Birks is Canada’s largest chain of watch and jewelry stores, with nearly 30 points of sale across the country. It also produces its own jewelry lines. For the latest financial year, the group recorded sales of $151 million. This company, founded in Montreal in the 19^th century, also has a role in the vast reconfiguration of watch retail in North America. In 2017 it sold the American watch chain Mayors, active in Florida and Georgia, to the British group Watches of Switzerland for 106.8 million dollars. The launch of Birks branded jewelry collections in the United Kingdom began in September 2017 through an exclusive distribution agreement with Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths. The company intends to increase its presence in international markets over the next five years. Europa Star interviewed Grigor Garabedian, head of the Birks Group’s central watchmaking division.

In collaboration with Europa Star

A first store was opened by Henry Birks in 1879 in Montreal

What have been the major milestones in the Birks’ Group’s history?

Henry Birks opened his first jewelry store in Montreal in 1879. A few years later, he moved to Phillips Square, where one of our flagship stores is still located today. By 1901, the group had expanded nationally, with outlets in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Another turning point was the introduction of the Birks Blue Box jewelry gift concept in 1920. In 1954, the Birks Group opened its first store in a Canadian shopping mall in Dorval. We should also mention the creation of a gift for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1959, followed by our appointment as official supplier for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

In 1993, Jonathan Birks sold the company to the Regaluxe Group and in 2005 Birks merged with Mayors to form the group we know today.

How many points of sale do you have today?

Maison Birks has 28 stores across Canada and our jewelry collections are available in 63 retail outlets in North America and the United Kingdom. Our group also operates a Patek Philippe store in Vancouver and several shop-in-shop stores, for example for Rolex in Calgary and Richard Mille in Vancouver.

Maison Birks downtown Montreal

What are the main growth drivers for the group?

We seek above all to remain as close as possible to the evolution of our customers’ expectations. For example, in recent years we have noticed that they are increasingly attentive to the traceability and ecological impact of their purchases. Birks has taken many steps to become a more sustainable company. We are proud to source Canadian diamonds and participate in the campaign against “dirty gold”. In addition, the recent renovation of several of our flagship stores in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto offers a new shopping experience. I think this adaptability will ensure a bright future for us on the Canadian market.

“We have noticed that our customers are increasingly attentive to the traceability and ecological impact of their purchases.” – Grigor Garabedian, head of the Birks Group’s central watchmaking division

In 2017, you sold Mayors to the British group Watches of Switzerland. It also allowed you to develop your brand Birks Jewelry internationally, particularly in the United Kingdom. What stage are these developments at today?

We are continuing to develop Birks Fine Jewelry in the United Kingdom and the United States. We are constantly looking for new opportunities to expand our international presence.

Bee Chic series: a part of the income from this series is used to protect Canadian bees, wildlife and natural areas

Do you have an e-commerce platform?

Yes, a wide selection of our watches, for example from Cartier or TAG Heuer, are available for purchase on our online platform. Digital shopping is gaining in popularity. However, we have also noted the importance of maintaining a strong physical connection and personal experience with each customer. We want them to take the time to get to know the brands we offer in a welcoming space and to feel at home in our stores.

Do you also offer pre-owned watches?

In Canada, we have an exclusive partnership with Crown & Caliber, a platform that specializes in second-hand watches and professional authentication. We wanted to be able to offer a trusted service for this segment, which is why we have partnered with a well-known player in the industry. The process is very simple: you can choose between cash payment or Birks gift credit, with an additional 20% value for the second option. You then send the watch to Crown & Caliber for inspection and authentication, before receiving your payment directly by mail.

www.maisonbirks.com

Since 1927, Europa Star magazine is the go-to reference for all things watchmaking. A family business, the magazine remains faithful to the spirit of its founder, the Swiss Hugo Buchser, more than fifty years after his death. Europa Star is broadcast in over 170 countries and puts out five publications a year. Visiting the premier Watch Fair in the Salon de Montréal, the first event devoted to watchmaking in Quebec, Serge Maillard, Europa Star publisher and representative of the company’s fourth generation, sat down with LUXE for an interview.

