Geneva, Switzerland

Our client Czapek, one of the greatest watchmakers of the 19th century which relaunched in 2015, started the new year based out of a new location at Rue de la Corraterie 18 in the centre of Geneva, the town where François Czapek opened his own store on the Quai des Bergues. The new premises serves as the company’s headquarters and a space where collectors can fully discover the brand and its watches.

Owing to a tight schedule that would allow the new premises to open during the week of Geneva shows in January 2019, the design of the premises was treated by Jason as a two-phase project. Phase 1 would provide Czapek with a working environment for the short-term that has delivered an initial refurbishment and fit-out in order to meet the January deadline. 

Subsequent design consideration envisaged by Jason in Phase 2 would see us spend more time revisiting spatial considerations for the overall premises and a level of enhanced design detailing throughout including the refinement of display showcases, window display and external facade and overall specification and furnishing of the interior. 

The design and sales concept is unlike anything experienced at the stores of the major luxury brands found on the nearby Rue du Rhône. Visitors to Czapek will genuinely feel at home, with furniture that is more akin to that of a private house than retail store and an approach to sales that reflects the collaborative relationship that the brand has cultivated with its customers.

In taking the important decision to open this boutique, the board members of Czapek felt that the brand could no longer rely on a purely wholesale model to develop at the pace that it wants to. “We cannot simply wait for the retail industry to discover the independents,” explains CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. “Our headquarters are much more in line with our spirit located inside an open boutique, than inside a private office”. 

The emphasis in the new boutique is on dialogue between the brand and its customers. It is the perfect environment to discuss new models and personalisation options with collectors familiar with the brand, as well to extend a warm welcome to watch fans who are looking for something different and unique.