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The opening of the ground floor of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel took place today in Shanghai with four exceptional boutiques in a grandiose architectural environment.

The Swatch Art Peace Hotel, an emblematic historical building located at the corner of the Bund and Nanjing Road, reopened today after several years of restoration work that will enable it to welcome the public in the boutiques of four of Swatch Group’s most prestigious brands – Blancpain, Breguet, Omega and Swatch.

Breguet

Spread over 240 square metres, this new Breguet boutique’s contemporary design draws its inspiration from period Breguet timepieces such as those on display at the Breguet Museum in Paris. While it features a good number of artistic attributes, the style of the boutique matches to perfection that of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel. The cylindrical perimeter of the Breguet area adds its character to the Palace Hall, whose sharp angles on the ceiling and pillars contrasts with the cool perfection of the boutique. The interior space is enhanced with royal blue engraved glass representing the guilloché enamel of Empress Joséphine’s pocket watch. The sales areas are located behind airy walls of slim golden struts suggestive of a three-dimensionally guillochéed dial, one of the brand’s most typical features.

Blancpain

The traditions of Switzerland’s Vallee de Joux and the village of Le Brassus, where Blancpain’s workshops are located, occupy the core of Blancpain’s watchmaking philosophy and values. The interior finishes of Blancpain’s intimate boutiques reflect and have been inspired by these Vallee de Joux roots. The new Blancpain boutique at The Swatch Art Peace Hotel may be located in China’s most bustling and modern city, yet the rich wood tones of the walls and farm house windows of the display cases breathe Switzerland and, indeed, are inspired by the finishes of the workshops and watchmaker work benches found in Blancpain’s atelier in Le Brassus.

With the opening of the Shanghai boutique, which joins twenty others located in Hong Kong, Macao, Blancpain has taken another important step in building its presence in China. As it has followed this path, Blancpain has been specially recognized and honored by the Chinese government. When the Forbidden City Museum in Beijing decided to enrichen its enormous collection of historic watches and clocks by adding just one modern timepiece for permanent display in the museum, the watch which was chosen was a Blancpain Carrousel.

The debut of the Shanghai Blancpain boutique comes in an important year for Blancpain. 2010 marks the 275th year since Jehan-Jacques Blancpain recorded his profession as “watchmaker” on the village rolls of Villeret.

Omega

The Omega Boutique at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel has been designed to respect the heritage of the cultural landmark, to highlight the distinctive architectural features of a building steeped in history and to present the brand’s full product range in an environment which perfectly bridges the hotel’s storied past and its promising future. While the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Omega Boutique has some of the design elements shared by all of the brand’s flagship stores, it is absolutely unique in that it was necessary to preserve the existing interior architecture and the original art deco fittings. Because of the building’s protected status, no modifications could be made which would compromise its structural integrity.

The ornately carved art deco ceiling and the impressive support pillars in the boutique are exquisitely trimmed in gold with an attention to detail which recalls the days when Shanghai was first earned its accolade «the Pearl of the Orient». Visitors to the Omega Boutique at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel will recognize certain furnishings which are part of the brand’s global flagship concept, including the free-standing display cases and the champagne glass along its back walls.

Swatch

The Swatch boutique at The Swatch Art Peace Hotel respects the cultural significance of this landmark Shanghai monument. The design privileges a white environment as a discreet backdrop to the brand’s colourful products and communication visuals. The flowing curves of a counter in luminous corian and glass welcome visitors, and the fluid contours of the mezzanine unfold around the building’s imposing structure, separating the larger volumes from more intimate spaces. The dynamic presence of the escalator is set off by the enigmatic white landscape from which a suggestive floral environment emerges. Supple, plant-like forms arise from a luminous resin base to present the products amid blossoms, leaves, buds and rocks. Adjacent to the watches is a space devoted to Swatch Bijoux , where a shining envelope descends like a screen from the ceiling to unveil the latest collection.