Occupying Gran Vía no. 1 is the iconic 1917 Grassy building, one of the most famous Madrid landmarks and home to the Grassy boutique since 1952.
Madrid’s Gran Vía is a showcase of 20th century architecture immortalised in postcards and paintings, with the Grassy boutique occupying the most enviable position of them all. Now in the hands of Yann and Patricia Reznak, third-generation Grassy family members, the business was founded in 1929 by Alejandro Grassy, the son of Italian goldsmiths and one of the first jewellers to import Swiss watches to Spain.
The elegant interior of the boutique is shaped like the prow of a ship, with marble columns and beautifully preserved wooden display cabinets, where a dozen top-tier Swiss watch brands and Grassy’s own line of high jewellery - designed by Patricia Reznak Grassy - are exhibited, along with antique clocks, furniture and Italian frescoes, all of which are for sale.
Rolex occupies pride of place at Grassy in a smart lounge of its own, while the illuminated sign on the exterior of the building is one of the most sought-after advertising locations in the city. Grassy has watch and jewellery workshops on the premises and invites the Swiss auction house Antiquorum in twice a year to perform appraisals on watches belonging to its clients. In the basement, a museum of European clocks from XVI-XIX centuries is open to the public.
Why visit?
Grassy is a temple for lovers of architecture, interior design, Swiss watches and high jewellery without the bling.
As well as its wide range of Swiss watches, Grassy is also renowned for its jewellery collections, which are exclusively crafted in Madrid. Grassy re-edits popular collections from the past, such as the colourful Les Rocailles rings from 1962, with their organic gold bands and clusters of colourful gemstones. Patricia Reznak, who likes to describe Grassy’s gems as “high jewellery without the bling”, also designs items for her dozen or so collections, including the rainbow-coloured pieces of the Elena family, set with cabochon-cut quartz.
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