge of the world of Rolex, so they get to know more about the purchase they're about to make."
Feel free to drop in to ask for a look at the exhibition, even if you aren't in a position to be buying a Rolex just yet. Lim stresses that at Cortina Watch, they'd like to offer precise insight into the Swiss luxury-watch brand to whoever is interested, be they hard-core fans or visitors who happen to chance upon the boutique. "Some places accept visits by appointment only, but we feel that's quite discriminatory. How else would tourists passing by, who leave the next day, be able to see the exhibition?" A staff member will give you a walk-through tour of the exhibition to maintain the excellent atmosphere and to prevent too many packing the boutique -- the Rolex Way.
The Rolex Boutique is at Marina Square Shopping Centre, Singapore. Open daily from 11am-9pm.
A model of Trieste, which in 1960 dove into the Mariana Trench.
The Deep Sea Special, which reached a depth of 10,916m in 1960.
Inside the boutique at Marina Square.
