Founded in 1964, Les Ambassadeurs is now celebrating its 50^th birthday in Geneva, Lugano, St Moritz and Zurich. By coincidence back in 1964, the Café “Les Ambassadeurs” on Geneva’s Rue du Rhône closed down. This was a famous bistro, which was regarded as one of the most sought-after meeting places among diplomatic circles for 20 years. The founder of Les Ambassadeurs turned out to be a true visionary when he decided to adopt this name which was both nice sounding and meaningful and which clearly expressed the corporate philosophy. It was in the building formerly housing the café that the first Boutique opened. Ever since its foundation, Les Ambassadeurs has always focused on the wishes of both its national and international clients. Still today, much of the clientele is Swiss and local roots have always been regarded as very important and are still amongst its basic values. For the past 50 years Les Ambassadeurs has been the reference in its field, faithfully accompanying and advising a great many watch and jewellery enthusiasts. Whether in relationships with clients our watch brands, solid partnerships have always been the most important factor in the history of Les Ambassadeurs.

 

Besides, the retailer has always played a pioneering role when it comes to the interior design of its shops. As the CEO Joachim Ziegler points out, “Today, there are different needs, so we have redesigned and developed our four shops according to completely modern criteria”, the latest achievement being the three-floor boutique in Zurich on the famous Bahnhofstrasse. “We want to be closer to our clients and above all the watch collectors. Thanks to this modern concept (the watchmaking workshop, the advisory and sales area and the Espace Connaisseur on one floor each), customers must feel at home with us and be well advised without feeling obliged to buy. They must be able to take their time, and we need to offer them conditions enabling them to decide for a watch or a piece of jewellery. And even once this decision is taken, we are there for our clients by offering them the best possible service in our workshops”.

 

The Espace Connaisseur on the first floor of Les Ambassadeurs in Zurich is both intimate and spacious, entirely modular thanks to panels and bookshelves mounted on rails. This clearly masculine room was designed for watch collectors and enthusiasts interested in rare items, visible but stored in a high security wall safe. This high-tech and comfortable space extends into a larger, more brightly-lit room in which themed evenings are organized and hosted by experts. A bar, a cloakroom and an impressive exhibition space with windows, screen and light wall complete the first floor leading to watchmaking heaven. Among 20 other brands, Urwerk and its futuristic watches that explore new ways of displaying time are entirely at home in such a setting.

 

the Café “Les Ambassadeurs” was a famous bistro in Geneva among diplomatic circles in the 1950s and 60s

 

With the completion of the avant-garde refurbishment of all four branches, Les Ambassadeurs celebrates its jubilee year in 2014 with a modern, refined new look. For the boutiques’ new design, Lucerne-based architect Albert Bollinger has used only natural wood, natural stone and fabrics selected from contemporary colour compositions

 

The three floors of the boutique are clearly focused on total client service, from repairs on the lower ground floor through the ground floor sales area to events for collectors and enthusiasts held in specially dedicated “Espace Connaisseur” rooms on the first floor.