Vacheron Constantin Opens in Milan
Maristella Pisa and Christian Selmoni, the Brand Heritage Director of Vacheron Constantin, tell us about a fifty-year-long partnership, reinforced by their first flagship store in Via Verri
Pisa Orologeria and the watch house Vacheron Constantin have a partnership that has lasted decades. A ‘union’ that reached a pinnacle last June with the opening of the brand’s first flagship store in Via Pietro Verri 9, Milan, confirming a very positive journey in terms of sales and visits, with a local and international clientele that continues to expand, thanks to the guarantee of quality shopping, added value for the whole Quadrilateral and the entire city of Milan. «This boutique was conceived as a place to cultivate a passion for high-end watches of excellence,» explains Marco Pagani, Brand Manager Vacheron Constantin Italia. «We want to offer our Italian clientele, and our international clients who often travel to Milan, an exclusive setting in which the eclectic combination of modernity and tradition that distinguishes us is widely diffused.» With 100 square meters spread out over two floors, each space is conceived as a moment, an experience to have ‘at home,’ starting with the simpler watches and going to the more complicated. The more ‘historic’ displays are on the ground floor, while on the second there are no watches displayed, as it is for connoisseurs, lovers of all things beautiful. «We have a very warm and open relationship with Vacheron, which has lasted fifty years, or rather since the time we began collaborating with the father of Marco Pagani, Brand Manager Italia Vacheron Constantin. Ours is a family business that began in 1940, founded on Via Verri and on the idea of an artisan who repaired watches. My father was already a visionary back then. He was quite in touch with watch trends and brought home brands that hadn’t reached Italy yet. The trusting relationship we were able to cultivate with our clientele is still the foundation of our work, in Italy and abroad,» explains Maristella Pisa, President of Pisa Orologeria. She adds, «Our clients come in already knowing what they want, even foreign ones. They are informed and dictate the rules. We still have a one-on-one relationship with them.» The value of the brand’s heritage is added to this, as emphasized by Christian Selmoni, Style and Heritage Director of Vacheron Constantin. «The most important factor is our ability to put – or bring – to light the timepieces and stories that make up the inherent richness of Vacheron Constantin. Our patrimony is a true treasure; we are very careful to safeguard and strengthen this aspect. Today we want to be where our clients are and Milan for us is a true ‘place to be.’ This knowing that Asia, with China and Hong Kong on top, is our most important market.» The value of our Heritage department is also seen in the space it takes up in the factory. Currently, the inventory includes about 1,500 timepieces from the eighteenth century up until now, 800 mechanical instruments, furnishings, work tables and utensils used to make watches in addition to a collection of images, prints and audio-visual materials.