-
Christmas
By CollectionBy CategoryBy Popular Brand
-
Diamonds
By Category
-
Engagement
By Category
-
Weddings
Featured
- Jewellery
By CategoryBy Metal TypeBy GemstoneBy BrandBy Edit- Watches
By CategoryBy CollectionBy Luxury BrandBy Designer Brand- Rolex
FeaturedBy Collection- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
- Brands
FeaturedBrands A-Z- Pre-Owned
- Sale
Sale JewelleryBy Price- Sell Your Watch
Sell your watchWe will expertly assess your watch and offer you
a competitive and accurate valuation for the
watch you wish to sell to us.Free Instant Valuation
Drop off at any Showroom
Unrivalled Knowledge & Expertise- Editorial
- Jewellery
- Shop by Category
- Christmas
- Diamonds
- Engagement Rings
- Weddings
-
Jewellery
- Back
- Jewellery Offers
- Shop All Jewellery
- Jewellery Home
- By Category
- By Metal Type
- By Gemstone
-
By Brand
- 886 by The Royal Mint
- Amor
- Bijoux Birks
- BOSS
- Calvin Klein
- Chopard
- Emporio Armani
- Fabergé
- FOPE
- FRED
- Georg Jensen
- Goldsmiths
- Gucci
- Jenny Packham
- Kiki McDonough
- Lauren By Ralph Lauren
- Mappin & Webb
- Marco Bicego
- MARIA TASH
- Messika
- Michael Kors
- Olivia Burton
- Pasquale Bruni
- Pomellato
- Repossi
- Roberto Coin
- Skagen
- Susan Caplan
- SUZANNE KALAN
- SWAROVSKI
- Ted Baker
- THOMAS SABO
- Tommy Hilfiger
- By Edit
-
Watches
- Back
- Watch Offers
- Shop All Watches
- Watches Home
- By Category
- By Collection
-
By Luxury Brand
- Rolex
- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
- BALL
- Bamford
- Baume & Mercier
- Bell & Ross
- Breitling
- Bremont
- Cartier
- CHANEL
- Chopard
- DOXA
- Frederique Constant
- Girard-Perregaux
- Glashütte Original
- Grand Seiko
- Gucci
- Hublot
- ID Genève
- IWC Schaffhausen
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Junghans
- Longines
- MeisterSinger
- Montblanc
- Nivada Grenchen
- NOMOS Glashütte
- NORQAIN
- OMEGA
- Oris
- Panerai
- Piaget
- Rado
- RAYMOND WEIL
- TAG Heuer
- TUDOR
- Ulysse Nardin
- ZENITH
- By Designer Brand
- Rolex
- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
-
Brands
- Back
- View All Brands
-
A-Z
- Rolex Watches
- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
- 886 by The Royal Mint
- Accurist
- Amor
- Arnold & Son
- BALL
- Bamford
- Baume & Mercier
- Bell & Ross
- Bijoux Birks
- BOSS
- Breitling
- Bremont
- BVLGARI
- Calvin Klein
- Cartier
- Certina
- CHANEL
- Chopard
- Citizen
- Czapek
- DOXA
- Emporio Armani
- Encelade 1789
- Fabergé
- Fendi
- FOPE
- FRED
- Frederique Constant
- Garmin
- Georg Jensen
- Gerald Charles
- Girard-Perregaux
- Glashütte Original
- Goldsmiths
- Grand Seiko
- Gucci
- Hamilton
- Hublot
- ID Genève
- IKEPOD
- IWC Schaffhausen
- Jacob & Co
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Jenny Packham
- Kiki McDonough
- Lauren By Ralph Lauren
- Longines
- Louis Erard
- Mappin & Webb
- Marco Bicego
- MARIA TASH
- Maurice Lacroix
- Michael Kors
- Messika
- Mondaine
- Montblanc
- Nivada Grenchen
- NOMOS Glashütte
- NORQAIN
- Olivia Burton
- OMEGA
- Oris
- Panerai
- Parmigiani Fleurier
- Pasquale Bruni
- Piaget
- Pomellato
- QLOCKTWO
- Rado
- RAYMOND WEIL
- Repossi
- Roberto Coin
- Rolex
- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
- Seiko
- Skagen
- Susan Caplan
- SUZANNE KALAN
- SWAROVSKI
- TAG Heuer
- Ted Baker
- THOMAS SABO
- Tissot
- Tommy Hilfiger
- TUDOR
- Ulysse Nardin
- Vivienne Westwood
- William Wood Watches
- WOLF
- ZENITH
-
Pre-Owned
- Back
- Shop All Pre-Owned
- Pre-Owned Home
- By Category
-
By Brand
- Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
- Pre-Owned Patek Philippe
- Pre-Owned TAG Heuer
- Pre-Owned Cartier
- Pre-Owned Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Pre-Owned Breitling
- Pre-Owned OMEGA
- Pre-Owned Longines
- Pre-Owned Tudor
- Pre-Owned IWC
- Pre-Owned Panerai
- Pre-Owned Blancpain
- Pre-Owned Breguet
- Pre-Owned Chopard
- Pre-Owned Rado
- Pre-Owned Vacheron Constantin
- Pre-Owned Zenith
- SALE
- Sell Your Watch
- Editorial
- My Account
- Wishlist
- Store Finder
- Book an Appointment
- Help & Support
Dubai Watch Week is re-writing the rule book on watch fairs
By Robin Swithinbank | 3 minute read
Closing out a year in which the once mighty, now sadly depleted Baselworld was forced to postpone and the new-look Watches & Wonders went ‘digital only’, it fell to last month’s Dubai Watch Week to fan the flames of horological passion with five days of in-person panels, masterclasses, and special exhibition – as well as a watch launch or two.
