Château d’Ivoire: A Family’s Story, The Art of Time

Located at 2020 rue de la Montagne, in Montréal’s Golden Square Mile, a single establishment has been home to the same family of enthusiasts for nearly five decades. That’s a remarkable feat in an industry, luxury retail, often defined by frequent changes in ownership. Château d’Ivoire is, above all, a family story before it’s recognized for its fine jewellery and watches, and it’s likely that family dimension that has secured its longevity.

1978: from a curiosity shop to a house of jewellery

The adventure begins in 1978. Brothers Mounzer and Suhail Kaidbey, having left a Lebanon in the midst of political turmoil, opened a boutique on rue de la Montagne. The original concept had little to do with what Château d’Ivoire would become: the shop sold items sourced from around the world, from Africa, Asia, and, of course, Lebanon.

It was the clientele itself that redirected the business. Ms. Sarah Kaidbey, daughter of one of the founders and now the family business’s marketing director, tells the story this way on our “En première classe” french-language podcast: client demand for custom pieces pushed the two brothers toward jewellery and watchmaking, which weren’t, at first, the bulk of the business. The shift happened gradually, driven more by client interest than by any predetermined plan.

From the 1980s to today: building a destination

What followed was a patient accumulation of partnerships and expansions. In the 1980s, Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, Bulgari, and Rolex joined the venture. The boutique expanded on rue de la Montagne, a jewellery workshop and a watch service centre were established, and a second location opened at Rockland shopping centre (since closed).

The 1990s confirmed the house’s horological vocation: Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet, and Ulysse Nardin were added to the roster, making Château d’Ivoire the only Montréal retailer to bring together so many exceptional manufacturers under one roof.

In 2003, to mark 25 years in business, the family closed off rue de la Montagne entirely for an evening of fine dining, Cirque du Soleil performances, and music.

Today, the house represents more than thirty luxury brands, including OMEGA, Breitling (above), TUDOR, Longines, Bulgari, TAG Heuer, HUBLOT (more on a unique experience we had with the brand at Château d’Ivoire in the coming weeks), and those mentioned above. Sarah Kaidbey sums up this position as follows: “We’re probably the store in all of Canada with the most luxury watch and jewellery brands under one roof, in one store, in the same space.”

Transmission, above all

What struck me during my (french) interview with Ms. Sarah Kaidbey wasn’t so much the roster of brands as the way she describes her own path into the family business. She grew up close to the trade. She first worked part-time, and her interest grew into a genuine passion as she learned the history behind the brands and the details of jewellery-making.

She recalls one specific moment when everything changed for her: her father presenting a ring to a client, taking the piece out from under the counter lights to prove, in a dimmer corner of the store, that a quality diamond keeps sparkling even without direct light. “It was a ‘wow’ moment for the client, and even for me watching it,” she says. She sees in it proof of both product quality and her father’s passion, the spark that triggered her own devotion to the craft.

She traces this family continuity directly to her father and uncle, who instilled a simple value early on: family first, and human relationships, with both team and clientele alike, as the foundation of the business. Each family member now oversees their own department, which she says makes collective decision-making considerably easier.

Human connection as the true signature

If there’s a throughline in Ms. Sarah Kaidbey’s account, it’s this: no matter how large the store or how many brands it carries, what clients remember is the people. “When I look at our clients’ feedback, it’s always about their salesperson, who they were with, who contributed to that moment in their life,” she explains. A purchase at Château d’Ivoire almost always coincides with a meaningful moment, which is why clients consistently return to the associate they know.

She also notes a generational shift in shopping habits: research now happens online beforehand, and clients arrive in-store already well informed, turning the visit into a conversation rather than a sales pitch. It’s an observation she makes with a touch of surprise: even the younger generation, though raised on digital media, still favours the in-person experience of buying.

A principle passed down from her uncle sums up the house’s philosophy toward a first high-end watch purchase: “Wear it in good health.” Behind the phrase is a simple idea: a watch carries craftsmanship, history, and value, but it only means something once it’s worn and lived in.

