Dubai Watch Week returns in 2021 as a pivotal platform of the Horology Industry

· Leading global watch show to exhibit largest ever number of luxury and exclusive brands

· Fifth Edition set to run its rich, education-focused programme bridging horology, affiliate industries and entertainment

· Partners include Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), Christie’s and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

Dubai, UAE: Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), Dubai Watch Week will see the global watch industry reunite for the fifth edition of the event from 24th to 28th November 2021.

Founded by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons in 2015, the largest and most prominent non-commercial watch event in the Middle East has confirmed the presence of over 45 leading watch brands — the highest number of participating exhibitors to date. Visitors will enjoy free access to the event and will be able to immerse themselves and interact with the most notable and iconic watch brands in the industry including Rolex, Audemars Piguet, TUDOR, Hublot and Chopard all of whom will have standalone and interactive spaces on site.

Participating brands also include Akrivia, Armin Strom, Beauregard, Bell & Ross, Bovet 1822, Breitling, BVLGARI, Christophe Claret, Chronoswiss, Corum, Czapek, De Bethune, F.P. Journe, Ferdinand Berthoud, Frederique Constant, GENUS Watches, Girard-Perregaux, GoS, Greubel Forsey, H. Moser & Cie, Jacob & Co, Konstantin Chaykin, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Erard, Louis Moinet, Ludovic Ballouard, MB&F, MeisterSinger, Mont Blanc, Montres KF, Moritz Grossmann,

Norqain, Oris, PURNELL, REBELLION Timepieces, RESERVOIR-watch, Ressence, Schwarz Etienne, Singer Reimagined, TAG Heuer, Trilobe, Ulysse Nardin and Urwerk. WatchBox, the leading destination for pre-owned luxury timepieces, is also set to return with a unique space on site.

Constantly evolving, Dubai Watch Week will launch a Collector’s Lounge; set to gather watch lovers from across the globe. A dedicated space for watch connoisseurs to discuss the latest watch releases and horology news while interacting with peers and industry leaders, the Collector’s Lounge will also showcase the unique limited editions conceptualized by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons to commemorate the UAE’s 50th anniversary. The lounge will also feature pieces from Buben & Zorweg and Miki Eleta.

“The significance of Dubai Watch Week 2021 is apparent now more than ever, for the industry, and the economy,” says Hind Seddiqi, Director General of Dubai Watch Week.

“This year’s event will be the most engaging edition yet as we continue to transform and drive forward innovation within the watch industry. We look forward to reuniting for a moment in time with our local and global community as we celebrate our fifth edition alongside the UAE’s golden jubilee. We look forward to hosting everyone onsite – from collectors to curious residents to the youth – who can all get involved with the exciting programme.

“Our ongoing partnerships intersect multiple industries. Along with leading watch brands, pre-eminent speakers, and guests from around the world — coupled with entertainment and home-grown & international food concepts — our objective is to create an educational, experiential, and networking event like no other, one that we too continue to learn from. Dubai Watch Week is an unprecedented and inclusive experience, influencing the evolution of the global watch industry in a city that prioritises culture and innovation.”

Dubai Watch Week’s diverse programme is also set to return with event highlights including the renowned Horology Forum — a thought-provoking series of panel discussions exploring themes

and topics from “Alignment of online personas with actual identities” to “NFTs and cryptocurrencies in luxury”; masterclasses — hands-on workshops led by expert artisans; as well as the Creative Hub. As an educational and cultural platform, the programme is aimed at cultivating and sharing horological knowledge, learning from industry peers, as well as celebrating the mastery of watchmaking with everyone from brands to collectors, industry aficionados to art and culture seekers. Whilst certain programmes require pre-booking on the website, everyone is invited to explore the space spanning over 70,000 sqm in the heart of Dubai’s financial district.

A key cultural and lifestyle event on Dubai’s calendar, Dubai Watch Week brings the culture and tradition of watchmaking to the Middle East in conjunction with long-term partners, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the region’s leading retailer of luxury watches and jewellery, who founded the event in 2015; Dubai Culture & Arts Authority; Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE); Christie’s, the world’s leading art business; and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading international financial hub for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

The one-of-a-kind platform has evolved into one of international significance, an open-to-all event bringing some of the most knowledgeable and creative minds in the industry together to build relationships, network and engage in conversations around horology, watchmaking and beyond. The biennial event — which attracted over 9,000 visitors in 2019 — works to intersect with affiliated industries, bridge communities and further cement Dubai as a cultural hub championing education, innovation, and technological advancement.

