The Hamptons Just Got a Stunning New Rolex Boutique—Here’s a Look Inside

“In 1976, I called Rolex for like two years trying to get them on. It was a little mom and pop store my parents had in Glen Cove [Long Island, New York] and we didn’t really have any high-end brands,” Mark Udell, owner of London Jewelers, told a crowd at the new Rolex boutique in East Hampton he operates, as he recounted his early efforts with the brand. “It was Longines, Bulova, and Seiko—these were the types of watches. And when I called Rolex, they kind of blew me off a little bit but I didn’t stop. And finally, after two years, Bob Reynolds called me and said, ‘I’m going to come out and see you.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ He came out to see me and he goes, ‘You are so persistent, that we’re going to sell you the line, ok?’ You know, what? It worked.”

Today, that would be an understatement. Standing in the new 4,800-square-foot Rolex boutique at 28 Newton Lane—prime real estate Udell owns and used to lease to Chanel—Udell tells Robb Report that there’s frequently been a line down the block since it opened on two weeks ago. It’s London Jewelers’ second standalone Rolex boutique. The company operates another one in Short Hills, New Jersey, as well as a Rolex showroom at its store in Manhasset, New York.

Today, one could hardly imagine that the very first watch Udell sold from the crown was a gold President retailing for under a few thousand. “In the package, there was a men’s gold President and a ladies’ gold president and at the time the men’s gold president was $2,700,” said Udell. “I said to my dad, ‘We have to buy these gold men’s and ladies’ watches.’ And he said, ‘Mark, how are you going to sell a watch for $2,700?’ I said, ‘Dad, we have no choice.’ So, we got the watches in on a Thursday, and we stocked them in, and we put them in the cases in the store and in the window.” It wasn’t long before a customer came calling. “At about 5 o’clock the first night, one of my doctor customers was looking in the window—we had a Chinese restaurant next door where he would order food to take out and while he was waiting, he was looking in the window—and he calls me out and he says, ‘Mark, when did you get Rolex?’ I said, ‘today.’ He said, ‘That’s amazing. I think you’re going to do very well with it. I want to see that gold Rolex in the window.’ I take it out and I put it on his wrist, and he says, ‘How much is it?’ I said, ‘$2,700.’ He said, ‘I’ve wanted this watch for many years. Today’s your first day. I’m going to buy it.’ A 40 mm Everose gold Day-Date President with a green dial for sale at his new Hamptons boutique now retails for $47,500. And, because you have to be a VIP to get one at retail, they go for even more on the secondary market.

The new boutique is arguably one of the most beautiful standalone Rolex boutiques out there. House in the former Odd Fellows Hall, built in 1897 by architect Joseph Greenleaf Thorp, the gray cedar-shingled structure with white trim is surrounded by a crisp green lawn, lush white hydrangea, and tall evergreen trees. Inside, you will find brown leather couches, Rolex-green velvet chairs, chevron-style parquet floors, American Walnut wall panels, and Verpi Alpi marble accented with fluted patterns mimicking Rolex’s bezels. Custom lighting fixtures are even meant to evoke the Rolex Cyclops date window. On the ground floor you’ll spy a case with every hot GMT-Master II you can think of, as well as Oyster Perpetual models with lilac and candy pink dials to not-often-seen-in-the-wild gold Rolex Deepsea. Upstairs, clients eager to schmooze and make their case for a Rollie, can linger at a bar where the Udell family serves their signature and very popular watermelon margarita. Just steps away, you can ogle over a vitrine of Rolex Daytonas and should you be deemed worthy to make the purchase, you’ll be escorted to a private VIP room in the back. A client was already making a purchase in the space yesterday evening. Just across the hall is a door that leads out to a patio with a fire pit overlooking a lawn with tables and umbrellas interspersed among hydrangea for mingling.

Udell says he’s been seeing an influx of European clients in the Hamptons, some of whom have ditched their houses in St. Tropez to buy homes in the stateside town due to the increasing crime in Europe. “If you come out here, you can walk around with anything because the police out here are insane,” says Udell. “We had a false alarm last week and they were there within two minutes.” (They’ll also nab you just as fast for a parking ticket. A fellow journalist recounted being fined $120 for being 10 minutes late to retrieve their car.)

Understandably, Udell is equally eager to patrol his property. “I can’t wait to wake up to come to the boutique every morning!” he told the crowd. Based on the crowds forming before the store even opens its doors every morning, clients can’t wait either. Avid watch collectors Mark Wahlberg, John Mayer, and Andy Cohen are said to have already dropped by—proof that even celebrities must court the Crown. When we asked store manager Maria Triburgo what it was like fielding requests from the well-heeled and demanding Hamptons clientele, she told us with a chuckle, “I always like to say, ‘time is luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary’ before adding that she tells the staff to encourage the guests to take time to enjoy the space. There’s certainly plenty of reason to do that.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.