Last Tuesday November 17, 2015, we had the pleasure to attend the celebration of the opening of the new Patek Philippe salon at the new De Boulle location in the ultra upscale River Oaks District in Houston. The River Oaks District, is a luxury retail paradise comparable to the Miami Design District or to Oak Street in Chicago. The new modern development is located on the famous Westheimer Rd. next to the Afton Oaks neighborhood and a block away from Hotel Derek. The River Oaks District is set to become the top shopping destination in Houston with boutiques that include Brunello Cucinelli, Canali, Chopard, Dior, De Boulle, Etro, Giuseppe Zanotti, Intermix, Moncler, Roberto Cavalli, Stella McCartney, Tom Ford, our favorite Vilebrequin swimwear and also our favorite Vietnamese restaurant from New York and Chicago, Le Colonial. After more than a decade without the opening of a new Patek Philippe Salon in the United States, De Boulle presents a unique shopping experience at its new location. Elegant, tasteful, modern, intimate and luxurious, are some of the words that come to mind when thinking about this new Patek Philippe point of sale in the Houston area.

Denis and Karen Boulle established De Boulle in 1983 with a vision of providing their customers a premier collection of fine jewelry, luxury timepieces of world renowned brands, impeccable service and a beautiful and friendly environment. De Boulle has carried Patek Philippe for over 20 years and has assembled one of the largest inventories of it in the world. De Boulle and Patek Philippe are family-owned companies, therefore, De Boulle’s brand aligns perfectly with Patek in that both represent the epitome of precision, beauty and finely crafted luxury goods.

While the new De Boulle boutique in the River Oaks District is not nearly as large as their boutique in Dallas, the space is very well designed with luxurious touches that include beautiful natural stone and oversized modern chandeliers that make the space ultra chic.

An exquisitely executed cocktail filled with champagne, caviar and hors d'oeuvres kicked-off our night in Houston in the company of Mr. Larry Pettinelli —President of Patek Philippe North America—, Denis Boulle —CEO of De Boulle—, Jeffrey Bartley —President of De Boulle— and a very select group of Patek Philippe collectors. On Mr. Pettinelli's wrist, a very handsome 150th Anniversary Officer's watch ref 3960J with the legendary Breguet numerals.

With collectors sporting all sorts of Pateks including the new 5370 Split Seconds Chronograph in Platinum, several 5270s, a few 5711s, 5960s, 5726s, 3738s, vintage Golden Ellipses and the largest number of Twenty-4s we've seen anywhere, we enjoyed the evening that was just starting. Below we see Mr. Larry Pettinelli in the company of one of the Patek collectors attending the event.

Following the cocktail, we headed to the dinner party where a nice variety of aperitifs, cheeses and main courses from 'A Fare Extraordinaire' was awaiting for us. This party, just like any other Patek Philippe party we've attended, was filled with elegance but fun times at the same time. While most of you would think that Patek collectors are snobby and uptight, we can tell you that is not the case. To sum it up, the party was filled with amazing watches on display, a master watchmaker from Patek Philippe, great atmosphere, decadent food, beautiful people and even DJ Lucy Reeves from Dallas spinning as we filled the dance floor.

In all, a night to remember and one of the most fun parties we've attended recently, all courtesy of De Boulle and Patek Philippe. Once again, thank you for letting us be part of this amazing watch experience.

For more info on Patek Philippe click here and for De Boulle here.