The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi all, I know there's not many Aussies on this site but thought it might be worth posting.

I walked past Tiffany's on Castlereagh st in Sydney CBD and noticed the brand new Breitling Boutique being built right next door.

Does anyone know anything about this? Opening dates, an opening event etc?
Any hints on how to be invited to the grand opening?

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Montbrillant Datora
Chronomat
Superocean Steelfish
A number of strap / bracelet combo's

SEEK were looking for expressions of interest in hiring staff for it, so I would say its fairly advanced for the opening by now. If the work is nearing practical completion then they would surely be trying for a pre Xmas opening I would think. I guess it depends on what you saw as far as the fitout being readied as to the extent of time remaining. Usually, by the time its recognisable as to the type of retail, a shop will be readied fairly quickly.

If its Australian management at the helm they would be thinking of nothing less, as most of us buyers are broke come January.

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Jim

"You have Control".

OOOOOH! Very exciting! Will have to go visit when it opens. Personally I'm looking forward to it as:
a) I'm not a huge fan of going into other watch shops with small B displays and huge Rolex sections etc, as I find the staff often know little about B's and have a small range. So browsing in the Boutique will be much nicer for me.
b) I don't generally buy brand new, so the decreased discount won't affect me as much.

And there are actually quite a few Aussies on here. Once it opens we should organise a Sydney meetup and see if we can get the Boutique to sponsor it with some swag and exhibition/presentation from DKSH/BAUS.

Well, as I walked past, the shop was not actually visible as they had thick plywood boards covering the actual shop windows. The ply was however completely covered in very attractive Breitling images, promoting the fact that a boutique was opening there soon.

It was interesting as I wandered into Hardy Brothers (next door) who are an AD & have been for some time. I asked whether they would cease stocking Breitling as a result & their response was to offer a cheeky grin as they said "we will continue to stock Breitling and after all, they won't be able to match our discount...."

Great positioning for the store, not so sure about placing it next door to an existing AD though. So much for supporting the brand for years.........

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Montbrillant Datora
Chronomat
Superocean Steelfish
A number of strap / bracelet combo's

Count me in! Pumped!

As awesome as the store will be - This will be the beginning of even higher prices for us in Australia?

the RRP from US to Australia is a substantial.

Could be, or it might just be an incentive for the other AD's to compete.
There are currently a whole bunch of AD's within walking distance of this new store;
Watches of Switzerland
Hardy Brothers
Swiss concept
Shums
Swiss Concept
Sydney Jewellers (QVB)
The Hour Glass

I doubt that one boutique opening would impact these retailers that much, after all it's what I would have considered a saturated market anyway.

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Montbrillant Datora
Chronomat
Superocean Steelfish
A number of strap / bracelet combo's

And the boutique isn't going to compete on price anyway because boutiques don't discount.

Anyone thinking along the lines of who might own the Boutique? Are they corporate owned stores, and if so, would this be the best way to get along with your neighbours and potential authorised sellers of Breitling product? If its not corporate owned then who might be the owners?

In retailing, its always best to set up right next door to your competition, (product by product) if you can. Wonder what the thinking could be regarding this new shop?

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Jim

"You have Control".

Speaking of neighbours,

As ive been in singapore a few times , and thats not too far away from australia (some parts at least) and prices being what they are, isnt it cheaper to fly to Spore and buy there and fly back ?

I assume there's some cheap flights and if youre in the market for a new watch are australians looking outside theor borders as well ?

Just curious

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"I spent most of my money on Booze, Breitling and Boats. The rest I wasted" - mostly Elmore Leonard

That's a great piece of curiosity Dracha. Not cheap to get to Australias east coast from Singapore, but the route is hotly competitive. Better if you live in Western Australia or the Northern Territory as that's definitely closer. More frequent flyers here might know the answer to that one, but I would not have thought prices in Singas wouldn't be much cheaper. Perhaps I am wrong.

But on a holiday or business stop over, might be good to see what is on offer. Not sure what the warrantee situation is when buying OS and claims made locally on repairs, etc.

Good thought though.

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Jim

"You have Control".

Believe me, very good prices can be had in Sydney, if one knows where to look. In most cases, very similar to US gray market but with warranty from an AD.

There's also quite a few LEs floating around but alas not the one I'm after....the original navitimer 01 LE.

Well, theres no sales tax/gst/vat (whatever you call it)

And they will negotiate on price

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"I spent most of my money on Booze, Breitling and Boats. The rest I wasted" - mostly Elmore Leonard

Rolex and Omega flash Boutiques are all over the place, right next door to Rolex and Omega ADs.
Seems to work for them, can not see why it could not work for Breitling.
In the end it is all about marketing and creating brand awareness. A flash Boutique can be a great marketing tool even if it does not sell many watches. Create brand awareness and let the ADs do the selling with their discounts.
These brands spend crap load of money on marketing. Just think what it must cost to sponsor the Jet Team, Wingwalkers, Jetman, plust brand ambasadors lika Travolta and Beckham per year! What's a few Boutiques that might actually sell a few watches.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

What I meant was that the margins on the ad will probably get tighter if more of these Boutiques start popping up... hence higher prices..