AP House Experience

[Rollieo]

AP does the experience really well. Moving towards an in house AP driven retail experience has really allowed them to elevate the brand when visiting.

Went to the AP House in Hamburg, hosted by Sonya. She of course knows that I’m based in the states and will be buying watches at my local AP boutique, but never-less provided a great experience. The AP House is setup like hanging out at a friend's house. Hanging out in a living room setting drinking coffee while having a conversation and trying on watches.

Solidified my interest in the 37mm RO, and really glad they had the navy blue dial (albeit it being with a diamond bezel) to see the color and try it on. I thought that the dark blue would make the watch look smaller, but the overall case size still works really well on my wrist and I like the contrast on the dark blue dial with the hands for legibility. Not sure if I like the blue even more than the grey dial now!

[boa2]

That looks really nice. Looking forward to visiting the AP House in Mexico City. Thanks for the pics.

[Steele]

I actually like the blue and the bling combo. I have never been partial to the grey/silver dial I feel it blends to much and you miss the impact of the case and dial and how they work together. The best thing about the grey/silver dial is that it changes colors like crazy

[Rollieo]

Originally Posted by Steele

I actually like the blue and the bling combo. I have never been partial to the grey/silver dial I feel it blends to much and you miss the impact of the case and dial and how they work together. The best thing about the grey/silver dial is that it changes colors like crazy

It’s exactly the reason why the grey dial looks bigger on the wrist, which is a pro to me. But agreed that contrast is nice, so I’m on the fence.

The grey does really have quite the effect with the tapisserie dial. Also it seems like grey is a bit monotone and an “everyday” neutral color, but funny enough if you think about it, there are very very few watches in grey. It’s a beautiful piece.

The bling is too much (and too feminine) for me. I actually tried this on awhile back, you probably would’ve liked this combo. Only tried it on because I really dig the motif dial, too bad Rolex discontinued it.

[AEV]

Nice AP house. One of the latest that was opened.

[PalmBeacher83]

So now they can tell you they won’t sell you a watch on a luxury couch! Awesome.

[messikens]

Originally Posted by PalmBeacher83

So now they can tell you they won’t sell you a watch on a luxury couch! Awesome.

LOL... Not wrong

[Bartolo]

Ive had great experiences at the AP Houses in NYC and London. It's really a brand-promoting experience; they look up my profile and see that I'm a devoted customer of my home city's boutique. There's no pressure to buy.

Interestingly, the AP House concept was brought to the brand by the great folks who founded and run one of AP's business partners, Material Good.

[messikens]

Originally Posted by Bartolo

Ive had great experiences at the AP Houses in NYC and London. It's really a brand-promoting experience; they look up my profile and see that I'm a devoted customer of my home city's boutique. There's no pressure to buy.

Interestingly, the AP House concept was brought to the brand by the great folks who founded and run one of AP's business partners, Material Good.

Just curious (and not to say I disagree with you btw) but how would there be "pressure to buy". There's nothing to sell for the past 3-4 years, so the experience largely has been relegated to a nice coffee chat, play with some decent (but not special for the most part) pieces and then hopping on the magic wishlist

[Bartolo]

Originally Posted by messikens

Just curious (and not to say I disagree with you btw) but how would there be "pressure to buy". There's nothing to sell for the past 3-4 years, so the experience largely has been relegated to a nice coffee chat, play with some decent (but not special for the most part) pieces and then hopping on the magic wishlist

There are still ways to talk up the brand, etc etc, focusing on just the brand and the current offerings . . .

Vs. my experiences which have been just having a coffee, talking watches in general (not limited to AP), talking about music . . . and getting the chance to look at and try on pieces that I'd never buy for myself but are still fascinating to see in person.

[Rollieo]

Originally Posted by messikens

Just curious (and not to say I disagree with you btw) but how would there be "pressure to buy". There's nothing to sell for the past 3-4 years, so the experience largely has been relegated to a nice coffee chat, play with some decent (but not special for the most part) pieces and then hopping on the magic wishlist

“Pressure to buy” can come in the form of pieces that you don’t actually have an interest in, with the hopes of attaining the pieces that you have on your wish list.

