Watch retailing face-to-face has taken a hammering over the last year thanks to Covid and the hysterical over-reaction by western governments.

Meanwhile Zadok over in Houston Texas have been buolding the five star Hilton hotel of watches, a Selfridges experience where Barnum style showmanshp combines with luxury brands. How many? 60 of `em, including all the big Swiss players. Yep, this is destination watch retailing and we say go Texas!

Zadok is holding events at their store too and this is another way to bring in wealthy people, ready to spend money. Earlier in April Zadock showcased the Totem electric car on-site and the thought occurs to us that many watch brands have crossover with aviation, yachting, designer handbags like LVMH brands for example, sunglasses etc.

This is an area where UK jewellers are kinda slow to be blunt,  because too many of them rely on the watch brands being the draw in thmselves. Which with Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Hublot, TAG and other well known, established brands is true.

But that isn’t the case with Breguet, Vacheron, Lange & Sohne, Arnold & Son or other prestige names that lack general awareness in the UK. You can buy all the online ad space you like, but until you put your watches in front of an affluent audience and they can see and feel them, you won’t win lifetime fans of your brand.

Now that Covid restrictions are lifting Zadok’s approach shows that if you build a luxury resort of watches, they will come.  Over to you Baselworld, this is your chance to put watch retailing and showmanship together. Make sure you build a 30 storey luxury hotel on top of the watch exhibition space, with private elevators.