For nearly four years Dubai Watch Week is fully committed to providing resources, services and opportunities to the global watch community. Can you please elaborate on how this event has lived up to the commitment and what has been the key to its success.
Since its inception, Dubai Watch Week has provided consistent and evolutive programmes in order to encourage the transmission of knowledge relating to watchmaking. Our Horology Forum panel topics allow open access to some of the greatest and keenest minds in the industry, encouraging flee-flowing debate that anyone can attend and learn from. Our creative hubs connect brands, sponsors and partners with the relevant audience, whether it be global media, VIP clients or industry peers. In addition, our masterclasses offer a dedicated space for the showcasing of the skilled work that has been beautifully mastered by artisans in the field of watchmaking and the métiers d’art. The key to our success has been a consistent and considered offering that caters to the need of our visitors, brands and partners.
The Dubai Watch Week is recognized as a significant event for the watch industry at large. How important is it for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and for the UAE market?
Dubai Watch Week has established itself as a key event for the watch industry and is now an important date on its global calendar. As the founders of the event, we are particularly proud of the growth of Dubai Watch Week as we believe it offers added value to our customers, to our brands, to the region’s collector base and to watch enthusiasts who wish to gain better access to the industry.
In your opinion, what has “Dubai Watch Week” archived locally and regionally?
I believe that Dubai Watch Week’s success lies in its ability to connect local, regional and international audiences, uniting people in their common interest in watchmaking.
Swiss watch exports to the UAE and the region in particular is showing a decline. How do you reason for this and what are your expectations? What role can the “Dubai Watch Week” perform in reversing this trend and in enhancing sales?
Whilst this may be a current trend, the demand for quality Swiss timepieces in the UAE and the region remains high. Dubai Watch Week helps to support the industry by engaging customers and collectors and offering them unique opportunities in which to learn and discover more about fine watchmaking; interaction with brand CEOs, watchmaking classes that highlight the value of hand assembled watches and creative hubs that allow access to global launches and limited edition pieces.
The 4th edition of Dubai Watch Week focuses on the theme “Innovation and technology”. Can you explain this further and tell us what we can expect. Will the “Innovation and technology” open the event’s doors to smart watches?
The aim of this theme is to offer an exciting and immersive platform in which to learn more about the horological world. Since the inception of the watchmaking, the intersection of radical thought coupled with technical ability has allowed for the industry’s progress. Whether it relates to disruptive messaging, sophisticated complications, research & development or transmission of knowledge, we champion all the ways that innovation & technology have been championed in order to take our visitors on a dynamic journey of discovery.