This really exists with all (desirable) brands and any retail experience these days.

Having the “living room” experience as AP does also makes the overall experience more enjoyable when pieces are hard to come by. I mean who wants to hang out at a retail store to “catch up” with your SA behind a counter. It just feels odd to drop in and occasionally do that. With an AP House it’s more conducive, because it’s not a bad way to spend 30 mins anyways. They also get to know you better, and really introduce you more to the brand and pieces you otherwise would never had considered.

Wish I had an AP House driving distance.

[AEV]

Originally Posted by boa2

That looks really nice. Looking forward to visiting the AP House in Mexico City. Thanks for the pics.

Mexico City opened yesterday. The latest addition, from memory there should be now 21 AP Houses around the world.

[boa2]

Originally Posted by AEV

Mexico City opened yesterday. The latest addition, from memory there should be now 21 AP Houses around the world.

Thanks for the update. Last time I went they had merely designated the space. Had a great talk with the gent manning the current store.
Looking forward to the next visit there, not too far off.

[Steele]

Originally Posted by Rollieo

It’s exactly the reason why the grey dial looks bigger on the wrist, which is a pro to me. But agreed that contrast is nice, so I’m on the fence.

The grey does really have quite the effect with the tapisserie dial. Also it seems like grey is a bit monotone and an “everyday” neutral color, but funny enough if you think about it, there are very very few watches in grey. It’s a beautiful piece.

The bling is too much (and too feminine) for me. I actually tried this on awhile back, you probably would’ve liked this combo. Only tried it on because I really dig the motif dial, too bad Rolex discontinued it.

LOVE this dial and the Jubilee Bracelet for sure the Diamond bezel is a no for me on this piece

100% the grey dial on the RO makes the watch larger as with the off colored dials the dial size creates and optical illusion of the dial being the size your eyes focus on

[Steele]

Originally Posted by messikens

Just curious (and not to say I disagree with you btw) but how would there be "pressure to buy". There's nothing to sell for the past 3-4 years, so the experience largely has been relegated to a nice coffee chat, play with some decent (but not special for the most part) pieces and then hopping on the magic wishlist

OHHH the cool stuff is in the Back, We where at the House in Tokyo a few months back and they kept bringing out bangs for us to see

[Divingdeep87]

It's awesome at the AP house in Hamburg - Going for a whisky event later this Month.

[matthew P]

Originally Posted by Steele

100% the grey dial on the RO makes the watch larger as with the off colored dials the dial size creates and optical illusion of the dial being the size your eyes focus on

This ^…… agree.

As a grey owner I agree that the nuit blue and ice blue are instantly more visually impact-full and certainly more photographic.

The grey dial blends into the case creating a unified visual mass that emphasizes the bracelet , watch head , markers and handset….. the dial becomes more secondary in still photographs but on wrist IRL the color shifting due to your environment adds visual interest that keeps the watch fresh.

The higher contrast / color blue dial felt too small for me on my wrist but the grey felt comfortably small for the reasons you mentioned.

Mine is more of a special occasion piece so it’s generally worn in softer or evening lighting so the dial usually appears darker and exhibits less of the sunburst effect.
If you plan to wear it more in the daylight, by the pool or in bright sunlight the dark blue would be preferable to me as it just pops in direct sunlight ….. I didn’t like it as much in muted indoor lighting FWIW.







..Explorer, Spring Diver & APRO..

[Henrimontgomery]

I’ve always found interesting the fact that people who can afford such watches (us), like to engage with the SA. They are basically sales people, and yes the product is nice, but I’ve never been impressed by their skills, minds or intellect.

The reason is probably that they’ve had formal training in luxury retail (!) experience, but you either notice the boilerplate questions, or get excited about a topic and only get a state in return, due to their lack of comprehension.

