going big time

Global luxury Swiss watch brand winds up its second big-time boutique in the Houston area

A famed global luxury watch brand is headed to The Woodlands. Swiss timepiece purveyor Breitling will open a boutique in The Woodlands Mall (1201 Lake Woodlands Dr.), the company announced.

This new storefront — the second in the Houston area — is part of the company's North American expansion, with six new outposts including Dallas, Atlanta, Orange County in California, southern Florida, and the Long Island region in New York.

As for the Woodlands store, shoppers can expect a 900-square-foot space, designed to call to mind an industrial loft and harking to Breitling’s popualr air, land, and sea collections.

“A visit to a Breitling Boutique is the best way to discover our brand, as it allows you to immerse yourself into the casual, inclusive and sustainable luxury that defines Breitling,” Thierry Prissert, president of Breitling USA, noted in a statement. “As the Breitling brand continues to grow, our retail development remains a priority. We have a robust strategy for our North American expansion and are thrilled to be growing in existing markets as well as venturing into new ones.”

Luxury watch fans know Breitling as a big-faced watch brand that competes with Rolex and Omega, especially in the upscale sports category. Its most familiar watch is arguably The Navitimer, a way-ahead-of-its-time creation from the WWII area that blended maritime with early computational timekeeping.

Breitling has also been a favored choice for water sports, skiing, diving, and aviation (such as the Aviator series). The look has always appealed with active men and sporty types. Of late, the watch brand has moved to more fashionable pieces.

Founded in 1884 by an innovative Léon Breitling, the company has been emblematic of Swiss precision; Breitling was responsible for one of the world's first chronograph wristwatches and became pivotal tools for British Royal Air Force pilots during WWII.

While the Woodlands Mall offers some fine jewelry options, this is the first solely luxury timepiece store coming to the mall.

Photo courtesy of Breitling

Luxury watch brand Breitling is coming to The Woodlands.

gonna make you sweat

Houston's cardio-crazy fitness studio works out new Dallas location

Courtesy of OneSweat

OneSweat offers high-intensity interval training.

A Houston fitness concept that specializes in getting you to sweat is expanding to Dallas: Called OneSweat, it's a boutique fitness studio specializing in high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and it's opening in Preston Center, at 8220 Westchester Dr., in the former CrossFit Katy Trail space.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a cardio workout that involves alternating short but intense bursts of exercise, using treadmills, with short recovery periods which can last from 15 seconds to 4 minutes. The theory is that you can get your heart rate higher in a quicker amount of time.

OneSweat was founded in Houston by Anabel Barron and Jordan Strouse, and it's a bit of an empire. There is this OneSweat that does HIIT, and there is also a sibling, OneSweat Stretch + Wellness, which has five locations in Houston, and on top of that, there is also OneSweat Pilates, another concept they plan to launch. Lots and lots of Sweat.

The Dallas location is led by fitness instructor and OneSweat's Chief Operating Officer Sherilyn Hardy. It offers a variety of workouts, such as cardio, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and tread exercises.

“From the beginning, we have aimed to provide an innovative and inclusive fitness and wellness experience, and we’re excited to bring OneSweat to Dallas,” Hardy says in a release. “You’re never going to get bored of the same workout at OneSweat because we change our workouts daily to keep your body guessing and focused on the results, eliminating burnout.”

The fitness studio is half cardio training (running, sprinting, and climbing), and half strength training (weights). At 50-minute interval classes, clients spend time on the floor and a Technogym treadmill; treadmills are at the core of each workout and offer enhanced 25-degree incline and sled mode capabilities, testing endurance and power at every step.

There are three categories of membership, including single and package classes, monthly memberships, and unlimited memberships. Memberships range from $34 for one class to $2,700 for a yearlong unlimited membership.

OneSweat joins a very robust fitness scene in Dallas which has multiple concepts both national and local, but OneSweat is convinced it can stand out.

"While OneSweat does have competitors in Dallas, we believe we are in a unique category in terms of intensity and programming," the spokesperson said in an email. "Our approach to fitness sets us apart from the rest."

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