Golden Rolex hoardings in the style of its crimped DateJust pie dish bezel are up on Old Bond Street in London as construction begins on what will become Europe’s biggest showroom for the brand.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, ground work is progressing for the 28-story building at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street that will be home to Rolex’s USA headquarters and its largest flagship.
In total, the 469 foot building being developed by Rolex Realty Company, will have almost 200,000 square feet of office and retail space for the watchmaker.
The Rolex flagship will occupy a massive 43,000 square feet over four floors, making it the largest in the world; more than four times larger than the current record holder in Dubai.
It is expected to open in 2026.
It has not been confirmed whether Rolex will run its own boutique in New York or work with a partner such as Bucherer, Wempe or Watches of Switzerland Group.
Watches of Switzerland Group will own and run the London Bond Street operation, which will include space for retail, exhibitions and events.
WoSG is also opening a Tudor boutique on the corner of the same street.
Work to create the three-storey Rolex emporium was delayed last year because Gucci, which previously occupied the historic building at No.34 on the famous luxury retail thoroughfare, took longer than expected to relocate its flagship further north on Bond Street.
The Rolex megastore is expected to occupy 7,200 sq ft over three floors, eight-times larger than the 900 sq ft Rolex boutique, also run by WoSG, it will replace on the same street.
Once open, it will be the only Rolex store on the street after Wempe closed in 2022, Mappin & Webb (another Watches of Switzerland Group retail brand) makes way for the Tudor boutique and WoSG closes its smaller monobrand store.
WoSG says that the flagship will focus on client hospitality and the history of Rolex.
It will be designed by Rolex Geneva in conjunction with the Watches of Switzerland Group.
Brian Duffy, CEO of the Watches of Switzerland Group, said at the time the project was unveiled: “We first opened the Rolex Boutique in the mid-1980s and have represented the brand successfully on Bond Street ever since.
“We have been looking for some time at opportunities for a larger space to present the Rolex brand in the way it deserves.
“We are delighted to be opening this significant Rolex Boutique in partnership with Rolex, in the City which was the birthplace of the Rolex brand.
The latest financial report from WoSG says the Rolex showroom will open in the summer of 2024.
There will also be an AP House opening in Manchester, England, in partnership with Audemars Piguet. The lounge is due to open this autumn, the company says.
Watches of Switzerland’s most recent quarterly update also says that it will open a multi-brand showroom at One Vanderbilt, a 93-story skyscraper at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, early this year.