November 2015 saw the inaugural Dubai Watch Week (DWW) take the horological stage, a five-day event initiated by Seddiqi & Sons retailers. DWW instantly became the Gulf area’s largest dedicated watch event.

Watchmaking master class with Marco Lang at Dubai Watch Week 2015

“The main objective of the event was to create a cultural and educational platform where industry professionals, collectors, media, and the public would have an opportunity to network,” explained Melika Yazdjerdi, head of corporate communication at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the event organizer. The family-owned and -run company established in 1950 is the Middle East’s largest retailer for luxury timepieces and jewelry. It represents more than 60 luxury brands across 65 retail locations in the United Arab Emirates.

The Rebels of Horology exhibition at Dubai Watch Week 2015

With an estimated 2,300 visitors over the five days of the event held in the chic art galleries of the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Center) and the luxurious halls of the gargantuan Dubai Mall (the world’s largest shopping center), the first edition was a complete success. The illustrious attendees included Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also the official patron of Dubai Watch Week as vice chairperson of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Dubai.

The event will be repeated in a significantly expanded version, running from 15 through 19 November 2016.

“Transmission of Knowledge” discussion panel at Dubai Watch Week 2015

As in the first edition, guests can register to attend a series of seminars and discussion panels of the Horology Forum at the DIFC, which includes a multitude of interesting talks with speakers and moderators (writers, journalists, watchmakers, CEOs). Find an overview of the entire forum and book a seat here; Quill & Pad is well represented, with both myself and Ian moderating and participating in various discussion panels.

DWW 2016 Horology Forum

Just have a look at the impressive list of speakers and topics at the Horology Forum  2016.

Wednesday, November 16

10:00 – 11:00 Language of Time
Moderator Eileen Wallis
Speaker      Suzanne Wong
Speaker      Paul O’Neil
Speaker      Stephen Pulvirent
Speaker      Ian Skellern

12:00 – 13:00 Evolution of a Brand
Moderator David Sadigh
Speaker      Alain Zimmerman
Speaker      Edouard Meylan
Speaker      Theo Staub
Speaker      Benoit Mîntiens

15:00 – 16:00 Creative Economy
Moderator Eileen Wallis
Speaker      Hind Seddiqi
Speaker      Issam Kazim
Speaker      Dubai Culture

17:00 – 18:00 Challenges of a Retailer
Moderator Ian Skellern
Speaker      Mohammed Seddiqi
Speaker      Alexander Friedman
Speaker      Michael Tay

Thursday, November 17

10:00 – 11:00 Digital Curators
Moderator Stephen Pulvirent
Speaker      David Sadigh
Speaker      SJX
Speaker      Maximillian Busser

12:00 – 13:00 Design & Creativity
Moderator    Nazanin Lankarani
Speaker        Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
Speaker        Gregory Dourde
Speaker        Eric Giroud
Speaker        Manuel Emch

15:00 – 16:00 Haute Horology
Moderator Paul O’Neil
Speaker      Eric Giroud
Speaker      Sean Li
Speaker      Pascal Ravessoud
Speaker      Aurel Bacs

17:00 – 18:00 Smart Watches
Moderator Stephen Pulvirent
Speaker      Preston Moxcey
Speaker      John Marcheschi
Speaker      Tony Fadel
Speaker      Om Malik
Speaker      Sean Li

Friday, November 18

10:00 – 11:00 It’s Complicated
Moderator    Marc-André Deschoux
Speaker         François-Paul Journe
Speaker         Stephen McDonnell
Speaker         Claude Sfeir
Speaker         Philippe Dufour

12:00 – 13:00 Dynamic Changes
Moderator    Ariel Adams
Speaker        Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
Speaker        Elizabeth Doerr
Speaker        Aurel Bacs
Speaker        Carine Maillard

15:00 – 16:00 100 Years of Watches
Moderator    Alexander Friedman
Speaker         John Reardon
Speaker         Philippe Dufour
Speaker         Christian Selmoni

17:00 – 18:00 Starting your own Brand
Moderator    Aurel Bacs
Speaker         Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
Speaker         Philippe Dufour
Speaker         Benoit Mîntiens
Speaker         Maximillian Busser

Saturday, November 19

10:00 – 11:00 What Makes the Value of a Watch
Moderator    Ian Skellern
Speaker         Nicholas Biebuyck
Speaker         Claude Sfeir
Speaker         Stephen Forsey
Speaker         Giulio Papi

12:00 – 13:00 Metiers d’Art – The Art of Creativity
Moderator    Elizabeth Doerr
Speaker         Fabrizio Buonamassa
Speaker         Christian Selmoni
Speaker         Pascal Raffy

15:00 – 16:00 Brand Ambassadors   
Moderator    Elizabeth Doerr
Speaker         François-Henry Bennahmias
Speaker         Reya Abirashid
Speaker         Nicholas Biebuyck

16:30 – 17:30 Power of Influence
Moderator    Remy Julia
Speaker         SJX
Speaker         Melika Yazdjerdi
Speaker         Paul O’Neil
Speaker         Ariel Adams

Follow the red arrow to Dubai Watch Week at the DIFC

Dubai Watch Week 2016 also welcomes a new addition to its program called the Creative Hub. This is a platform in which brands launch limited edition timepieces designed specifically for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and highlight new collections coming to the region. These will exclusively be revealed during Dubai Watch Week 2016. Additionally, guests can book a watchmaking Master Class with famous watchmakers such as Antoine Preziuso, Vianney Halter, and Andreas Strehler.

More than 100 historical museum pieces will be on display in the region’s largest watch exhibition to date called “The Mastery of Time,” an exhibition curated by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH). This exposition is designed to educate visitors on the significance of the historical timepieces in a fascinating retrospective display of the ages.

“The Mastery of Time” as well as the exhibition “24 Hours in the Life of a Swiss Cuckoo Clock” take place in the Grand Atrium of the Dubai Mall, a truly expansive location making for a fitting backdrop for these exhibits. Visitors can likewise learn more about the HH Academy and Certification.

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève also presents the winning watches from the 2016 edition of the awards ceremony taking place on November 10, 2016 in Geneva. This exhibition located at the Ayyam Gallery of the DIFC enables Dubai Watch Week attendees to discover the competition’s prize-winning timepieces in the metal.

Guests enjoyed a “Conversation with Stephen Forsey” at Dubai Watch Week 2015

The “Horological Movements” exhibition, which focuses on watch movements and complications, likewise takes place at the Ayyam Gallery. The Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons-curated activation “Make Time Your Own” provides visitors with the opportunity to experience varying relationships with time.

The first edition of Dubai Watch Week included an exhibition of independent watchmaking called “Rebels of Horology” celebrating timepieces by independent watchmakers including Bovet, Cabestan, De Bethune, Greubel Forsey, Hautlence, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, H. Moser & Cie, Richard Mille, and Urwerk.

The 2016 edition of Dubai Watch Week is also set to showcase various brands, this time including the A.H.C.I.

Listening to a discussion panel at Dubai Watch Week 2015, I noticed the wrists of my neighbors (this caliber of watches was not unusual for many of the visitors of the exhibition)

As winter sets in in the northern hemisphere, Dubai Watch Week week is the perfect place to warm up surrounded by the world’s finest contemporary watches and watchmakers; and the discussion forums are sure to be both educational and entertaining. We hope to see you there.

For more information, please visit www.dubaiwatchweek.com.