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MilDiver's original post offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship and heritage behind the luxurious display cases found in high-end watch boutiques. He spotlights Obrist and Son's, a Swiss company with a 125-year legacy, revealing how their intricate work in wood, glass, and stone contributes to the immersive experience of stores like the Bucherer Time Machine in NYC. This often-overlooked aspect of horological retail design is crucial for understanding the full scope of luxury presentation.
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When you enter the Bucherer Time Machine (Previously known as Tourneau time machine) in 57th street in NYC, when you walk around in its 1700 sq/m, beside watches and photos you can admire something that we usually just pass by and ignore , the display cases & cabinets. It’s a puzzle of wood combined with glass, stone and other materials and is all made by a single Swiss company.
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Like every good watch catalog and its stories, our story begins 125 years ago when Franz Josef started his own company at his wine cellar in Lucerne... The year was 1895 and the company was named Obrist and Son's, representing of course his full name Franz Josef Obrist
They were good at what they do, and that was a wooden presentation box with integrated glass. Up until then the presentation cabinet had applied framed glass.
In 1914 the company got a boost when The Suchard chocolate factory, one of the oldest chocolate factories in Switzerland . ordered all of its display cabinet for a show from Obrist. For those who like Chocolate, Suchard ( today is part of Kraft General Foods ) is the inventor of Milka chocolate conglomerate.
In 1965, Obrist built one of its flag projects, The cabinets and displays for the new (opened in 1965) Israel Museum of art and archaeological in Jerusalem.
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In House
Like many Swiss watchmakers, Obrist designs and manufactures everything in its factory in Switzerland, and then it is shipped to the customer in containers, where a team from the company is stationed for a project of complete assembly and finishing.
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Back to Bucherer Time Machine in NYC, the project lasted 18 month in which 500 design drawings were made, and it required 24 full size containers (40ft each) to ship and nearly 6 month to assemble...
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How much?
My guesstimate is that a typical project for a 50-75sqm shop can start at 500,000 Sfr. for a turn key project and can easily climb to mid 7 figures for a 200-250 m sqft shop.
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Next time, when you enter the Tiffany boutique at Kloten Airport in Zurich, on your way back from apres' ski and watch shopping at Juwelier Gut in St Gallen or any of the WEMPE, BUCHRER watch shops, you have one more thing to examine and admire... and that is all the hard craft made by the expert...
Our son worked for a company that designed and made high end display cases for retailers such as Polo, Armani and high end department stores. The also did reception desks and furniture for high end hotels.
When i visit my AD it was for the first time and they have a nice interior with the watches displayed. I am been several times in good watch boutiques because i buy watches when new. I am not a typical second hand watch buyer. On you tube i saw the Bucherer store in NY. Very big and many maisons presented. The only AD who is well known where i bought a watch is Christ in Germany.
I worked few month at a service garage, wasn't for the money, just wanted to sharpen the skills and to be able to maintain my classic car
I think I purchased a watch there once
Furthermore, in mall locations, the mall landlord sometimes wants the stores to use approved contractors. Of course this short list of approved contractors know they're special, so they charge much more than market rate. And then malls want construction to place at night when there are less consumers in the mall so they won't be as disturbed. So you have to pay special rates for night labor. It all adds up real fast!
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