I was recently invited to an evening of canapés and cocktails hosted by Tudor, sister brand of Rolex. It offers a more approachable price point and serves as the more experimental of the two storied brands.

The Tudor boutique located at shopping behemoth South Coast Plaza played host to the private event. My husband and I were barely past the door when chilled glasses of bubbly were promptly placed in our hands. A perfect start to the evening!

We were treated to a watchmaker working on pieces in real time (see what I did there?). He made himself available for questions to anyone who crowded in close, but the incredible artistry was also televised on the boutique’s screens so all could see.

I swapped my empty champagne flute for one of the event’s signature cocktails, The Movement featuring gin, rosemary, and cranberry. An herbaceous, refreshing beverage perfect for sipping.

We were quite content to peruse case after case of beautiful timepieces.

Of course, I was also excited about the nibbles. One of the standouts was tuna poke on forbidden rice topped with an avocado yuzu crema. A bright, citrusy bite.

I also sampled a plantain tostone (indicates a twice-fried preparation) with a dollop of jerk chicken.

Without a doubt the best bite of the night goes to the unbelievable fondant potatoes.

Topped with crème fraîche and caviar these morsels were rich and indulgent. I definitely enjoyed an encore of this one.

I sampled the bloody mary toast (sans photograph) and found it to be fine but not memorable; I also passed up the tofu spring rolls and lamb crostini as I had my sights set on dessert.

As the evening unfolded we were immersed into the world of Tudor learning about the watches themselves and hearing about new additions to the collection.

This was also a wonderful space to mingle with other watch nerds, obsessing about what was on the wrist and what was on the wishlist!

Soon desserts were circulating and I was only too happy to oblige. First up, a mini pana cotta. I tend to be texturally averse to custards and puddings but the miniature nature of this treat made it much more palatable.

However my favorite dessert was the micro cupcake finished with a thick, white chocolate “Tudor” topper. The icing and topper nearly doubled the overall height of this vertiginous sweet earning it a messy-but-worth-it rating.

We continued browsing and befriending as the night wore on.

Lots of lucky patrons added a shiny new piece to their collection that night.

We left with only a goody bag in hand but I have a timepiece firmly cemented on my mental wishlist. Stay tuned as I’m sure it will find its way home sooner or later!