TimeVallée by Maison Birks: a new watch store experience in Montréal

You might not be familiar with high-end watch boutique TimeVallée, but you might know Richemont, the conglomerate behind it, which owns brands like Cartier and many more, as well as Maison Birks, its Canadian partner. At the opening of their 50th store, located in Montréal’s Royalmount, I had the chance to speak with Emmanuel Perrin, the interim CEO, and Jean-Christophe Bédos, the CEO of Birks Group. The latter is celebrating its 145th anniversary this year. Join us for a conversation between two friends at the TimeVallée by Maison Birks. 

TimeVallée by Maison Birks: a discussion between two long-time friends

Normand Boulanger: As you are both in the watchmaking industry, how do you measure and “sell” time? The watch market has changed in recent years, thanks to the advent of the smartwatch. I see that Mr. Bédos wears two watches, including an Apple Watch. Could you elaborate?  

Jean-Christiophe Bédos: No, I’ve got one watch (a Cartier Tank special edition). Wearing both makes it possible to tell what a watch is.

Emmanuel Perrin: Measuring time comes with the notion of luxury, and we need to be able to design and manufacture an object that will last. Technology, by its very nature, is obsolete..

J-C.B.: It’s a computer, a tracker.

E.P.: It’s Moore’s Law. Chip power doubles every 18 months, and this one, pointing at Mr. Bédos’ watch, is obsolete. And in 10 hours, it needs recharging, so you don’t have it with you to measure/know the time.

J-C.B.: I like it because it’s still an Hermès. It’s my little snob side (laughs), it’s an Apple watch.

E.P. : We [at TimeVallée] are in the business of designing and manufacturing objects that can be repaired ad infinitum. Today, a few products, or the brands that make them, can be repaired ad infinitum.  

J-C.B.: You know what I like about these contrasts, what’s striking. People say that electronics has miniaturized the machine a lot, but look [showing me his Tank], it’s already small.

Indeed, it’s miniature, but reading e-mails/text messages is quite a challenge on such a small watch. 

It’s all about the very important notion between the functionality of the object and the poetic dimension, the eternal and the perpetual dimension.

E.P: I’d say functionality too. Take the example of Panerai and Mike Horn, who had to cross the North Pole on foot. 40 days. In fact, Panerai was obliged to make him a watch that would become a survival tool. The problem with his odyssey is that he has his sleds with his food, and he has 2,000 calories that he can consume every 24 hours. If he doesn’t have his watch to tell him that he hasn’t reached the 24-hour mark, he either eats too much or not enough, in either case, he dies. And so, electronic watches, forget about that with this cold, it can only be a mechanical watch that has to withstand extreme temperatures, because let’s not forget that it’s night for 40 days. This Panerai watch thus becomes the professional tool and instrument needed for adventure, without which it becomes enormously riskier. With Cartier, which we mentioned earlier, there’s perhaps more of a notion of elegance and style. 

J-C.B.: and poetry… the sound of a mechanical movement being wound by hand. We’re in an intangible dimension, in a relationship with the object that’s not at all the same. The functionality that’s there to measure the number of steps or heartbeats is very useful, but I don’t check my e-mails on my watch, because it’s too small. The wonderful thing is that you can even look at photos. Having said that, I like to wear both because I don’t have the same relationship with the object. And as Emmanuel said, this one [the Apple Watch] will be obsolete one day, whereas this one [the Tank de Cartier] probably never will. 

N.B. Coming back to TimeVallée Montréal, isn’t it a bit intriguing to see Maison Birks uniting with another brand? 

E.P.: In fact, there’s a double endorsement as Maison Birks endorses TimeVallée, but it’s also the other way around as TimeVallée also endorses Maison Birks through its network present in 14 countries and over 50 boutiques now (the 50th being at Royalmount). 

In all, in all boutiques, we have 34 brands, not just the Richemont brand. Brands vary by country. The boutiques are always operated by partners (numbering 27 at the time of the interview) and are intended to complement the brands’ distribution system. It’s thanks to these partners that we retain this independence, even though TimeVallée is owned by Richemont. The priority is customer satisfaction. 

J-C.B. : It’s a brand, not a product, that’s beginning to build an international reputation for quality, credibility and authenticity in fine watchmaking, and it was crucial for us to be a forerunner in bringing the TimeVallée brand to Canada. We’re introducing this brand to our country. We wanted to be the first to do so. And we wanted to be in Royalmount because it’s the first mall dedicated to luxury in Montréal. It makes sense to bring this kind of innovation to the Canadian market here in Montréal, and there will be other experiments, like the next project in Vancouver. We’re bringing together seven brands. I use the word “brings together” because it’s not a juxtaposition: there’s a link between these brands, which is precisely what makes Time Vallée a brand, a value proposition for very high-end retail. So, there’s this link between the brands, which can be seen when the logos of each of the houses are displayed equally in terms of treatment with real quality in the customer experience. In service, there’s this notion of presentation to the customer with doors wide open.

