Foversta takes readers on a detailed tour of the Rabat boutique in Madrid, one of Spain's renowned authorized dealers. His post not only showcases the luxurious ambiance and diverse brand offerings but also provides personal critiques on several watches, offering a collector's perspective on the retail experience.
Several months ago, I took the opportunity of a long stay in Madrid to visit the latest boutique opened by Rabat, one of the most famous AD in Spain (other boutiques are located in Barcelona and in Valencia). You have to understand that Madrid faced during long months a lot of works in its luxury district, the Barrio de Salamanca and especially in the Serrano street. This period had obviously a bad impact on the business and when everything was back to normality... the set-up of the street was changed a lot with newcomers and sadly closing shops. Moreover, the crisis in Spain magnified this impact.
Anyway, the good point for Rabat is that the opening of the new boutique took place after the works, at the end of 2010, taking advantage of the new, large and classy pavement of the Serrano street.
The boutique was designed by Estrella Salietti who defined a dark and luxurious atmosphere in which watches and jewels, affordable and high-end brands coexist. A bar is located at the center of the shop to welcome the visitors.
The main high-end brands sold in Madrid are Vacheron, Breguet, AP, Richard Mille, Blancpain, IWC, JLC and Cartier while the entry level is made of Bell&Ross and Tag-Heuer amongst others.
I would like to share with you some pics I took during my visit.
So, ready to enter the boutique?
The boutique is located Calle Serrano, in front of the Colon Square.
The different displays:
Let's start browsing the watches with this IWC. I will be frank with you: I don't like it. Actually, I don't understand it even if it is obvious to see the strategy behind: to propose a prestigious complication (PC) in a more all-around, sportive context. But I was never convinced by its dial, especially by the two small fighters on it. And the PG case makes it too loud for my taste.
This GO Senator Sixties Square Chronograph is a bit the oppostive. A very discreet watch but with a main asset: the shape of its case. You love or you hate it. I like its simple dial and these figures inspired by the past.
The watch has a good value for money but it doesn't feature an integrated movement: it is a modular one using a DD module in addition of the in-house base:
Perfect on my wrist! It looks more unusual when it is worn than at the first glance.
We stay in the same atmosphere with this Zenith. But this time, with a famous chronograph movement! The designers worked well on its dial because the subdials are not overlapping which is an usual problem with some Zenith chronographs .
Back to GO with this Seventies Panorama Date. It is a watch I much prefer with the blue dial. The trouble with it is that I can't stop thinking about the Nautilus... without the slender side and the genious of the Genta design. But on a global basis, it is a good watch with an excellent in-house movement.
We are in Spain, so we think about Rafael Nadal. And when we think about Nadal, we think about his Richard Mille watch!
I'm always a bit disturbed by this RM035. Yes it is impressive but it is so light that I would be very afraid to wear it on a daily basis. If I lose it, I would hardly notice it... You know, when it comes to very expensive watches, I like to feel their weights, their presences. I like platinum for these reasons.
There is something magic with this skeletonized PC from Vacheron. Very surprisingly, the readability of the dial is very good. We recognize the PC module with the month display on a 48 months basis (and so including the leap year display).
Yes it is a very baroque style but it remains a true joy for our eyes!
Finishings are really impressive:
Let's stay with Vacheron with the Patrimony Chronograph. Yes, I know, we expect more from Vacheron... We expect them to leave the Lemania base and to use their own chronograph movement. But at the end of the day, this chronograph is very charming thanks to its balanced dial, the elegance of the case and the lay-out of the movement. I'm not a fan of the figures at the end of the indexes though.
Blancpain did an excellent job with this Villeret Complete Calendar. Of course, it has a slight old-fashioned touch but it will seduce any lover of very classic watches. The dial is flawless and the price is coherent due to the overall quality of the watch.
This Zenith Captain Winsor is maybe my fav Zenith of the last years. Its dial is beautiful and it features the clever Annual Calendar system by Ludwig Oechsling. Despite its 42mm size, it remains balanced.
For me, this Breguet Marine is the bad side of this prestigious brand. The watch is bulky and totally lacks the usual refined design of Breguet. The luminous Breguet hands are a true nightmare in my point of view. Again, it is not a criticism in terms of strategy, it is a watch created for specific customers who look for this kind of watches with the Breguet name on it. And I believe that the sales figures of this Marine collection are positive.
I would like to finish the visit with a watch I love: the AP Royal Oak PC. If we need to understand why the design of the RO by Gerald Genta has been considered as one of the main achievements of the watchmaking history, one of explanation which can be brought would be that it matches any complication. 2 hands watch or PC one... the magic is still here.
I would like to thank a lot the staff of the boutique and the Rabat family for the warm welcome during my visit.
Fr.Xavier
