March 19, 2024
« Classic and Contemporary »

For the third year running, Dubai Watch Week brings a welcome ray of sunshine to the watch industry in this month of November. The Seddiqi group’s vision remains unchanged: to make this non-commercial event a knowledge-sharing platform for the watch community.

The event has grown considerably in just two years, and this autumn sees it take things up a level, with a specially built facility on the attractive terraces of the DIFC (and nothing is done by halves in Dubai…). Some new brands are joining the party, bringing an additional layer of gravitas: A. Lange & Sohne, Dior, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille, Vacheron Constantin and Voutilainen, to mention just a few. And, as for every year since 2015, there’s also a well-thought out and comprehensive programme of forums, workshops and events.

For 2017, the theme of the 16-20 November forum will be “Classic and Contemporary”. We’re looking forward to hearing more about what millennials are doing for the industry, in a panel discussion featuring Alexis Georgacopoulos, Director of Art & Design at ECAL and Kurt Klaus of IWC, and listening to Fabrizio Buonamassa, director of Bulgari’s watch design centre, talk about discoveries and inventions: Paul O’Neil (WorldTempus) will also be debating counterfeit culture with Mohammed Seddiqi.

« Classic and Contemporary »

The revival of classical craftsmanship and contemporary techniques will be the focus of the main DWW 2017 exhibition. © Dubai Watch Week

There will be open and wide-ranging discussions on the evergreen themes of customisation, technology, e-commerce and counterfeiting by brand leaders, collectors and media. Laurence Nicolas, who chairs Dior’s watch department (and who rarely speaks in public) will tackle the issue of design, while Julien Tornare, Zenith CEO, will explain the importance of marketing in plotting a brand’s rebirth. The outspoken journalist Suzanne Wong and Audemars Piguet CEO François Henry Bennahmias will debate the question: “Are grand complications a men-only club?”

This year the DWW will also provide an opportunity to extend the annual celebration of the GPHG, with timepieces arriving straight from Geneva after the ceremony. Delegates will also have chance to share the excitement of the sale room in an auction workshop led by Christie’s, dive into a mechanical movement with legendary watchmakers, and to learn the art of engraving, enamelling and miniature painting with master craftsmen. Members of the public will have completely free access to the “Classic & Contemporary”, GPHG and “Telling the Time” exhibitions in the DIFC and Dubai Mall throughout the week.

All you need is your plane ticket, and your local guide is sure to show you where to find the best street food.

The Saxonia collection represents entry level pricing for A. Lange & Söhne, and there are two variations of the Saxonia, one in white gold and the other in pink gold. By comparison, the 37mm guys’s Saxonia is priced at $14,800, (with all the Caliber L093.1) and the 40mm at $24,500. But neither of these have the small moments or mother-of-pearl dial. Both the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase and Saxonia cater to distinct sub-markets from the ladies watch marketplace and Lange has presented some truly fantastic pieces.The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2017 is now concluded, and the aBlogtoWatch team is predictably exhausted. We tried something new this year — a movie log (vlog) show — to assist capture what it is like to be in the show. Combining high excitement and energy-draining hours, we are glad people enjoyed that very intimate look behind the scenes and exactly what it’s like to attend the “world’s most esteemed” high-end watch commerce show.In my 9th year attending SIHH (itself at its 27th season) I’d like to once again recap the overall sentiment of this series as well as point out key highlights that we think the general watch-loving public should be excited about in 2017. Before we reach our top 11 watches of SIHH 2017, I’d like to explore the overall watch and luxury industry atmosphere so that people get a better idea of why specific products are being created — and for whom.It was a particularly cold and blustery week at Geneva, Switzerland, throughout SIHH 2017. Our lodging near Lake Geneva provided a first-rate view of what struck me as a acceptable metaphor for the industry’s current circumstance. High winds blew over the water inducing not just surfable waves (if you have an Iceman-like tolerance for cold) but also spilling onto the adjoining walking paths that in the spring and summer make for popular strolling paths for fans and languishers alike. The high winds and menacing river waves seemed a fitting metaphor for the luxury watch industry which is continuing to experience a storm.