Citizen, Bulova, Alpina, Frederique Constant, Accutron Make NYC Debut

Last week, Citizen Watch America opened its first multi-brand boutique outside of Tokyo – right across from Rockefeller Center. Located in the hub of New York city at 605 Fifth Avenue, the three-level, 7,000-square-foot store plays home to many brands that the average consumer may not even know belong to the Citizen Group: Citizen, Accutron, Bulova, Alpina and Frederique Constant. These brands traverse price points and watch types – ranging from high-volume accessibly priced watches to luxury timepieces from Frederique Constant that include tourbillons and calendar watches.

“Citizen Watch America is really, more than ever, a data-first organization, and that is how  all of our decisions are made,” says Jeffrey Cohen, President of Citizen Watch America. “We looked at  the research over the last five years and it has changed quite a bit. We have seen growth in all segments, including an increase in complications, higher-end price points and active sports watches, so we see this as an opportunity to position this as a destination for consumers to experience all of our brands.”

In fact, the new flagship stores exposes customers to the different brands and their top-notch offering of watches. The first floor of the boutique will predominantly house the Citizen brand with some of the other brands as teasers. A 20-foot-long branded wall on that floor showcases the Japanese company’s long legacy in watchmaking.

Two of the most alluring aspects of the store comes in design. Where the staircase leads up to a mezzanine and the second floor where the other brands are housed in shop-within-a-shop format (complete with sitting areas comfortable spaces), Citizen’s captivating Light is Time art installation welcomes customers. One of the most talked-about art installations  — first unveiled at the BaselWorld exhibitions in the late 1990’s – Light is Time is designed to visually express the concept of time as it relates to light.

It boasts long tendrils of shimmering watch base plates hanging from the ceiling, free flowing and capturing the light on all sides. Inspired by Citizen’s proprietary light-powered Eco-Drive technology, the installation underscores Citizen as a true manufacture, as the brand creates all of its base plates and other movement parts in house in Tokyo. The installation is designed to draw customers to the staircase and up to the floors above.

Another dramatic aspect of the store – visible from Fifth Avenue – is the huge, dynamic True 3d technology video wall. As videos play showcasing the different brands and their environments and products, watches actually seem to jump out from the video.

“We needed to incorporate state-of-the-art technology for this Fifth Avenue store,” says Cohen. “The massive video display is unique to the watch industry. It is an all-new technology that is making its debut in our store tomorrow.”

As customers move to the mezzanine and up to the second floor, they can experience the sister brands of Citizen in their full glory: Accutron with its electrostatic movements; Bulova with its rich history in space, music, and pop culture; Alpina’s diverse sports trove that include pilot, mountain climbing and water watches;  Frederique Constant that offers Swiss luxury watchmaking.

“This is the first time for Citizen Watch America that people can shop the group’s portfolio brands and also have surprises as we move into the future,” says Cohen, noting that there is very active plan for 2024 for exhibitions and immersive experiences. “It will be a very flexible and that allows us to do many things and showcase our brands the way the consumer wants to experience them.”

For the opening of the boutique, and as part of an on-going plan, special timepieces made, and will regularly make, their debut for each of the brands at this location. Initially, for instance,  Citizen is showcasing its The Citizen collection of precision watches with features such as traditional Japanese washi paper dials and high accuracy movements.

Sister brand  Bulova will showcase the collaborative collection created with singer and songwriter Marc Anthony, whose personal Awards, including a recent Telly Award won with Bulova and Marc Anthony for the Bulova Bold at Heart advertising campaign, will be on display in the Bulova shop.

Accutron plans to showcase its new colorful DNA Casino collection. The 100-piece edition, that recalls the Vegas skyline, is launching in New York first. Similarly, Alpina is launching its Alpiner Extreme Chronograph Automatic models with integrated stainless steel bracelets here.  To celebrate its role in the multi-brand store, Frederique Constant unveils a new limited-edition Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture watch in just 88 pieces. The store also boasts a complete service bar for repair intakes and strap changes, and a third floor that will include a museum archive and dedicated space for on-site programming. That space will be accessible via a different entrance.

“This is our first-ever U.S. multi-brand flagship and there is no better place than New York City to capture the inclusive worldview of our company as it serves as the most iconic intersection for citizens from across the world,” says Cohen.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony witnessed Cohen, xecutives from Japan being present, and singer and songwriter Marc Anthony celebrating the opening.