Reply With QuoteThat’s a shame I was involved in the fit out of that store when it first opened. Still walk past it a couple of times a week.
Received this email this morning, and I regard it as a great pity. I guess this is the direction of travel, though.
After having been represented in London for more than 25 years, we will close our showroom on New Bond Street on 10 March 2023. We would like to sincerely thank you for your confidence and the many wonderful encounters we had during the past years.
Although it has been the philosophy of the company Wempe to always select the top locations in each city for its showrooms, the constantly increasing presence of brand boutiques, especially those for watches, on New Bond Street has led us to decide that there is no promising future for the continued operation of a multi-brand store for fine watch brands and exquisite jewellery at the present address.
The time in Mayfair is an important chapter in our company history, and we will remain attached to London as well in the future. The A. Lange & Söhne Boutique that Wempe operates on Old Bond Street is not affected by the closure.
Furthermore, our service offers and warranty services will of course continue to be at your disposal for all watches you have purchased at Wempe and for all your Wempe jewellery items. You can reach Lynn Schroeder by e-mail at the address london@wempe.com until the end of June. For more information and the latest news, please have a look at our website.
Goodbye!
That’s a shame I was involved in the fit out of that store when it first opened. Still walk past it a couple of times a week.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 17th February 2023 at 17:45.
Very sad.
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Real shame, sorry to see it go.
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A shame but not surprising given all the boutiques in Bond Street. Have heard of ADs in the area loosing panerai as the brand wants to direct more sales via its boutique. Essentially they want more control.
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What do you think it's down to, a general downturn in people buying watches, or more brand specific boutiques opening up?Originally Posted by learningtofly
The latter I imagine. Brands have been speaking about this for a while as a way of controlling not only quality of service and relationships but also a way of discouraging/controlling discounts.
Closing down sale? Everything must go? Grab a bargain?
Sad and a shame. I found it refreshing to be able to compare and contrast different brands in the same store - especially if making a purchase at the level Wempe supported. I found the staff there very friendly - unlike some boutiques.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
Good excuse for you to go to the 5th Avenue store Tony ;)
It was a good few years back now however I tried on a Junghans Max Bill in there once with a view to treating myself to something for my 40th. Such incredible service, friendly and knowledgeable, and within our watch chatter I mentioned I had a thing for PP's 5711 and it was unfortunate my budget couldn't quite(!) stretch to one - without prompting I was given the white dailed (no blue in stock) model to try on anyway!
I never did buy the Junghans, it just didnt look as good on the wrist as I'd hoped, though I vowed to revisit the shop should I be on the market for something really special as a way of paying them back. It's a shame that's not going to happen.
As said above, it's a shame that a store such as this can't sustain itself and that the ability to compare different brands side by side is diminishing. I wish the team there well.
I was there the other day and they’d lost the Rolex AD. Probably didn’t help…
Absolutely - I bought a number of Panerai watches there back in the day and they were very helpful. This brand boutique thing isn’t really my cup of tea but it must work for the big brands
Do you know why? Is this because Rolex are slowly removing this from non-Boutiques other than WOS group? [Which is a darn shame IMO.]
Basically yes - it’s the rise of the boutiques especially in Bond Street.
Real shame, I bought my Nomos Orion Datum from there way back in 2014.
As others have said service was fantastic and it was always great to go there at a time when they were the only ones to carry some of the German brands.
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A real shame…. I always enjoyed browsing the different brands in the window and bought my first panerai there and had it serviced 5-6 years later .
Strolled in wearing shorts and flips flops and was welcomed to try on anything even though i said I was only after a 312.
It was pissing down with rain when I left (typical in July) and was handed a splendid wooden handled Wempe golf size umbrella to take with me. It’s still one of my prized possessions !!
Well...... they are hoping it will work because they haven't as yet figured out what exactly it was that the ADs were doing for their cut.
THIN is the new BLACK
I also bought a Panerai there - an 88.
After a few weeks the stem on the crown snapped and the watch had to be sent off to Panerai for a warranty repair.
As I was about to leave the salesman - Richard Argent (I always remember him because his name always seemed fitting for the industry) - asked "do you have a watch to wear?"
I told him I had more at home but he said "we can't have you walking out without a watch" and offered me a number of lovely Wempe branded quartz watches to choose from - and keep.
He even apologised for a lack of choice - saying they normally had sports watches but had run out. I left with a gorgeous grey-dialled dress watch.
That's service you'd never get at a boutique.
The PAM came back quickly and I was a very happy customer.
Sad to see it go.
I think I dealt with Richard also, really nice chap
This is happening all over the place.
R.L.Austen in Chichester have also been given the heave ho by Rolex and they had been a Rolex AD for 40+ years !
They've signed up with Grand Seiko instead now.
I was a bit surprised to see they do not sell Breguet. Do you know if they used to and gave up the dealership ?
This is very sad news indeed - as others have noted, the store has been a good place to try on different things. I particularly liked that they stocked Nomos in there - not something you find all around the place.
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Yes, absolutely my experience too, with no sense of a hard sell: pleasantly old-school.
Yep very sad, got my first Nomos, Junghans and IWC all from that store. Echoing everyone else great staff without pressure.
Plus the crazy rent levels in that location.
Got the same letter this morning. Posted from Germany.
It was the service that set this store apart. Sad to see it go
This is a shame, I too bought my Nomos from here. I only had occasion to visit a handful of times but they were always very pleasant.
Great shame. Polite and knowledgeable (unlike my experience of WoS) service. And, service that you cannot get in a brand boutique -- I was able to try on a Lange 1 and a PanoReserve next to each other (and discovered that I preferred the 'wrong' one).
Also, it seems much more difficult to 'discuss' the price in a brand boutique.
This news, following the demise of the delightful William and Son, makes London a much less interesting place.
Great shame nice polite staff there
I hope the staff see this thread.
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Agreed, great shop and experience. Bought a Cartier here and great service and after service.
I actually forgot but I bought a second Nomos from there also.
A Tangente Erika, a Wempe special edition for my wife. Unfortunately my original pics are long gone somewhere so these have the photobucket logo from my original post on wus.
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