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Official Dates Revealed for Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026; UAE Economy Projected to Grow 5.1% in 2025
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Market News
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Official Dates Revealed for Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026
Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 will take place from Tuesday 14 to Monday 20 April 2026. Brands, professionals, journalists and watch enthusiasts from all over the world will come together for the occasion. The week will be the focus of all attention, featuring newsworthy highlights befitting an event that has become truly unmissable. From the Salon to the city center, the proven format continues. A more ambitious program will immerse all audiences in an unparalleled watchmaking experience. Innovation, younger generations and In The City animations will also take on greater importance.
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UAE Economy Projected to Grow 5.1% in 2025
Economic growth in the UAE is expected to remain strong, with a projected expansion of 5.1% in 2025, up from 3.8% in the previous year. This projection comes from the Q2 economic update by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), in collaboration with Oxford Economics. The forecast attributes the growth to a significant recovery in oil production and continued strength in the non-oil sectors, driven by international trade, tourism, and advancements in technology. UAE oil output is anticipated to average 3.8 million barrels per day by 2027, aligned with strategic goals to increase capacity to 5 million bpd. |
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Company News
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De Bethune Announces Leadership Transition
After more than fifteen years of dedicated leadership, Pierre Jacques has announced his decision to step down from his executive role at De Bethune, effective this summer, to focus on new personal and professional ventures. He will remain closely involved with the brand as Honorary President and will lead a seamless transition in collaboration with co-founder and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet and De Bethune’s Executive Chairman Justin Reis. Appointed CEO in 2011, Pierre Jacques played a pivotal role in accelerating De Bethune’s development, helping to establish it as one of the most respected independent maisons in Swiss Haute Horlogerie. |
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Product Launch
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Shapes of Extraleganza by Piaget
Shapes of Extraleganza, delves deep into the daring, shapeshifting, playful elegance that is the essence of the Maison’s unmistakable style. Following last year’s Essence of Extraleganza, this is the second in a trilogy of collections exploring Piaget’s creative roots in the 1960s and 70s, maximising and modernising concepts, pushing boundaries of both design and craftsmanship, challenging preconceptions, reinvigorating the Maison’s original audacity and bold ingenuity. The 2025 High Jewellery collection in the Extraleganza series deep dives into the Piaget’s heritage. Experimental, unexpected yet with warm echoes of familiarity, Shapes of Extraleganza is a study in form, colour, texture, light and volume, a supremely sophisticated evolution of Piaget’s high-energy play of shapes. |
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Breitling Reveals the Updated Superocean Heritage
The Superocean Heritage is back – sharper, sleeker, and ready for a season of sun and surf. Breitling’s most elegant sea watch has been refined in all the right ways, balancing vintage style with breezy modern sophistication. Every detail has been fine-tuned, from the size assortment to the addition of the new B31 manufacture movement. With this refreshed design, Breitling is also rolling out a limited edition co-designed by surfing G.O.A.T. Kelly Slater and a sunglasses collaboration with Cutler and Gross, all of it made to move effortlessly between the waves and the waterfront. |
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Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and Ressence Introduce the TYPE 9 S75
Ahmed Seddiqi and Ressence present a unique edition of the TYPE 9 to celebrate the retailer’s 75th anniversary. Limited to just 20 pieces, the TYPE 9 S75 features a dial filled with real sand sourced in equal proportions from the dunes of all seven Emirates of the U.A.E. The result is an inimitable, fully functional mechanical watch that brings the texture of the desert into motion, without compromising the purity and clarity of the dial. The TYPE 9 is visually stripped down to its essence, indicating only hours and minutes. It incorporates traditional horological finishes, such as titanium-circled details, fluid lugs that integrate smoothly with a sleek 20/18mm strap, and a bezel that serves as the Minute indicator.
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Discover the Strike Two Novelties by Chronoswiss
Chronoswiss has unveiled two new mechanical icons in the Strike Two series: the Stellar Blue and the Nugget. Both interpretations embody the signature horizontal regulator layout, but each carries a radically different spirit — one forged in celestial precision, the other in timeless gold. Each a unique vision of modern mechanical artistry and Limited to 100 pieces. Two interpretations of precision. Two ways to strike. Inspired by the velocity of starlight, this edition is housed in a 40mm, matte grey, stainless steel case and features a deep blue CVD-coated dial - hand-guillochéd in radiant straight-line patterns. The result is a timepiece that evokes cosmic movement and mechanical harmony. With a silver-rhodinated guilloché subdial and exposed gears floating beneath two bold bridges, the Stellar Blue is built for those who look forward - at light speed.
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Introducing Baguette Design
Baguette Design, a distinguished fine jewelry brand, has recently announced its mission to empower women with pieces that exude strength and individuality. Named after the Baguette diamond cut, renowned for its uniqueness and resilience, Baguette Design is dedicated to creating high-quality jewelry that allows women to make a bold statement in their everyday lives and for special occasions. Inspired by the rich history and allure of the Baguette cuts, Baguette Design draws on the key elements of uniqueness and strength that this specific cut represents. Each piece is a testament to the brand's commitment to creating strong, empowering designs for equally strong women, accentuating their femininity with every wear. |
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Exhibitions & Events
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GJEPC Welcomes Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, Consul General of India, San Francisco, to India Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas 2025
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) extended a warm welcome to Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, Consul General of India, San Francisco, during his visit to the India Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas 2025, North America’s premier jewellery trade show. Mr. Kirit Bhansali, Chairman, GJEPC, greeted Dr. Reddy at the Pavilion. Also present during the visit were Shri Dnyaneshwar Patil, IAS, Development Commissioner, SEEPZ, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President CIBJO and Mr. Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC, along with others. India continues to cement its position as a global powerhouse in the gem and jewellery industry, and its strong presence at JCK Las Vegas 2025 is testament to this leadership. GJEPC is spearheading India’s participation through several initiatives including the India Pavilion, the curated India Design Gallery, and the immersive India Experience Lounge. |
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Progress Continues on the Vicenza Expo Centre Expansion
The new heart of Italian Exhibition Group’s (IEG) Expo Centre in Vicenza is starting to take shape. Six months after laying the foundation stone, the construction site is now displaying the first outer walls of the 22,000-square-metre two-level building, designed by pre-eminent architect Volkwin Marg from Hamburg-based Studio GMP. The timeline set by IEG for the development work at its Vicenza premises is progressing perfectly to schedule in accordance with the announced timetable and is preparing to enter a new phase: by the end of June, assembly work on the impressive prefabricated body, which will be positioned inside the outer walls currently under construction and already partly visible, will begin. |
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GJEPC Signs Historic Luanda Accord that Commits 1% of Rough Sales Revenue to Global Natural Diamond Marketing
In a watershed step to boost consumer demand for natural diamonds, GJEPC joined top diamond-producing nations and industry bodies in signing the Luanda Accord on 18th June 2025. The signatories - including mining ministers of Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and DRC, in collaboration with GJEPC, AWDC, DMCC and De Beers - pledged to contribute 1% of annual rough diamond revenues to fund a global marketing campaign spearheaded by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC). |
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