Rado has officially opened its new boutique in Melbourne, and done it in style with an afternoon and evening of celebrations!
This week, Rado officially opened and celebrated its very first brand-operated boutique in the heart of Melbourne on Collins Street. The opening marks an important step for the brand in Australia, with Melbourne also becoming home to the first Rado boutique anywhere in the world to showcase the brand’s latest retail concept.
The location at 298 Collins Street puts Rado right in the middle of Melbourne’s established luxury retail and watch precinct. The boutique occupies a historic building with a heritage façade and its distinctive golden arches, giving it a fairly recognisable presence from the street. Inside, the design is a much more contemporary space, with clean lines, refined finishes and displays built around the brand’s collections. It’s warm, yet modern.
The New Boutique
In case you missed the boutique opening annoucnement, Rado has designed the Melbourne store around what it calls an immersion-led retail concept, allowing cutomers to spend more time with the watches and get a better feel for the materials and design that have become such a big part of the brand. This is a first of-its-kind for Rado, and a concept that it will roll out for future boutiques.
The brand has been working with High-Tech ceramic since 1986, and the material remains one of the defining features of its watches. It is lightweight, highly scratch-resistant and has a very different feel on the wrist compared with traditional watchmaking materials.
The boutique has been set up to let visitors explore that side of Rado in person, with a curated selection of its collections and a team on hand to talk through the watches, materials and construction. The space also gives the brand the opportunity to show some of the different finishes it has developed with high-tech ceramic, including its Plasma High-Tech Ceramic, which gives the material a metallic appearance without actually using metal.
A Bigger Presence in Australia
The Melbourne boutique also reflects the growing importance of Australia for Rado. CEO Adrian Bosshard says the brand is looking to deepen its presence in the Australian market, with Melbourne chosen for its strong appreciation of design, sport and culture. This makes sense given that two of the brand’s ambassadors are former Tennis World Champion, Ash Barty, and Australian cricketer, Cam Green.
Having a dedicated Rado boutique gives the brand a permanent home in one of Australia’s main watch retail destinations, Collins Street in Melbourne, while also giving local collectors somewhere to experience the watches and materials properly. In talking to Mr Bosshard prior to the opening, he says this is only the start of the journey for Rado in Australia, and identifies this as a key market for the brand.
Getting The party Started
But it wouldn’t be a boutique opening without a celebration. To commemorate the opening, Rado hosted a range of media, special guests and VIPs to experience the new boutique, and to give Rado’s first brand boutique a warm welcome.
The afternoon event started with a boutqiue preview, with opening remarks from CEO, Mr Adrian Bosshard, Rado’s Brand Manager for Australia, Michael Graham, and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Mr Nicholas Reece, all of whom were invited to cut the ribbon to officially open the boutique.
That was the party before the party! The festivities moved onto Mr Mills, where guests were treated to a night of cocktails, canapes, and entertainment. Guests were able to see more of Rado’s watched on display, and watch enthusiasts were also able to get up close and chat to Ash Barty and Cam Green.
A quick panel talk was also held with Mr Bosshard, Cam and Ash, hosted by Fox Sports reporter, Grace Hayden, daughter of Australian cricket great, Matthew Hayden.
Overall, it was a great night, and we certainly enjoyed the fun and the chance to talk to watch enthusiasts from around the country.
If you’re in Melbourne, then be sure to head into Rado, located at 298 Collins Street, Melbourne. For more information, head to Rado.com/Melbourne
Image Gallery
