The spiritual home of wristwatches always has always been and always will be Switzerland. From the early Rolex watches which were shipped to be sold in England to today’s Swiss Railway watches, Switzerland define what it is to be a quality wristwatch.
Of course, even though the best wristwatches are made in Switzerland, many of the watches are not sold there. In 2013 30% of the watches sold in the Middle East were sold in Dubai. In fact, 60% of the watches sold in the UAE were sold in Dubai alone. With the city playing host to some of the richest people in the world it’s no surprise that the Dubai market is an important one for all luxury watchmakers.
So it isn’t too much of a surprise that the first watch event in the Middle East will take place in the incredible city. From October the 18th to October the 22nd 2015, Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and Dubai retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons will present Dubai’s very own Baselworld, Dubai Watch Week.
The Middle East’s First Global Watch Event
Dubai Watch Week is the first watch event to take place in the Middle East The event will celebrate the history and innovation in the world of horology. The event is supported by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Dubai Art Council. They are hoping that the event will become a key event in watchmaking calendar both domestically and internationally.
“Dubai Watch Week (DWW) is being established as a leading platform for education, debate and discovery into the world’s most innovative and covetable timepieces,” explained Mr. Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Vice Chairman of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
The event will include the Art of Horology Forum with speakers from all areas of the watchmaking world. The speakers include Aurel Bacs, president of the jury of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve and Marc André Deschoux, founder and editor of TheWatchesTV.com. The forum will cover subjects such as innovation, creativity and creation.
The event will include watchmaking masterclasses which will be conducted by some of the industries most respected watchmakers. People will also be able to witness an exhibition of some of the worlds most incredible timepieces.
Carlo Lamprecht, president of the GPHG Foundation explained, “It is a great tribute that Dubai and the entire Middle East pay to the watchmaking art, a flagship of the Swiss industry perpetuating the values of excellence, innovation and exceptional know-how, and to which we gave the title of 12th Art.”
Keep Up With The Event
We will keep you updated on First Class Watches of any big news coming out of Dubai Watch Week and you can keep up with the event in many other places online. Dubai Watch Week has its own website which will keep you updated with the latest news from the event. You can also keep up with the event on its Twitter feed @DubaiWatchWeek and with the hashtag #DubaiWatchWeek.
If there is one thing that the people of Dubai know how to do it is to create an amazing spectacle. You only have to look at the incredible buildings throughout Dubai to know that, so if you happen to be in Dubai I expect that Dubai Watch Week will be one event you do not want to miss!
Images: LConstantino, Hamdan Mesfer Al Amimi
