Like just about every company, IWC Schaffhausen has been expanding their business into Asia over the years. Recently, the brand celebrated the opening of its newest flagship boutique in Beijing. Several Chinese investors were there, along with famous athletes and other celebrities. Its location and its structure make it a beautiful new store for IWC.

The boutique is beautiful. It acts as a store and sort of a museum. Its exquisitely decorated rooms capture the history of the brand and of watchmaking. There’s a dark brown room filled with aviation artifacts. Pilot jackets, model planes, photos and, of course, aviation watches are on display here. Another room, much smaller, honors the Aquatimer with an underwater motif. There are many more themed rooms full of great watches.

The most exciting watch on display there is the Portuguese Siderale Scafusia, one of the best watches Schaffhausen has ever made. Inspired by studies of outer space, this watch has a sub-dial for sidereal time and, on the back, a star chart. The tourbillon on this watch is an innovative masterpiece, the constant force tourbillon. An aperture on the dial allows you to see the tourbillon, and also functions as a sub-dial for measuring small seconds. The watch even has a perpetual calendar. It’s an exquisitely intricate piece.

The area this new shop opened in is an amazing place. Apparently, Beijing experiences severe weather changes. In the city’s bustling business district, the Parkview Green Mall was constructed as a sort of oasis, a mini-climate where conditions are stable and pleasant year-round. To do this, the engineers had to push technology to its peak. This makes it a fitting place for a luxury watchmaker like IWC. Innovation and new technology are what has kept Haute Horlogerie interesting for so many years, after all.