Sunday Reads: How Hublot’s Rick De La Croix is Changing the Way You Buy Luxury Timepieces

Can Rick De La Croix tell the future? It sure seems that way. Hublot’s savvy distribution partner of the Americas has made all of the right moves when it comes to expanding the luxury watch brand’s ubiquity outside of its Swiss homeland. So when he proclaims that the Miami Design District is the future of Magic City, we’d be crazy to dismiss him.

Miami’s new it-neighborhood has transformed into a beguiling mix of art, luxury and fashion, mashing together haute European fashion labels with trendy street art to create a scene that’s wholly original. Right in the middle of the neighborhood’s tectonic culture shift stands the new Hublot Galerie, a boutique that dares to put a new spin on the traditional watch-buying experience. A brainchild of De La Croix, the new Hublot Galerie has the special distinction of being the only store in the world that solely sells unique and limited edition pieces. While De La Croix owns more traditional boutiques in Atlanta, Dallas, Orlando and across the Americas, the Hublot Galerie is something very different.

“The idea was to create a concept store,” says De La Croix. “It’s not so much a boutique. We’re in the Design District, so we wanted people to come in and enjoy the art in a more relaxed manner and appreciate these very special pieces. This is the only store in the world that is dedicated to unique pieces and limited editions. We have limited editions from around the world.”

And while Miami has a host of other luxury watch boutiques, and even enjoys another Hublot boutique in nearby Bal Harbor owned by De La Croix, he promises that the Hublot Galerie is a singular treat for both Hublot devotees and fans of haute horlogerie in general. “Our focus is to really offer pieces that are not in any other boutique in the world. The Bal Harbor location would be very similar to New York or LA, while this [the Hublot Galerie] is really a one-of-a-kind store in the world. It’s really focused for the Hublot aficionados to come in and see very rare pieces.”

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