Rare Finds
Limited runs of 10 to 25 units mean “you have to be quick off the mark,” says Brice Lechevalier, whose private watch club is about to debut an exclusive Bulgari Octo Finissimo
Brice lechevalier, the man behind GMT magazine, the Geneva Watch Tour and the Watch Photo Awards, is set to launch the first exclusive offering of the Fine Watch Club, a private, members-only watch sales club he founded, this autumn. The series of 12 limited edition Bulgari Octo Finissimo watches in titanium will be followed by many other exclusive products. The world’s thinnest watch, the Octo Finissimo won the men’s watch prize at the Grand Prix d’horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). The limited edition series is being created exclusively for the club.
What’s the concept behind the Fine Watch Club?
It’s the first international watch club that offers benefits to its members all year round, including weekly private sales. Every week, members will receive an offer tailored to them in one of four basic categories. Each month we create one highly limited edition series in collaboration with a luxury watch brand on the basis of one of their iconic collections. The next week, we offer a VIP experience at a watch industry event, which might be a visit to a manufacture or a behind-the-scenes experience at a watch fair. Then they will have access to our Privilege sale—quality watches no longer available from retailers, because we find them in the drawers of the watchmakers. They can be bought at less than half the retail price. The fourth type is the mystery sale, which will generally be an exclusive watch accessory, jewellery or an experience. Members are bound to come across at least one offer that interests them each quarter.
What’s the price range of the watches you’ll be offering?
These are all luxury watches by recognised brands that we believe in, and we can recommend them wholeheartedly. We work with the brands’ managers and designers to offer unusual variants of their flagship models to our members. This gives them rarity and exclusivity, given that the series concerned run to between 10 and 25 units. You have to be quick off the mark to get one. But the Fine Watch Club will offer watches at all price points, from under RM8,500 (about US$1,990) for certain Privilege sales into the hundreds of thousands. Our programme is already mapped out up to spring 2020, and it includes limited editions created by Bulgari, Frédérique Constant, Girard-perregaux, Maurice Lacroix, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin and Zenith, along with Privilege offers with Alpina, Corum, Eberhard & Co, Fabergé and Jacob & Co. Our inaugural limited series comprises 12 Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatics in titanium (pictured). This Grand Prix d’horlogerie de Genève awardee holds the world record for thinness. There won’t be enough for everyone.
How do you become a member?
You have to love watches and the watch world. We offer three tiers. The Three Hands category is the free, entry-level membership that just gives access to the private sales. Applicants need to fill in a membership form, which is then validated by the club. The Manufacture category has more benefits, including offers from our partners, but the main advantage is that members get a 24-hour head start on those offers. It costs around RM400 per year. Finally, Platinum membership is for the club’s VIPS. They have fast-track access to all offers a week before anyone else, and they can get involved in the design process for future limited editions. The annual membership fee is about RM2,000, but in the first year this fee can be deducted from the price of a limited edition watch. That makes it very worthwhile for dedicated watch fans.
What are the club’s first events?
Since March we have curated several events for small groups focusing on creating a genuine experience and offering proximity and exclusivity. We invited 20 members to join us over two days behind the scenes of Baselworld, and further groups have been invited on private visits to the Jaeger-lecoultre, Tag Heuer and Bulgari manufactures. In September we will invite them to the Monaco Yacht Show to discover the Only Watch 2019 and the Monaco Yacht Show limited series by Ulysse Nardin. A visit to the Zenith manufacture is also on the agenda, and private previews of the Watch Photo Awards exhibition, the GPHG exhibition and Dubai Watch Week. And there’s plenty more. The club also has a gallery where we can invite members for private meetings. Membership of the club is the best gift you could possibly give—to someone you care about or to yourself. Can you guess why we created the hashtag #getwhatyoucant?