UK. Harding+ has said its shortlisting for the WatchPro UK Awards 2026 underlines how luxury watch boutiques onboard cruiselines have much in common with high-end London stores such as Hermès on New Bond Street, A. Lange & Söhne on Old Bond Street or AP House in Mayfair.
The cruise retail specialist’s luxury watch retail environment onboard Princess Cruises’ Majestic Princess has been shortlisted in WatchPro’s New or Refurbished Store category (winners to be announced at a ceremony on 23 November), putting a store at sea alongside some of the most prestigious names and addresses in land-based luxury retail.
The watch awards see retailers voting for the brands they most admire, and brands voting for the retailers that have demonstrated strong partnership, performance and innovation over the past year. WatchPro is owned by Dubai-based media and events house ITP Media Group.
Harding+’s watch team has been shortlisted for Best Retail Team alongside established High Street jewellery retailers including Beaverbrooks, Boodles, David M Robinson, F.Hinds, Laings and Pragnell.
A Harding+ statement said, “The interesting story for cruise retail is that the comparison is being made alongside such established high street specialists. Harding+’s retail ethos is that luxury boutiques at sea shouldn’t simply be land-based concepts transplanted onto a ship.
“Every environment needs to feel true to the luxury brand it represents, but equally native to the ship and its guests.”
Majestic Princess provides a clear case study of that approach, said the retailer.
Its TAG Heuer and Breitling boutiques were developed as a luxury watch destination within the ship’s main atrium, with the ambition of “creating somewhere guests would actively choose to spend time rather than simply somewhere to transact”.
The Breitling environment combines premium product presentation with comfortable leather seating overlooking panoramic sea views, creating a relaxed environment in which guests can explore and consider a significant purchase.
The Harding+ statement added, “Importantly, the boutiques weren’t simply designed for the watch brands, but with them.
“Materials, displays, lighting and merchandising were developed to reflect individual brand identities while responding to the practical and experiential realities of retail at sea. The result delivers the standards customers expect from leading luxury stores on land without simply recreating a land-based retail experience at sea.”
Luxury stores only work if the people inside them can deliver on their promise, noted the cruise retailer.
“Harding+’s teams have to maintain the standards expected by international luxury brands while working in an environment where the customer base effectively changes with every sailing. New itineraries bring different nationalities, expectations and purchasing behaviours.
“That requires product knowledge, but also expertise in brand heritage, craftsmanship, innovation and storytelling, supported by continuous learning.
“That combination of environment and expertise is increasingly central to moving cruise retail beyond its traditional frame of reference, and the awards shortlisting suggests that the distinction between what constitutes world-class luxury retail on land and at sea is becoming considerably harder to draw.” 🛳️
