Geneva has SIHH, Basel has Baselworld, now the UAE has the Dubai Watch Week, a dedicated event for ardent timepiece lovers and experts alike.
Launching on October 18, and running until October 22, Dubai Watch Week, spearheaded by luxury retailer group Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, will encompass retails events, watch auctions, educational seminars, exclusive round table discussions and exhibitions of exquisite watches participating in the upcoming Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve watch industry awards show.
The highly anticipated event is the first of its kind in the UAE, and a welcome addition.
Dubai Watch Week, which is under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and in association with The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, is a non-commercial fair aimed at key industry influencers from the global watch sector. Its aim is to create a platform for attendees to engage with some of worlds most recognised watch personalities, collectors, bloggers and brands.
The fair will take place at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), with curated programmes presented across key art galleries located in the Gate Village.
Some of the most exquisite watches will go on display during exhibitions at Dubai Watch Week
Here’s a breakdown of Dubai Watch Week highlights:
Exhibitions
Grand Prix D’horlogerie De Genève (GPHG)
Offering an intimate insight into the world of exceptional timepieces, the 2015 GPHG exhibition will bring together the biggest stars of the horology industry. The annual travelling exhibition enables the audience to discover watches that have been pre-selected by the jury.
The exhibition will take place in the Opera Gallery located in the DIFC from October 18 to 21, 2015.
Rebels Of Horology
A journey of discovery into the passion and dedication of unique individuals who have broken the boundaries of traditional watchmaking. Independent watchmakers create timepieces from scratch, hand-polishing them with simple tools, with an annual output of as few as 30 pieces.
Dubai Watch Week, in partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, will be hosting a unique exhibition in collaboration with some of the independent watch brands from the Seddiqi portfolio. Each participating brand will be represented by their exceptional timepieces, whose creations having crossed the realm of innovation.
The exhibition will take place in the Farjam Gallery located in the DIFC from 18th to 22nd October, 2015.
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Conversations
The Conversations allow enthusiasts to talk to some of the most powerful influencers of the watch – it’s the fashion equivalent of sitting next to Karl Lagerfeld or Alber Elbaz at a dinner table and having a chat about all things style.
Part of a VIP programme, the conversations are hosted by several brands from the independent watch sector and will provide a rare opportunity for watch connoisseurs to listen to the tale of an independent journey taken by the Rebels of Horology.
So unique is this opportunity that all conversations, which run from October 18 to 22, are accessible only by invitation, to find out more about the roundtable discussion, please send us an email to vipprogram@dubaiwatchweek.com with your complete details (including name, company, address) and the talk that you are interested in attending.
Miroslava Duma will be speaking at the Art of Horology Forum on October 22, 2015. Discussing watches as a fashion statement.
Watchmaking Masterclass
Learn how to put together some of the world’s most famous complications by the industry’s most respected watchmakers. Accessible by invitation only, the master classes will be held each day during Dubai Watch Week where the attendees will have the opportunity to go through a session held by the celebrities of the watch industry.
Each watchmaking master class is limited nine people and preregistration is required. Email vipprogram@dubaiwatchweek.com with your complete details (including name, company and address).
The watchmaking master-classes will take place at the Artspace Gallery located in the DIFC from October 18 to 22, 2015.
The Dubai Watch Week programmes offer unique opportunities to advance in the industry
Special Programmes
To support the watch industry and raise awareness for the art of watchmaking, the Dubai Watch Week has developed special programmes to generate interest and bring people closer to the horological world.
There are three special programmes:
Seddiqi Scholarship
In association with WOSTEP, a highly regarded watch school based in Switzerland, Dubai Watch Week, in partnership with Seddiqi Holding, will be offering a US$35,000 scholarship to a potential watch enthusiast to attend a complete watchmaking course.
To apply, visit here.
SWS Internship
In partnership with Swiss Watch Service (SWS), the first internship programme will be launched at the first edition of the Dubai Watch Week. The three months programme is aimed at fresh graduates from international watch schools, who are looking to develop their talent in the regions only state-of-the-art service centre
To apply, visit here.
Mentorship
The mentorship programme is aimed at respected writers and journalists who want to specialise in writing about timepieces. It is a one-month, one-to-one mentorship programme. For the first edition of the mentorship program, we have selected a panel of distinguished writers who will select one protégé for 2015. The winner will spend a month with his or her mentor.
To apply, visit here.
To view the whole schedule visit here. Dubai Watch Week will run from October 18 to 22
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