French Maison Jean Rousseau are one of the premier brands operating in the sphere of custom, bespoke watch straps and they have boutiques around the world, including London’s Piccadilly Arcade. In Paris, near the Louvre and Pont-Neuf, they also have a boutique in the Samaritaine department store, where they have just opened a new mini-atelier.
If you’re unfamiliar with Samaritaine, it’s a pretty cool building with gorgeous Art Nouveau architecture. Unfortunately, the building was closed in 2005 due to safety issues but it was re-opened in 2021 after a comprehensive refurbishment. In homage to the famous slogan “You can find everything at Samaritaine” there’s a wide variety of shops and an entire area dedicated to the art of watchmaking. It’s this area where you’ll find the new Jean Rousseau mini-atelier.
The term “mini-atelier” essentially means that when you go into the boutique and order a custom watch strap, they’ll make it on site. It gives you the full experience of what Jean Rousseau is capable of, allowing you to see the entire process from start to finish and create a bond to your strap that goes beyond clicking a button online. Of course, if you have very demanding request, the strap may be outsourced to one of Jean Rousseau’s primary ateliers, located in Paris or Franche-Comté.
Whether you’re interested in buying a new strap, want to learn more about the processes involved in making straps or are visiting the Samaritaine as part of a larger trip, make sure to swing by the Jean Rousseau boutique and mini-atelier. Although you might want to have a browse of their extensive range of materials, styles and colours online first otherwise it will be your partner waiting impatiently for you to make up your mind for once instead of the other way around.
More details at Jean Rousseau.
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