The Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition opens today

on February 24, 2015

2 minutes read

We offer a sneak peek of what to expect at this year’s Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, which officially opens today.

H.E Mr. Issa Bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, the Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority, had the honour of cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening of the 2015 Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha.

He opened the doors for customers to peruse through the jewellery and watch offerings of over 500 different brands from all around the world. And the order of these items in the exhibition’s title is by no means by chance. As Mr Salman Abdul Rahim, General Manager of Paris Gallery, told WorldTempus, “If you look at the size of the stand, 30 per cent is jewellery and 70 per cent is watches in terms of space. But if you look at sales, around 80 per cent is jewellery and only 20 per cent is on watches.”

Unlike many of the world’s major watch and jewellery shows, the emphasis in Doha is on sales to the final customer. Most brands are located within the shopping-mall-style stands of the region’s major watch and jewellery retailers: Al Fardan Jewellery, Ali Bin Ali, Al Jaber and Al Majed. Even brands without a retail presence in the region are in attendance, hoping to catch the eye of a member of the royal family and hit the jackpot with a major order.

But whether selling to royalty or to the average customer, exhibitors need to offer something special. With a relatively small but highly interconnected local population, the last thing Qataris want is to see somebody else with the same thing that they have, whether it is clothes, jewellery or a watch. “We don’t sell stock items here,” explains Mr Rahim, “we want either limited edition pieces or special pieces.”

Nor is the show a purely retail operation, according to Mr Rahim. “I am not just interested in sales here for the numbers, though. It’s important for me how many customers are going to follow us into our stores after the show.”

So what is worth looking out for at the show? Well despite the glitz and glam, there is something for everyone and every budget, with watches and jewellery on show costing from just a couple of thousand dollars or less right up into the millions. Among the stars of the show are one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces produced by Mouawad on the occasion of the brand’s 125^th anniversary and the breathtaking Amadeo Fleurier Braveheart® Tourbillon that we reviewed last week on WorldTempus.