Serge Maillard, Europa Star publisher

Europa Star was founded by your great-grandfather, Hugo Buchser, in the 1920s. Tell us how it all started.

My great-grandfather owned a watch brand in the 1920s called Transmarine. He traveled all over the world to sell his watches. In 1927, he had the idea to create a publishing house with the mission of connecting all the players of the watchmaking world. Remember, the Internet didn’t exist then! We basically had guides with all the addresses of the watchmakers, suppliers, and professionals in the industry. Gradually, he established a network of magazines, first in Latin America, then in the Middle East. In 1959, he targeted the European market by founding Europa Star. A little later, he created a magazine for the Eastern Bloc market. Let’s skip ahead to the 1990s, with the advent of the internet. We’ve been pioneers in the world of watchmaking with a website dedicated to this industry. At the same time, we launched a magazine in Chinese. The company has existed for four generations. We are constantly innovating, most notably with the recent digitization of our archives.

Hugo Buchser, during one of his travels

Let’s talk about your archives. This year you started to digitize your publications dating back to 1959. That’s huge undertaking…

Yes, and it’s not over. We have a total of 300,000 pages to scan. Thus far, we have scanned more than 100,000 pages since 1950. Step by step, we intend to digitize all of our publications since 1927, the date of the first guide founded by Hugo Buchser.

Who is this digital databank intended for?

First, to the watch community: brands, retailers, and collectors. Everyone is now doing research on watches, whether it be professionals or individuals. Since the entire magazine is online, people will understand the bigger context of the time. Digitization is a great way to pay tribute to such an important heritage.

Through your archives, we actually discover the history of the watch, but also parts of history in general. Tell us about the Omega watch.

Recently, a historian used our archives to write an article on the conquest of space. The Omega brand is so closely linked to the first manned missions to land on the Moon. But before Omega, there was also Breitling or Bulova. There has been fierce competition between brands to seduce NASA. Today, one wonders which watchmaker will equip NASA or Elon Musk to Mars!

How can one access your archives?

Several annual subscriptions are offered. Some give you access to the archives and the paper magazine, others to the archives and the electronic magazine. Our subscribers also have exclusive access to articles that have the most added value. All subscription rates can be accessed on our website. These are launch packages. We invite the public to take advantage of it as of right now. Each year, our readers will benefit from new content. In addition to new articles, we will continue to digitize our archives.

Your publication is called a “mook,” halfway between magazine and book. Can you explain this concept…

It is an innovative concept composed of two parts: Time.Business and Time.Keeper. As its name suggests, the Time.Business section is devoted to the major issues of the moment and to the fundamental questions that will shape the future of watchmaking. The Time.Keeper section focuses on the product, aesthetic trends, technical developments, and the watch industry. Our files are large and can store up to 50 pages. For example, in our last issue we discussed the Chinese market, the history of the watch in China, its major players, etc. Our magazine reads like a book and can be kept for a long time.

How do you explain the longevity of your magazine?

The fact that we are a small, family-owned business helps in terms of flexibility and room to maneuver. Our editorial team is composed of my uncle Pierre Maillard and myself. Our tone is identifiable. We also share a certain idea of ​​journalism: that of always adding value with our articles. It is very important, especially in today’s climate when information seems free.

www.europastar.com

With your subscription to LUXE Magazine, you’ll also receive a special rate on a subscription to Europa Star Magazine.

• Subscription to LUXE
• • 3 physical copies delivered to your door or digital copies available for download
• Subscription to Europa Star for $79 US instead of $99 US
  • 5 physical copies delivered to your door

OR

• • 5 digital copies available for download
  • Full access to the archives from 1950 to 2020
  • Unlimited access to the members-only articles
  • Complete package for $150 US instead of $199 US

Subscribe today to LUXE Magazine and receive a special discount code for your Europa Star subscription!