I am not saying they aren’t smart or interesting, just that they are very performative in their discussions and it often feels stale to me. But I’ve only been to a few houses, and mine, which I have not the best relationship with since they, you’ll remember, sold me a defective 26240.

[messikens]

Originally Posted by Henrimontgomery

I’ve always found interesting the fact that people who can afford such watches (us), like to engage with the SA. They are basically sales people, and yes the product is nice, but I’ve never been impressed by their skills, minds or intellect.

The reason is probably that they’ve had formal training in luxury retail (!) experience, but you either notice the boilerplate questions, or get excited about a topic and only get a state in return, due to their lack of comprehension.

I am not saying they aren’t smart or interesting, just that they are very performative in their discussions and it often feels stale to me. But I’ve only been to a few houses, and mine, which I have not the best relationship with since they, you’ll remember, sold me a defective 26240.

Sorry to say but sounds a bit uppity. I found the AP SAs by and large are some of the more genuine, fun and less-stuck-up SAs in the game.

Do I expect to discuss current macroeconomic trends with them? No. But neither do I want to... If I drop in I want to have a rather genuine positive interaction, have a cup of coffee, look at some fun pieces and then depart. They hit that spot every single time.

Compare that to my interactions with PP OR WoS it's night and day. To me the PP SAs are some of the most stuck up elitist associates out there

[Henrimontgomery]

Originally Posted by messikens

Sorry to say but sounds a bit uppity. I found the AP SAs by and large are some of the more genuine, fun and less-stuck-up SAs in the game.

Do I expect to discuss current macroeconomic trends with them? No. But neither do I want to... If I drop in I want to have a rather genuine positive interaction, have a cup of coffee, look at some fun pieces and then depart. They hit that spot every single time.

Compare that to my interactions with PP OR WoS it's night and day. To me the PP SAs are some of the most stuck up elitist associates out there

More than happy to sound uppity because I definitely am, when folks involved are being disrespectful (in this case AP). After my divorce, they were extremely rude to my wife, and I’ll have a hard time forgiving them being snide to someone who’s hurting.

I’m not talking macro economics, which if we are honest, not only are a solved issue mathematically but also not very interesting. Let me give you a more concrete example:

During a visit, I discussed about how I miss the monobloc construction for the RO. The SA was oblivious to it, yet, in typical SA fashion, feigned to understand. It was obvious and annoying.

Another situation: I’ve been invited “pour un apéritif gourmand et essai de nos nouveautés”. When I arrived (after booking the appointment by WhatsApp with my SA), she asked me “what can I do for you today”.

Ill prepared and not being proactive. You’re the one who invited me here. Why should I tell you what I want; I’m here to see the CODE in steel and eat free food, of course. Very awkward and total waste of time; there was very little food and the steel models were absent.

Last example; I’ve been to AP with VVIP friends, whose family just purchased the new cigar-looking ROO. For this 40k purchase, they got, a small box of chocolate. Rolex gives me more chocolate when I buy a 10k watch.

Anyhow, my experience with AP has been less than impressive. However I’ll agree with you on that PP is infinitely more uppity (than me even).

SA won’t miss the opportunity to look away when you are sat with them, appear annoyed are you mere existence and mostly, make sure you don’t feel welcome at all.

My point: all of these folks are sales people, and I know the background of many since I live in Geneva and know who goes around my city. Some of them come from Paris, Locarno, etc, some have done EHL, or less formal hospitality school. And I know these high end hospitality school very well as I have friends on their boards. Also, I have seen my friends from when I was a young pup, not the brightest ones, get a full boarding in these so they’ll eventually land a job and stop burning the family estate. Smart people go to HEC, EPFL or ETHZ (no the smart one don’t go to St-Gall anymore). Those who attend these school, who ultimately land on the opposite side of you, my dear wealthy AP customers, are the kids who needed a pay-to-win education.

So again, I don’t understand why you’d go and enjoy talking to them more than your Porsche, Audi, Skoda (same group) dealer.