Located under The Gate in DIFC, the purpose-built event space creates an inclusive and intimate environment for all exhibitors and visitors while offering independent and smaller brands a platform alongside industry leaders. Curated selections of heritage timepieces and seasonal collections in the Brands Exhibition will ensure that there is something new to see and experience across each of the five days, including the winning watches from the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2021.

Admission and participation for programme events can be registered for via the website, with free entrance for all.

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About Dubai Watch Week

Founded in 2015 by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, Dubai Watch Week is a biennial event that provides an educational platform for the purpose of sharing knowledge, building connections, and celebrating watchmaking. A pioneer in the industry, Dubai Watch Week aims to bridge communities and establish itself as a key event in the Dubai calendar.

About Dubai Arts & Culture Authority

On 8th March 2008, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched Dubai Culture & Arts Authority to be the custodian entity of the cultural and creative sector in the emirate, based on its cultural responsibility towards Dubai and to help define it at the local and global levels, enabling and developing these sectors to consolidate the emirate’s position as an active global centre for creativity. In August 2020, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued a law to transfer Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children to Dubai Culture, becoming an entity under its organisational structure. His Highness also issued a law in May 2021 to affiliate the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation to Dubai Culture to promote the strategic alignment of the cultural sector and raise it to a level that would enhances Dubai’s position on the global cultural map.

Under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture, the Authority is committed to enriching the cultural scene of the emirate, based on the heritage of the United Arab Emirates, and is working on building bridges of constructive dialogue between various civilisations and cultures to enhance Dubai’s position as a global centre for art and culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

The Authority is also committed to reviving Dubai’s history and highlighting the splendid image of its contemporary cultural fabric through a series of innovative cultural initiatives, events, and projects, as well as the cultural, historical and heritage assets it sponsors, including the management of five of the city’s notable heritage monuments, six museums, and eight branches of Dubai Public Libraries.

Dubai Culture is working to develop regulatory frameworks for the cultural and creative sectors in Dubai, based on the priorities of its strategic roadmap for 2020 – 2026 and on the enablers that contribute to its realisation to seek and support talents and stimulate active participation from all segments of society. The aim is to create an economic system that stimulates creative industries and reinforces Dubai’s position as a global cultural destination, in addition to its cultural responsibility of safeguarding the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the emirate.

About Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment

The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) is responsible for developing Dubai’s retail and festival sectors and supporting the positioning of Dubai as a world-class tourism destination with year-round family entertainment, shopping and events.

About Christie’s

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai). Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvador Mundi, 2017), for a single collection sale (the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, 2018), and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019). Christie’s Private Sales offers a seamless service for buying and selling art, jewellery and watches outside of the auction calendar, working exclusively with Christie’s specialists at a client’s individual pace. Recent innovations at Christie’s include the ground breaking sale of the first NFT for a digital work of art ever offered at a major auction house (Beeple’s Everydays, March 2021), with the unprecedented acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of payment. As an industry leader in digital innovation, Christie’s also continues to pioneer new technologies that are redefining the business of art, including the creation of viewing and bidding experiences that integrate augmented reality, global livestreaming, buy-now channels, and hybrid sales formats. Christie’s is dedicated to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and communities worldwide, including achieving sustainability through net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and actively using its platform in the art world to amplify under-represented voices and support positive change. Browse, bid, discover, and join us for the best of art and luxury at: www.christies.com or by downloading Christie’s apps. The COVID-related re-opening status of our global locations is available here

About Dubai International Financial Centre

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is one of the world’s most advanced financial centres, and the leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), which comprises 72 countries with an approximate population of 3 billion and a nominal GDP of USD 7.7 trillion.

With a 17-year track record of facilitating trade and investment flows across the MEASA region, the Centre connects these fast-growing markets with the economies of Asia, Europe and the Americas through Dubai.

DIFC is home to an internationally recognised, independent regulator and a proven judicial system with an English common law framework, as well as the region’s largest financial ecosystem of almost 28,000 professionals working across over 3,200 active registered companies – making up the largest and most diverse pool of industry talent in the region.

The Centre’s vision is to drive the future of finance. Today, it offers one of the region’s most comprehensive FinTech and venture capital environments, including cost-effective licensing solutions, fit-for-purpose regulation, innovative accelerator programmes, and funding for growth-stage start-ups.

Comprising a variety of world-renowned retail and dining venues, a dynamic art and culture scene, residential apartments, hotels and public spaces, DIFC continues to be one of Dubai’s most sought-after business and lifestyle destinations.

Media Contacts
Shruti Dileep – Senior Media Relations Executive E: media@dubaiwatchweek.com
D. +971 (0) 4 511 8605

Sami AlGhadban – Media Relations Manager E: sami.alghadban@ogilvy.com
D. +971 (0) 4 305 0329

© Press Release 2021