They say that the heart of mechanical watchmaking lies in Switzerland, an undeniable statement (and one that we’re clearly biased towards). That said, an international community such as the community of watch lovers has many homes, and one of these homes throws its doors open to the world this Wednesday. That’s right, my dear WorldTempus family, Dubai Watch Week is back.
From the 24th to the 28th of November, the most exciting community event in the horological universe will be held in the quarter of Dubai known as DIFC, harnessing the energy and dynamism of the surrounding financial district. The 2021 edition of Dubai Watch Week (DWW) will be the fifth full edition of the event since its inception in 2015, with an offsite edition focusing just on the Horology Forum held in London in 2018, and an online-only Horology Forum held in 2020.
In the fullest version of DWW, activities are expanded to include Masterclasses, mini-seminars led by industry names such as Fiona Krüger (designer and founder of her eponymous brand) and Florian Preziuso (of Antoine Preziuso). Creative Hub sessions are steered by watch brands who are launching new timepieces at DWW or presenting in-depth explorations of their collections. The immensely popular Horology Forum shines the spotlight on some of the hottest topics of discussion in the watch world today, with panellists who have a reputation for open discourse and no-holds-barred honesty. New for DWW 2021 is the Collector’s Lounge, a community space where some exceptional watches (hint, they’re linked with the 50th anniversary of the UAE) will be on display and horological luminaries such as Luc Pettavino of Only Watch will be invited to speak.
As if all this hive of activity wasn’t enough, there will be 49 horological brands exhibiting their star timepieces and recent launches at DWW, from industry juggernauts such as Rolex and Audemars Piguet to indie favourites such as MB&F and Urwerk. Other watch events may claim to be community-centric, but there really isn’t any other event in the world that caters to as many aspects of the watch community as Dubai Watch Week.
Of course, your beloved WorldTempus team will be there, bringing you all the latest and most exciting news on the ground. Together with GMT founder Brice Lechevalier and our very own Sophie Furley, fresh off her star turn as a jury member at the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, not to mention longtime contributor Roberta Naas, I’ll be in Dubai all week getting exclusive stories for your reading pleasure. I’ll also be moderating a discussion panel all about the evolution of gender-free watchmaking, with panellists Aldis Hodge (watch aficionado and Hollywood star), Christine Hutter (CEO, Moritz Grossman) and Fabrizio Buonamassa (Director of Product Creation, Bulgari); and leading a VIP session of women watch lovers at the Collector’s Lounge.
If you’re in Dubai, we do hope to see you at DWW — drop us a line! — but if you’re not, don’t worry. We’ll bring Dubai to you.