Text: Diane Stehle

Well known in Switzerland and amongst a very select few in the high-end jewelry world, BEAUREGARD fuses watchmaking and jewelry in an unprecedented fashion. Founded by Montrealer Alexandre Beauregard and based in Geneva, the company offers exceptional Swiss timepieces with bold designs, beautifully set hand-polished stones, among other unique elements. As veritable works of art, these breathtaking time pieces can cost up to $250,000. LUXE met with the talented artist to find out more.

When did your passion for watches begin?

 My first experience with watchmaking dates back to my adolescence when I was working with a friend on creating atypical watches in my father’s garage.

 Yet, you didn’t immediately pursue it as a career?

No, life took me in different directions. I created three businesses: a laundry service for major Montreal hotels, a gemstone business, and a property management company. But, ten years ago, my passion for watchmaking came back full force. So, I decided to go to Geneva to meet industry professionals to present my project and seek their advice. For five years, I travelled back and forth every month between Montreal and Geneva. I learned the craft in the field, because given my family life, it was impossible for me to go back to school. Finally, in 2014, I founded the company in Geneva, BEAUREGARD SA.

Your workshop is in Montreal, but your watches are made in Switzerland. Can you explain the creative process…

Switzerland has a unique and mature watchmaking industry and is the only place in the world that possesses all the necessary skills to manufacture luxury watches.

All of our collections are produced and assembled in Switzerland. As a native Montrealer, I chose to set up a stone-cutting and development workshop which allows me to design the pieces and perform the high-end jewelry work in Montreal. Yves Saint-Pierre, a world-renowned lapidary artist along with François Ruel, a specialist in 3D modelling, both assist me here.

Tell us about your collections.

A year ago, our first watch, Dahlia, was selected at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix. That honor officially marked the birth of BEAUREGARD.

Dahlia is a high-end jewelry dial made of hand-polished stones from our workshop and animated by a high-art watchmaking movement with a central Flying Tourbillon. I didn’t hold back in the creation and realization of this collection; I refused to choose between high-end timepieces and high-end jewelry.

Meanwhile, Lili was born from the desire to offer the splendor of the Dahlia collection in a more accessible and delicate way. It is a small cocktail watch equipped with a Swiss quartz movement and high-end jewel dial embellished with hand-made petals.

Currently, we are working on a round version of the Lili collection that should be released in the coming months, as well as, a men’s collection that will be launched in the spring of 2022.

What are the distinguishing features of BEAUREGARD watches?

BEAUREGARD is the epitome of my passion for fine stones and mechanical complexity, for beautiful objects, and human genius. The dial is the canvas on which I give free rein to my imagination and the most distinctive elements of my creations. Considerable technical work is necessary to ensure that we always meet the standards of high-art watchmaking. It’s imperative for me that my watches are recognizable at first glance and inspire strong emotions.

You were the first Canadian to win the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix just a year ago. How did that feel for you?

I was very honored to be selected alongside prestigious brands such as Van Cleef and Arpels, Copard, and Bvlgari. The distinction was a very nice recognition of our work, especially since the Dahlia was the first model we ever presented and we were still such a young brand.

Your logo is “Geneva – Montreal.” Why is that important to you?

I am so proud and in love with my city. Of course, it would be simpler for me to settle in Switzerland, but family is here and I am very attached to Montreal. Beyond the emotional aspects, all of the high-end jewelry work, as well as the creation of each piece, is done in Montreal. I had to mention both for these reasons.

How do you envision the future?

I am a business person and so it’s important for me to achieve commercial success, but watchmaking remains, above all, a passion. Therefore, I see the future as a great adventure with beautiful encounters and shared passions.

www.beauregard.ch

Writer: Diane Stehle