Aventi Newsletter Issue 15: A Reflection on Dubai Watch Week

As highlighted by numerous publications, categorizing Dubai Watch Week as a conventional #watch fair is very much limited. The Dubai event embodies an intricate and integrated concept where #timepieces serve as a focal point but transcend mere functionality, becoming mediums to convey a sense of #luxury and community. Above all, Dubai Watch Week amalgamates the essence of a luxury community within a functional space.

Describing it in such terms might seem challenging, but experiencing it firsthand renders a complete understanding. Let's delve into the fundamentals.

Dubai Watch Week's Structure

For those who haven't attended, Dubai Watch Week is a biennial exhibition organized by the largest distributor of watch brands in the Middle East, Ahmed Seddiqui and Sons. This year, it returned to its "historic" venue, The Gate at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), situated opposite the distinctive ring-shaped Museum of the Future (MOFT). An esplanade, accessible by a flight of steps, leads to the roof dominated by The Gate's distinctive building.

Within this open space, a series of temporary structures were erected, articulated around a central gallery housing the exhibition of GPHG 2023 winners and hosting the booths of smaller companies. Scattered across the compound were enclosed structures dedicated to individual companies or events, like the conference hall hosting talks.

Apart from the brand's showrooms, the compound also housed various components of the watch supply chain, from technical training to brokerage services. A Christie's booth offered advice and conducted appraisals, while an area was dedicated to the vintage phenomenon, even offering educational activities for children. The entire complex was open to the public through registration at counters located at either end of the space.

Essentially, the exhibition resembled a watchmaking mall, comprising showrooms that did not directly sell products.

However, during discussions with industry professionals representing participating brands, they acknowledged that their companies received significantly more orders than they could eventually fulfill.

On-site Integration

The event's director, Hind Seddiqi, excelled in her role. Not only did she steer the event to capture global #watchmaking attention, particularly in relation to the Swiss watch industry following the closure of Basel World and the debut of Watches & Wonders, but she also encouraged participating brands to extend their initiatives beyond The Gate compound into Dubai’s downtown and over the country. This led them to organize targeted meetings at various other locations across the Emirate.

This long-term strategy aims to expand the watchmaking niche, integrating it with other luxury market segments. The participation of speakers from diverse sectors like #fashion, #jewelry, and #automotive in the discussions further emphasizes this integration. The goal was to facilitate the exchange of values, providing an inclusive experience for High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI) who flocked to this temporary haven of luxury.

Horology Market Trends

A platform like Dubai Watch Week offers an ideal perspective for assessing prevailing trends, particularly in the high-end market. Our observations confirmed a trend previously identified in recent years, now solidifying month after month: a distinct upsurge in the sector's sense of luxury.

Despite the consolidation of Maisons into luxury conglomerates, there has been a grassroots movement that favored the birth of new, interesting companies. Credited in part to individuals like Vincent Calabrese and Sven Andersen, founders of the prestigious Academie Horlogere des Createurs Independants, the essence of watchmakers personally crafting and signing their products has been reinstated.

Consequently, this revival has birthed numerous small, high-, and often, very high-end manufacturers. These modern artisans continue to spearhead real evolution and experimentation in contemporary watchmaking. Most of these esteemed ateliers were present at Dubai Watch Week, engaging with customers, admirers, and even critics, fostering an environment for exchange and dialogue based on shared values rooted in a passion for watchmaking.

Two prominent trends emerged, often interweaving within the showcased timepieces and the selection of watches honored during the GPHG 2023:

1. Luxurification/Artistry
2. Technologization

In the former, watches are crafted using increasingly noble materials. Cases materials embrace #gold, #platinum, or other unconventional materials like ceramic, sapphire crystal, and composite materials. This ongoing experimentation in material research combines traditional manual techniques of goldsmith decoration with incredible advancements in modern technologies, creating results impossible to achieve just a few years ago.

The resurgence of the watch as a #jewel was evident, particularly in the use of enamels, decorations, finishes, and depictions. Van Cleef & Arpels showcased sought-after elegance, merging refined horological technique with creative representations that communicate essential information through animations, figures, and intricate automations.

This trend extends beyond gender stereotypes, impacting both women's and men's watches. Watches adorned with gems and enamels by brands like Piaget and Christian Dior exemplified the exaltation of a new, all-encompassing concept of haute horlogerie, reminiscent of luxury watchmaking styles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Conversely, "naked" watches, akin to motorcycles flaunting their muscles, revealed their mechanisms through large glass surfaces composed of front and back crystals and sapphire crystal cases.

These accomplishments' styles vary. We can find #classical designs, inspired by Lépine and Breguet's experiments, showcasing meticulously finished calibers in adherence to French and Swiss watchmaking traditions—evident in the productions of Jacob & Co and Ferdinand Berthoud.

At the same time, others embrace a hyper-technological design with industrial colors, greys, and blacks, accentuated by materials like #carbon and #titanium, as seen in timepieces from houses like Voutilainen, Aventi, HYT, and Hautlence.

Earlier, we mentioned technique, which undeniably took center stage at the Dubai Watch Week. Complications stole the show, with watches competing in their exhibition, presenting horological art in innovative ways.

The most anticipated watches at the exhibition included MB&F's Architect—a wrist-resting flying saucer—and FP Journe's FFC, featuring a gloved hand reminiscent of Breguet's historic tact watch No. 660 from 1800 but adding the complication of finger counting. These automata and captivating complications seized the spotlight at Dubai Watch Week 2023, potentially steering the trajectory of luxury watches in the next five years.

As per the organization's plans, the Dubai Watch Week is set to become itinerant in 2024, following the 2022 event in New York. We eagerly await details of its next location and date to secure our hotel reservations.

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Read more from our newsletter: Aventi Newsletter Issue 14. The Evolution of Watch Auctions: Trends and Innovations to End 2023