Perfectly timed to coincide with the Festive Season, IWC Shaffhausen opened ‘Les Aviateurs’ right next door to its boutique in Geneva. Baroque Access has all the details
Opened at the end of November 2017 and designed in the style of an exclusive gentleman’s club, Les Aviateurs not only offers a plush spot to relax with something to drink, but also brings the fascinating world of the brand’s legendary Pilot Watches to life in a most unique way. The bar has been tastefully designed to create a cosy, inviting atmosphere. The design was inspired by the spirit of those pioneers of aviation such as author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who wrote the famous book The Little Prince.
The IWC boutique itself opened this past summer on Genva’s Rue du Rhône, whilst the bar next door has been a collaboration between IWC and luxury department store Globus to offer people the opportunity to experience the legendary brand’s famous Pilot’s Watches in a most unique setting. Les Aviateurs is a pilot’s bar, and the bar itself is a unique way to showcase some of the famous Swiss horologist’s most famous timepieces.
IWC has a pioneering spirit, and this is evident in both the boutique and the brand new gentleman’s bar. Geneva, of course, is the capital of watchmaking, making it the ideal location for a unique establishment of this kind.
Les Aviateurs has been decorated with plenty of dark wood including fine aged wooden floors, high ceilings and leather to give the impression of a luxury British gentleman’s club with a metal bar counter that resembles the bow of a warship. Its sophisticated interior is reminiscent of those legendary clubs of the halcyon 1920s and 1930s, and there are plenty of historic items included, such as original photographs and maps that take guests back in time to the captivating era of aviation pioneers.
The drinks menu itself is filled with numerous creative cocktails, all inspired by IWC’s Pilot Watch collection. There’s the RJ Mitchell, named after the man who designed the Supermarine Spitfire, and The Rose, inspired by the rose motif in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story of The Little Prince.
The boutique next door is of course a joy to explore, offering a selection of the brand’s luxury timepieces that IWC is so famous for. IWC, after all, has been making fine quality watches since it first opened in 1868, and has become one of the most famous luxury watch brands in the world.
Les Aviateurs is open from 7am until late in the evening, meaning that it’s not just a bar, but more of a gentleman’s club, after all… It’s ideal for coffee in the morning, a business lunch and relaxed drinks after dinner.