REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RETAIL-SMART Priortojoiningtheindustry,CEOofIWCChristophGrainger-Herrdesigned urban and living spaces as an architect. He’s found that experience very beneficial in shaping IWC’s retail experiences today. WORDS DARREN HO 122 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
Mr Christoph Grainger-Herr needs no introduction. The current CEO of IWC was once a Swiss professional skier and architect, and he’s spent the last few years holding two portfolios in the company, designing the brand’s new Manufakturzentrum and directing the development and expansion of the brand’s releases. Now that the new manufacuture is up and running smoothly, upping IWC’s capacity to produce more of its in-house movements and components, he’s set his sights on upgrading customer experiences within and outside of IWC’s boutiques, both via formal and unexpected experiences with the brand. Last year, he popped into Singapore to re-open the brand’s refreshed boutiques at ION Orchard and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and invited a few cycling enthusiasts and collectors along for a 40-klick cycle along the coast. We went along and just about barely made it out alive, while Mr Grainger breezed along. We finally found ourselves at the exclusive members-only club 1880, where we sat down to talk about luxury retail and its rapid evolution today. Mr Grainger, thank you for joining us today. What do you currently see as the biggest changes in retail today that you’re trying to address or confront? It is something that a lot of brands are not paying enough attention to, or at least not paying enough attention to how it’s changing. I think it’s the fundamental realization that we make highly personal and highly emotional products that carry a lot of meaning. So it’s not something you buy on a spec sheet of functionality, it’s something that you buy because it makes you feel special in a certain way. And I think that this really comes first and foremost, from a human-to-human interaction, a relationship and in the end, the friendship, That’s why I think the difference today between brands that you theoretically like, and what you decide to buy into, is all down to human factors. That’s why it’s important to focus on our direct interaction with our clientele. Retail is an important pillar for your brand equity. What else matters? Our core pillars for brand equity extend beyond product design. It’s in how you express the narrative. The story about our product is not only that they are very precise wristwatches, but it’s also a resource that tells me the functional story of its origins. It tells me that this was designed as a pilot’s instrument watch. But it also tells the story of years and years and years of experience, of this watch in the cockpit, that have gone into this particular design. In the end, that speaks about the freedom of flying, the dream of flying, that adventure is the hero’s story. So you carry both with you the engineering model — the movement in the watches, the cases and finishing — but also that emotional value of the story. You had a personal hand in the development of the two new and refreshed stores in Singapore. What’s in the latest update? So this space really combines elements of storytelling with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where we try to offer different settings in which to interact with our staff, everything from a very, very comfortable lounge where it’s more about socializing space, to a more formal sit-down and over-the-counter situation that some clients prefer. We’re trying to make sure that we really have a good balance between storytelling and a focus on products. And we give an experience that goes further than just what is in the display case. Basically, we’re decorating that all the way up to our flagship concept, where in our flagship stores, we’re going very, very specific to the location. So the architecture’s different from one place to another, and they’re also completely different in their storytelling. The watch content of the stores is consistent globally. But on the other hand, you will have storytelling that is fully immersive, that is individual, to really create destinations that our clients can travel to, and see a different facet of the brand. To have a different chapter of the book to experience, so to speak. When you say immersive storytelling, you’re referring to physical immersion in the environment, or technological? I’m talking about a way to make that story really selfexplanatory, for people to walk in and feel what it is we’re talking about. That is really inspired by what we’ve learned from our events. For example, when I look at the Silver Spitfire take-off event [held at Goodwood Aerodrome to mark the start of IWC’s Silver Spitfire — The Longest Flight expedition in 2019], we brought together the engineering models of the Spitfire racing cars with the watches, and the engineers, the watchmakers, the drivers. And our civil Spitfire pilot, Steve Brooks, who’s also racing and you can BACK TO THE FUTURE 123
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CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEAR
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BREGUET BOUTIQUES - NEW YORK 646 69
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COLLECTION Fifty Fathoms ©Photogra
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HOME OF FINE WATCHMAKING SINCE 1833
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CALIBER RM 67-01 RICHARD MILLE BOUT
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intentionally allowing the majority
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CALIBER RM 07-01 RICHARD MILLE BOUT
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Piaget Altiplano 38mm Bulino Engrav
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On Niclas Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
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THE MODERNIST At the attic of Zenit
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THE GAME CHANGE - LVMH WATCH FAIR I
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BVLGARI SERPENTI SEDUTTORI TOURBILL
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LVMH WATCH WEEK DUBAI MADE OF STARD
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ZENITH × REVOLUTION AND THE RAKE T
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Page 118 and 119: INNOVATIONS IN THE INDUSTRY: HUBLOT
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Page 139 and 140: VINTAGE Bona fide style icon and fo
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Page 159 and 160: CALL COLLECT: MARK CHO Founder of T
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REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

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