FIRST AT SEA
TimeVallée sets sail with MSC Cruises
TimeVallée opened its first watch boutique at sea onboard the new MSC Seascape vessel in November 2022.
The multibrand watch concept offers over 30 high-end brands including Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Hublot, IWC, Montblanc, Panerai and Tag Heuer. The look and feel of the space replicates that of other TimeVallée shops on land and, said the partners, “offer the same unique service, complete with extensive brand storytelling and know-how”. TimeVallée offers guests dedicated brand experiences in different areas of the boutique, hosted by its brand ambassadors.
MSC Cruises SVP Onboard Revenues Brandon Briggs said: “The beauty of luxury shopping at sea is that cruise guests have plenty of time on board. Since cruises are most often at least seven days long, guests have the ability to return throughout the cruise, revisiting their desired purchases and savouring the luxury experience. As we evolve our ships, we have understood the importance of evolving our retail spaces along with them; creating larger retail spaces that are more tailored to customer needs, which is why TimeVallée’s multi-brand but in-depth approach was a perfect fit for our guest experience.”
TimeVallée International CEO Michael Guenoun added: “We are delighted to partner with MSC to open TimeVallée at sea for the first time. We are bringing the utmost luxury experience for watch lovers to discover a unique luxury retail concept where client can discover and browse through the most sought-after fine watchmaking brands.”
Founded in 2014, Geneva-based TimeVallée now has 34 stores, each offering an immersive fine watches experience.
Interview – ‘an immersive luxury experience’
MSC Cruises Head of Luxury Watches & Jewellery, Paolo Quacquarini told The Moodie Davitt Report about how the cruise company is elevating its retail offer and experiences with new concepts such as TimeVallée.
What is the significance to MSC of this first-at-sea partnership with TimeVallée?
Paolo Quacquarini: Since 2016, we have made a real push to develop our luxury shopping spaces onboard. We’ve been proposing monobrand boutiques – shops offering a dedicated single-brand experience – and diversifying our brand catalogues on board, to include more and more high-end brands available across watches and jewellery.
Working with TimeVallée was a natural next step for us, given their incredible offering, their close relationships with revered Maisons and their legitimacy built through a holistic approach and their partnership with FHH (Foundation High Horology).
We really feel that this first-at-sea TimeVallée boutique will offer guests an immersive luxury experience that they cannot find anywhere else in the world. Unlike boutiques on land, guests will be able to visit and revisit this shop at any point throughout their cruise, allowing them to discover new facets of the experience with each visit.
MSC Cruises Head of Luxury Watches & Jewellery Paolo Quacquarini
How has the TimeVallée concept, design and offer been adapted for the needs of travellers at sea? How well matched is this concept with the audience onboard MSC Seascape?
The look and feel of our shop will be identical to that of other TimeVallée shops on land, as we felt its brand identity was already a perfect fit for the onboard experience. The boutique will propose world-famous brands Baume & Mercier, IWC, Cartier, Mont Blanc, Hublot, Panerai and Tag Heuer, providing a multi-brand destination that we feel is unparalleled on the market.
One of the main differences with the boutique at sea will be that guests may find the shop less intimidating than other downtown luxury boutiques.
Unlike high-end locations on land, there will be no doorman seemingly guarding the entrance, but instead the space will be open onto the Times Square shopping area onboard, allowing guests to flow seamlessly from one area to the next and making luxury more approachable for everyone.
We are constantly searching for new ways to wow and engage our guests, and we’re confident that TimeVallée’s elegant signature style will appeal widely. Given that MSC Seascape homeports out of Miami, we are pulling out all the stops to make the ship a destination in and of itself, to appeal to wide range of guests.
The Maisons listed above, while they are known internationally, are particular favourites for the American market. With successive ships, we will cater to the audience in which they homeport as well. For instance, MSC Euribia will sail out of Europe, so we will focus on brands like Bvlgari and Ulysse Nardin, which are particularly popular in that part of the world. For MSC World America, we will rethink the entire space, making it +50% larger, with many more surprises in store.
While we’ve seen growth across all luxury retail categories, the overall bestseller by quite a clear margin remains luxury watches. As we have developed our offerings over the years, we have slowly grown to include an impressive 23 luxury brands on board, most of which are high-end watches.
Please tell us more about the role and importance of the luxury watches category to the MSC retail business?
While we’ve seen growth across all luxury retail categories, the overall bestseller by quite a clear margin remains luxury watches. As we have developed our offerings over the years, we have slowly grown to include an impressive 23 luxury brands on board, most of which are high-end watches.
Marking the store opening in time-honoured style were (left to right) MSC Cruises Head of Luxury Watches & Jewellery Paolo Quacquarini, TimeVallée CEO Michael Guenoun, Master of MSC Seascape Captain Francesco di Palma and MSC SVP Onboard Revenue Brandon Briggs (Photo: Ivan Sarfatti)
Spotlight Series - February 2023