HONG KONG, Nov 25, 2010 / — Founded in 1847 and the pioneer of luxury, glamour and refinement in the region, Cartier is set to unveil a spectacular Asian flagship in late November, 40 years after it first opened its doors in Hong Kong – and Asia at Prince’s Building, Central.
The new Prince’s Building boutique, on par with those in Paris, London, and New York, is a veritable treasure trove and heralds a superior shopping experience through spacious zones presenting the brand’s finest creations.
A relocation of just a few metres from its historic home, the new Cartier boutique enjoys a commanding corner position in the mall with a soaring 17-metre exterior facade like a big sugar cube that suffuses glamour through the city.
Reflections from this gleaming surface of graduated glass and woven gold with the interlaced Cartier double “C” create an urban jewel of pulsating champagne-coloured light, a glistening modern tribute to the brand’s timeless style and the esteem with which it has long been held in Hong Kong and the region.
The extraordinary exterior intensifies the beauty of the treasures to be found within.
From a spectacular two-storey high-ceilinged entrance, the boutique extends more than 900 square metres in a fluid layout of interconnecting salons over three floors.
Within elegant oak-clad and bronze-toned interiors, showcases of fine jewellery, special orders, timepieces, accessories, bridal collections and jewellery await connoisseurs of fine taste.
In the exclusivity of a private room, special orders are handled in confidence and it is here that the most exceptional pieces of fine jewellery are presented.
On the grand staircase a series of chandeliers and mirrored walls reflect and multiply the shimmering light.
To celebrate the grand opening, the most famous of Cartier’s bejewelled beasts lies in wait. For more than 100 years, the panther has graced Cartier jewellery.
A new Panther de Cartier collection will be released next year and these remarkable pieces can be previewed here first; proud precious gold and gem-studded cats reclining on pendants, sprawled across bracelets, purring on watch faces . . .
In the new flagship, Cartier “King of Jewellers, Jeweller of Kings” -will also display an exquisite high jewellery collection, joining the lineage of historic boutiques in Paris, London and New York.
Over four decades Cartier has grown hand in hand with a developing Hong Kong, introducing luxury, fostering high society, championing arts and culture.
The brand and the city are intertwined. From a small ground-floor space in Prince’s Building in 1970 – Cartier’s first boutique in Asia -to the new 2010 flagship -now one of nine Cartier boutiques in Hong Kong -it is a remarkable story. Steeped in history, the Cartier Asian flagship steers splendidly to the future.
