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Aventura Mall, near Miami.

After 150 years in business, Swiss luxury watchmaker, Tag Heuer, has recently begun establishing a more noticeable presence in the United States with the opening of brand boutique stores in two southern states. Typically sold through high-end jewelers and other luxury purveyors, the company – which produces eyewear and fancy cell phones as well as watches – has only 115 freestanding stores worldwide. Until recently, there were none in North America.
But last year, as parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton was having a banner year largely due to sales of luxury timepieces, TAG began opening its first flagship boutique shops in the US. March 2011 saw the opening of the 800 sq. foot store in Las Vegas at the prestigious shopping center, Crystals at CityCenter. In January, another in store was opened near Miami at the Aventura Mall (technically in Aventura, Fla.), and another store is in the works for Orlando, Fla. this coming spring. The company has cited heavy international travel and a growing consumer base in these areas as the reason that they were chosen over other possible locations in North America.

Both stores were designed by renowned architect, Eric Carlson, and have been referred to as “leisure lounges.” According to the company, this design is intended to create, “a warm and inviting environment that allows customers to easily interact with the product without pretense.” Customized display casings, hand-brushed aluminum, dark zebrawood and leather are enhanced by meticulous lighting and original customized furniture. Rather than traditional countertop viewing, the merchandise is displayed at eye level throughout the store and separated into separate niches by design. Carlson did the design work for the London and Paris shops as well, and has been involved with several other notable LVMH projects in Paris, Tokyo and Switzerland.

Tag Heuer boutique in Las Vegas

All of this is good news for American TAG fans, of which there are more than a few.

Once the Orlando store is complete, one has to wonder where the company will turn its attention next. The smart money is on a northern location, to reach those customers who prefer to avoid the heat and debauchery of Vegas or the humidity and gigantic bugs in Florida. If New York City is too obvious, then perhaps San Francisco or Chicago – both are cities with a glamour that is more subtly chic. Or, conceivably, further north in Montreal. It seems unavoidable, however, that LVMH will eventually get around to opening a TAG Heuer flagship in the Big Apple too.