Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/149416
DESIGN SPOTLIGHT left: The 1966 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss, which gets its name from the fact that it resists magnetic fields at up to 1,000 gauss. below: Just inside the boutique's doors. bottom: The 1926 Oyster, the world's first waterproof wristwatch. Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master and Oyster Perpetual Milgauss selections, followed by clusters of other current Rolex models in the cases that encircle the center of the boutique. To learn the story behind the iconic models, and the history of the company itself, guests need only step behind the aqua-glass partition that divides the Rolex Experience from the retail area. A timeline of product history travels across one wall of the Experience, starting in 1922 with mounted images of the Rolex Submarine (the first attempt to create a waterproof wristwatch) and the original 1926 Rolex Oyster model (the first successful waterproof watch). More iconic creations and innovations follow, including the 1931 Perpetual rotor ("a half-moon-shaped weight rotates with every movement of the wrist"), the 1945 Datejust ("the first chronometer wristwatch to display the date in a window on the dial"), the 1956 Day-Date ("the President bracelet was created specifically for this model"), and finally the 2012 Rolex Deepsea Challenge. Actual models of prestigious, historical Rolexes dating back to 1905—the year the firm was founded—are displayed behind glass on the opposite wall, with more history and milestones explained via illuminated placards. Here you will discover how founder Hans Wilsdorf came up with the name Rolex, while company milestones are also 64 illustrated, allowing a guest visiting the Rolex Experience to see, for example, one of the brand's first watches, from 1905. The Experience is also heightened by two video displays: One is interactive, with a touch screen enabling guests to choose Rolex models and see them disassembled and dissected via animated segments. The larger screen takes viewers into Rolex's Swiss headquarters to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at work environments and the processes for creating and assembling the various parts of the watch. It's an awe-inspiring journey appropriate for an awe-inspiring product. The Experience itself has proven popular with established clients as well as Rolex neophytes who had never visited the previous boutique. Woodrow says customers were lined up outside the entrance when the doors reopened on Memorial Day weekend. "The traffic was unbelievable," she recalls. "When you think about the Rolex Experience being one of two in the world, and the only one in North America, that in itself is an undeniable attraction," notes Woodrow. "We're the largest flagship in the United States; the only other Rolex Experience is in Shanghai. No matter whether you're a first-time Rolex purchaser, you already own a Rolex, or you want to upgrade your Rolex, Wynn is really the place to be." n PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA KRAFT (STORE); BARRETT ADAMS (WATCHES) Models of historical Rolexes dating back to 1905—the year the firm was founded—are behind glass on the opposite wall. WYNN 060-064_W_F_DesignSpotlight_Fall13.indd 64 8/9/13 1:51 PM