N.B.: At many luxury brands, there’s this very phenomenon of queuing at the entrance. 

E.P.: That was the problem in the early days, when we had 1,000 customers a day. This is always the problem between luxury experience and success. Waiting to enter the store is not a luxury experience. As soon as you walk in, there’s real care for you. A fine watch will probably be one of the most expensive purchases you’ll ever make. 

J-C.B. : What’s curious is that this is a very important aspect. We talk about growth and market size, because we’re business people. Economics and finance are at the heart of what we do. However, when it comes to objects that tell the time, even your oven at home tells you the time. And yet, the market for timepieces continues to grow. 

N.B. : It’s a market for passion; it’s a relationship, almost fusional. 

E.P. : For all of us, we’re on a countdown, we know it’s going to stop one day.

J-C.B. : So much so, you know, I think we can draw a parallel with the automotive market. There will be electric car brands, and there will be a market for high-performance cars. The demand and the need to be behind the wheel of a high-quality mechanical car will continue to grow. The quartz watch in the ’70s didn’t kill the mechanical watch… 

N.B.: Almost (read our article to know more)

J-C.B.: The smartwatch hasn’t killed the mechanical watch either, and I think there’s a higher dimension in human beings that goes beyond the functional aspect and the need for functionality. This is essential in our business. It’s this intangible dimension that goes beyond the intrinsic value of the product and its function, and it’s linked to the notion of brand and also to craftsmanship, and I’d go so far as to say art craftsmanship.

Competition in the Montréal market

N.B.: When you see the resurgence of luxury watch boutiques in Montréal, how do you distinguish yourself from the competition and its new brand experiences?

J-C.B.: It’s a very important question. We don’t choose our customers, we don’t force anyone to buy from us, so it’s the watch lovers who choose us. Some of our customers are customers of our boutique in Philips Square in downtown (Montréal), some will stay there, others will come here. And our aim is to open up the sale of fine timepieces to a whole new clientele who don’t come downtown. For us, the TimeVallée concept is so strong and so powerful in terms of customer experience, and so new that it opens its doors to a new clientele. For us, it’s not a question of “cannibalizing” our existing customers.

N.B.: What’s the difference between the customer experience here at TimeVallée by Maison Birks and at Maison Birks in downtown Montréal, for example?

J-C.B.: It’s an open concept, very innovative in the watchmaking field.        

E.P.: It’s also very modern and contemporary in design. The industry sometimes takes a while to catch up with the times. It’s the desire of this TimeVallée concept to evolve as it goes along, based on feedback from the customer experience and the experience of partners. And also to have a presence in the community and an aggregation of offers and services which, we hope, will bring in its share of customers. 

N.B.: There are also a number of watch boutiques at Royalmount (TAG Heuer, IWC, OMEGA, Maison Monaco, and Breitling, Rolex and Tudor coming soon). 

E.P.: Yes, but when you go in, you can only buy one brand. For customers who enter TimeVallée through Maison Birks and say they’re looking for either a gift, a chronograph or a perpetual calendar, they have an offer, and since it’s a partner and not TimeVallée that operates, there will be objectivity on the brand. As I mentioned earlier, the priority will be meeting the customer’s expectations. He will find a product that suits his needs without having to visit seven or eight stores.        

J-C.B.: This notion of service is very important in multi-brand distribution. When you buy a car, you don’t necessarily have a favourite brand. You just need something that suits your needs: a family of 2–3 children, a couple, a single person, or someone who wants to do some sporty driving. It’s the same in our store, where all our sales staff are able to show you all our brands. They’ll ask you questions and identify your needs. And the challenge is to give you satisfaction so that when you come to buy a watch. Take, for example, a person who walks into a boutique and asks to see a watch, the Riviera model by Baume & Mercier, for example, that they’ve seen online. They’ll try it on, but they might not like it when they see it on their wrist. But you also have a number of people who come into your home and ask to buy a watch. And the question is: when do you want to wear it, are you a sportsman, a swimmer, etc.? That’s the beauty of our job, to be able to identify your needs with you, and to accompany you, and, as Emmanuel said, that’s care. 

N.B.: Finally, what can people expect when they come to this 50th TimeVallée store? 

E.P.: Already, it’s the assortment of brands, in this region of Montréal, it will happen here. It’s not intimidating, we repeat ourselves, but it’s an open concept, in terms of design and welcome. Also, all the services are linked to each of the houses, but also the expertise and tradition of the Maison Birks. In Canada, it’s very important for us to rely on a well-known and recognized brand that people have trusted for 145 years. It’s really an extension and a continuation. 

Visit the TimeVallée by Maison Birks website