More than 40 brands assembled at the Gate in Dubai’s International Finance Centre for the fifth (biennial) edition of the Middle East’s premier watch event, including the headliners Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Hublot, although not all brought new watches with them. Of those that did, Girard-Perregaux had the lion’s share, revealing a suite of new pieces to close off its 230th anniversary, including a stunning wristwatch inspired by its 1889 La Esmerelda Tourbillon pocket watch, and a pair of enamel-dialled steel Laureatos dubbed the ‘Eternity’ editions.
Oris wasn’t far behind with a pairing of its own. First was a stylish, colourful revamp of its Rectangular collection (the blue and Bordeaux variants are simply terrific), but the hero was the Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403. Back in the summer, Oris created a limited-edition version of its signature design powered by its new in-house automatic, but at just 250 pieces, it left Oris fans wondering when the brand would introduce a collection piece.
Now it has. As with Oris’s other Calibre 400 Series watches, this humble-looking piece packs a five-day power reserve, the sort of antimagnetic properties that should mean it’s never magnetised during ‘normal’ use, and a 10-year warranty. For a watch costing £2,600, that’s highly impressive.
Sticking with newness, H. Moser & Cie.’s Heritage Bronze ‘Since 1828’ Limited Edition returned the brand to its Russian roots with a dial carrying a version of the company’s logo written in Cyrillic, while high-end independent watchmaker Greubel Forsey signalled its intentions to grow its story with the Balancier S2, a 46.5mm titanium piece that sits at the lower end of its price spectrum (although it will still come in at around £165,000). Ulysse Nardin was in a fresh mood too, adding another version of its fine-watchmaking dive watch, the Diver X Skeleton Black, this time with a bezel made of a carbon-fibre material called ‘Carbonium’ and punchy yellow accents.
Dubai Watch Week isn’t really about new watches, though. It’s about conversations, sharing ideas and celebrating watchmaking. Panels devoted to subject matters as diverse as sustainability, cryptocurrency and the art of collecting were welcome (and now on YouTube), and cast light on where the industry is heading.
All told, some 15,000 people visited Dubai Watch Week this year. That’s up from 9,000 two years ago and no small achievement given the effects of the pandemic, but still small by watch fair standards (at its peak Baselworld attracted more than 100,000). But what it showed was that regional, less formal, more conversational fairs taking place around the world are the future. In a globalised world where people are increasingly thinking locally, the model makes sense, after all. Long live the – regional – watch fair!
Robin Swithinbank is an independent journalist and former Calibre editor. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times International, Financial Times, GQ, Hodinkee and Robb Report.
Sign Up For Calibre Newsletter
Get a round up of the latest stories from Calibre every month, directly to your inbox.
© 2024 Goldsmiths
Goldsmiths is a trading name of Watches of Switzerland Company Limited. Registered Office: Aurum House, 2 Elland Road, Braunstone, Leicester, LE3 1TT, Registered in England and Wales, Company number 00146087. Registered VAT Number 834 8634 04. Watches of Switzerland Company Limited acts as a broker and not a lender and offers finance from Secure Trust Bank PLC trading as V12 Retail Finance and PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH trading as PayPal Credit. Watches of Switzerland Company Limited is authorised and regulated by the Finance Conduct Authority. Our registration number is 308710. Credit provided is subject to age and status, minimum spend applies. Terms and Conditions apply. UK residents only. We may receive a commission if your application is successful, and the amount may vary depending on the product chosen and the amount of credit taken out. Not all products are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and FOS protection will not be extended to unregulated agreements. Please note the Consumer Credit Act states that should your purchase / loan amount cost more than £30,000 you will not be covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
*Next day delivery available on most items. See product pages for more information.