Before a customer ever steps through the door, the storefront windows have already made a split-second impression, good or bad. Window displays are for more than for decoration, it reinforces the brand and pulls in foot traffic from the street into the store. For luxury retail brands, having high-end window displays that reflect the quality and craftsmanship of their products is creates a cohesive and powerful brand experience.
Watches of Switzerland‘s Hudson Yards store sits in one of the busiest retail spots in New York, right across from the Vessel, an iconic 150’ tall honeycomb-like structure, where thousands of people pass by every day. 40 VISUALS worked with Watches of Switzerland to produce a set of window displays for this store, built around Roberto Coin, including their Venetian Princess collection. Here’s how we approached the project, from production to the finished install.
Multi-media signage and luxury accents create a premium look for this Watches of Switzerland x Roberto Coin window display.
Artistry Brought to Life With the Roberto Coin Collection
Roberto Coin was born in 1996 when its namesake founder left a successful hotelier career to pursue his passion for art and fashion. Today, renowned Italian jewelry artisans bring his romantic, boundless imagination to life, crafting exquisite jewels that double as wearable works of art. Dakota Johnson is a brand ambassador for the brand, recently showcasing the Venetian Princess collection. Watches of Switzerland gave Roberto Coin a dedicated presence at Hudson Yards, one of its most visible showrooms. To take advantage of this high-traffic location, the brand invested in high-end window displays to bring the luxury jewelry brand to life.
Producing the Displays with Special Effects Printing
Before any piece went into a window, our team printed the artwork on a SwissQ Kudu printer using special effects printing. This process layers ink and textures onto the print to add depth, so the Roberto Coin artwork in the Hudson Yards windows doesn’t sit flat behind the glass. Instead of one flat coat of ink, we build up the surface layer by layer, and the result reads like a piece of art more so than a sign. This is the same standard we hold for every project, whether it’s window signage, retail store signage or something else altogether. Getting the print right on the front end makes the install go smoother and the final piece hold up longer under the glass.
Piecing together the various products at our 40 VISUALS production lab.
Primary Window
The primary window faces the Vessel, so it gets more foot traffic than any other spot in the store. Both the left and right acrylic displays measure 84″ x 156″ and use Roberto Coin artwork as the backdrop. We printed a pattern on the second surface of the clear acrylic material and added layered ink on the first surface, which gives the artwork depth from close up and from across the plaza. Because the panels were too large to print in one piece, we printed them in multiple sections and pieced them together on-site to form the full display.
Mall Entrance Window
At the mall entrance, we used a 60″ x 124″ backlit SEG fabric to print the Roberto Coin artwork that matched the other window. The backlighting keeps the display bright and legible even against the outdoor light, so the graphics remain visible next to the high volume of foot traffic and other store signage nearby.
Shared Elements For Cohesive Window Signage Display
Both windows share a few design elements that tie the displays together. Five pedestal cases in the primary window and three at the mall entrance display the jewelry itself. We wrapped each case in metallic gold vinyl that reads like marble with gold accents, which gives the product a setting that matches the collection instead of competing with it. Some cases carry the Roberto Coin logo, and each one holds a 4″ x 4″ easel back counter card that explains the piece behind the glass. Because these cards can be swapped out for new products or a new season, they work as interchangeable signage without a full window rebuild.
We also added a contour-cut window vinyl with the Roberto Coin logo and tagline, printed on adhesive vinyl. Mall guidelines required us to apply this vinyl to the second surface, meaning it’s adhered to the inside of the glass and faces outward, rather than mounted on the exterior. Above the pedestals, the Watches of Switzerland logo sits over a large direct-view LED video screen that plays brand content featuring Dakota Johnson. It’s a piece of multimedia signage that adds motion to a display that would otherwise stay still.
The intricate details of the display create a polished, luxury look.
Why Luxury Brands Need High-End Signage
A luxury brand can’t afford a window that looks like every other store on the block. Retail design carries as much weight as the product inside, and luxury signage tells a customer what to expect before they touch anything. A watch or a piece of jewelry costs thousands of dollars, and the display around it has to earn that price point with the same care as the product itself. In this example, layered ink, gold signage, backlit fabric and multimedia signage all work together to build that impression. Cut corners on the signage and the whole brand story falls apart, no matter how good the product is.
Next Steps
The Watches of Switzerland windows at Hudson Yards show what happens when production and design work toward one goal. From the SwissQ Kudu prints to the gold vinyl pedestals to the backlit fabric graphics, every piece points back to the same idea: giving Roberto Coin’s collection a home that matches its price point. If your store needs window displays or retail signage that match your brand’s standards, connect with 40 VISUALS today and let’s make your vision a reality.
