Six years after the brand first arrived in Australia, courtesy of a centrally located flagship in Sydney, Grand Seiko is opening its second local boutique in Melbourne – five minutes from the city’s gilded ‘Paris’ end.
Set within earshot of the CBD’s luxury watchmaking epicentre (about a five-minute walk from the likes of Cartier and Monards) the new boutique is a distinctive addition to Melbourne’s luxury shopping sphere, with a look and feel that varies it from the quintessential Swiss watch retailer.
In line with the brand’s ‘Nature of Time’ mantra, Grand Seiko Melbourne contrasts its heritage-listed, European-feeling setting with interiors that make liberal use of birch, white oak and other natural wood materials.
Residential motifs recur across the boutique’s multiple floors: a design element that separates it from Grand Seiko Sydney, where shoppers’ journey through the space hews more closely to the traditional retail experience.
Beyond shape and materiality, the biggest departure from Grand Seiko’s previous approach to Australian retail can be gleaned from this boutique’s comparatively verdant footprint.
The brand’s takeover of a premium, street-facing lease in the Block Arcade (built in 1893 in the Victorian style) has supplied it with a gross square footage of 250 sqm.
The Japanese watchmaker has put that enlarged floor print to serious use; with three individually delineated retail, lounge and client entertainment spaces.
To better showcase the original property’s triple-height ceiling, an alcove (serving as one of the boutique’s numerous lounges) was constructed just above the ground floor – neatly connecting the store’s touchstones of nature and heritage.
Shoppers will find an illuminated spiral staircase tucked off of the second-floor alcove: leading to a compact bar counter where fans of brand’s Spring Drive and Evolution 9 watches can be enjoyed over a dram of Japanese whisky.
The unvarnished blond countertop and sparingly decorated backbar are perhaps the most explicit allusion to Grand Seiko’s cultural identity. A wink and a nod, in a sea of whisper-quiet design cues.
Vincent Cuche, Head of Brand in Australia/NZ, says he is “delighted” with the results. Presumably because the boutique will serve to extend Collins Street’s so-called ‘luxury mile’ – with a metaphorical stopover in Tokyo, on the way to the area’s Paris end.
“The Block Arcade [has] historic significance as a luxury shopping precinct,” says Cuche.
“It’s the perfect location to introduce Grand Seiko’s exquisite timepieces to a discerning Australian audience.”