A new setting, the same address

The most visible project of recent years is the complete renovation of the rue de la Montagne building, completed in 2024 after being carried out in two phases so as never to interrupt service to clients. It was Rana Kaidbey, head of design at Château d’Ivoire and founder of the RANA KB jewellery brand, who led the project alongside the architects at Archi–.

We’re probably the store in all of Canada with the most luxury watch and jewellery brands under one roof, in one store, in the same space.
– Ms. Sarah Kaidbey, Château d’Ivoire marketing director

The goal, according to Sarah Kaidbey, went beyond a simple aesthetic refresh: “Our goal is to offer a service beyond our clients’ expectations.” The space now includes more private corners, VIP areas within a redesigned lounge, and fully renovated workshops housed in the same building, allowing the house to keep all custom fabrication in-house, without outsourcing.

The new space’s signature element is a staircase whose design draws directly from the facets of a marquise-cut diamond (a shape resembling a boat’s hull or an eye, with an elongated body and two pointed ends), a way, in Sarah Kaidbey’s words, of “weaving little nods to our craftsmanship throughout the space.”

Despite the scale of the work, the priority remained preserving the boutique’s family spirit. The house grew its team and adjusted certain processes to make sure closeness with clients wouldn’t get lost in the larger, more imposing new space.

The workshops: at the heart of Château d’Ivoire’s mission

This new setting also gives more room to a service that’s often overlooked at Château d’Ivoire: custom expertise. On-site, you’ll find a Rolex-certified watch workshop, which handles watch servicing to the highest standard, and an in-house jewellery workshop, where any type of custom piece can be created. It’s genuinely impressive, and it speaks to the attention to detail, with specialized staff, some of whom have been there since nearly the beginning. Not to mention the ongoing training that helps make Château d’Ivoire a reference in the field.

On a visit to the workshops, you notice this blend of eras: some old machines are still used daily, while others are kept on display, alongside new 3D-printing technology. It’s a fitting shorthand for what Château d’Ivoire has become: a hands-on craft that doesn’t turn its back on its past, but isn’t afraid to modernize either.

Watches & Wonders: the industry from the inside

If you’re not familiar with Watches & Wonders, it’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, trade fairs in the watch industry. Sarah Kaidbey has been attending for six years. She describes the Geneva event, where each brand builds out its own dedicated space, as an immersion that goes well beyond simply unveiling new pieces. These direct meetings with brand teams, she says, help Château d’Ivoire better understand each house’s vision for the year ahead, and in turn better represent that vision to its own Montréal clientele.

She also sees it as a family continuity: her father or uncle accompanies her each year, and their network, built over decades of relationships with manufacturers, opens doors a younger retailer wouldn’t necessarily have. She mentions, in particular, meeting a Bulgari master watchmaker during a private high-watchmaking presentation.

Among the pieces that stood out to her this year, she cites a Panerai Luminor Destro, whose crown, placed on the left side of the case, revives one of the brand’s historic signatures, as well as the recently unveiled Tudor Monarch, whose retro look and dial colouring especially won her over. She also mentions a recently reintroduced Piaget model, inspired by a 1960s archive piece, which she describes as a personal acquisition and a genuine favourite.

On broader trends, she notes a return to smaller case sizes, for both women and men, while pointing out that each brand stays true to its identity: you likely won’t see Panerai abandon its oversized cases, the brand that pioneered the 42mm case (read more in this article on fine watchmaking).

The years ahead

Asked about the future, Sarah Kaidbey speaks of modernization rather than reinvention. Several projects are already underway (we can’t say more for now, it’s still under wraps), all aimed at a constant goal: improving the client experience without losing the connection to family history and heritage. That transmission, she says, must now continue through the new generation: herself, her brother, and her cousins.

Château d’Ivoire remains ready to welcome you at 2020 rue de la Montagne, in Montréal. It’s also on Instagram and, more recently, TikTok, where the house is developing lighter content aimed at reaching a younger audience.

To hear the full interview with Ms. Sarah Kaidbey, listen to episode 12 of “En première classe,” Gentologie’s podcast hosted by Normand Boulanger.

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