Dubai Watch Week Highlights Through The Lens
It’s been a while since my last appearance on Fratello. However, those of you who have been reading for a long time may remember me as the previous photographer. For those who don’t remember me, now you know. What you may also know is that Dubai Watch Week recently closed its doors, and I was fortunate enough to attend the fair. I was even luckier because I could spend the week with a Leica SL3 camera and two Leica watches, the ZM 1 and ZM 2. I also used the opportunity to capture some of the ambience that makes Dubai Watch Week such a special event, as well as some of the exceptional watches on attendees’ wrists.
Dubai Watch Week — the new place to be
Dubai Watch Week was founded in 2015 by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, a retailer and distributor of luxury watches and fine jewelry in the Middle East. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the fair and its seventh edition. It was my first time there, and let me tell you, they did it right! It was at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa and next to the Dubai Mall (where you can go if you like getting lost). The amount of work the organizers and participating brands put into it was unbelievable.
More than ever, it seemed like the place to be. We can see the fair becoming bigger and bigger every time, and I am sure it will become a non-negotiable rendezvous in the coming years, just like Watches and Wonders and Geneva Watch Days have.
Some bigger brands were attending the show, like Rolex, Tudor, Chopard, and Audemars Piguet (for the first time). But there were also a lot of independents present, like Laurent Ferrier, Rexhep Rexhepi, and Trilobe. The entire city revolves around watches for the week!
A Leica camera and two Leica watches for the week
As I told you earlier, I was lucky enough to borrow some gear from Leica to cover the week and experience the ZM 1 and ZM 2. These are not new, but they are very solid and well-thought-out watches. Leica also came up with some new straps that I could experience and photograph during the week.
As a photographer, I was more than keen on trying a camera from the brand! I’ve owned a Leica Q2 for a few years now, and I truly enjoy using it daily. However, in my opinion, it not not a camera suited for watch photography. That is why I asked Leica if I could borrow an SL3, which is more of a workhorse camera.
My highlights of the show
Camera in hand and watch on the wrist, let me show you my highlights. As you may know, I am a huge fan of independent brands, so you might see quite a lot of them in my selection.
First, one that I was not aware of but was more than happy to discover was Ludovic Ballouard. This small brand only makes a few watches per year, and a lot of the work is done by hand. The watches featured here are the Upside Down and the Half Time. I have a preference for the Upside Down, which I find very poetic in a way.
Another independent you are probably aware of is Rexhep Rexhepi. I had wanted to look at and photograph this brand’s watches for a while, but I’d never had the opportunity to do so. Well, now it’s done! The watch featured here is the Chronomètre Contemporain II. It looks simple, but the more closely you look at it, the more details you find. I would say it’s one of the finest watches I’ve seen in a long time. The finishing is out of this world!
Next stop, the De Bethune DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT. Whether you like the design or not, you just can’t ignore this watch. I adore the parallel between classic watchmaking and hyper horology.
Finally, we have the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. This Arctic Rose version comes in a fantastic 40mm package with a stunning pink dial and a significant complication that you can hide if you don’t need it. I would have preferred to get a GMT Rattrapante in this color scheme, but you can’t have it all, can you?
Watch spotting at Dubai Watch Week
As you can imagine, everyone was wearing amazing watches during the fair, so naturally, I snapped a few pictures!
A pair of gold Speedmasters
Alterum Worldtimer
Angelus Chronographe Télémètre
Emmanuel Gueit’s one-off Dennison watch
Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto Blue
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary
Pragma P1 Perseverance Tantalum Azurite Blue Dial
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde
Schwarz Etienne 1902 GMT
Rolex “Zenith” Daytona
Ulysse Nardin Diver Air
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gold Enamel
A vintage Omega Seamaster
A vintage Omega Speedmaster from 1970
Panel discussion
During Dubai Watch Week, watch brands are exhibiting, of course, but you can also attend different talks on various subjects related to watches.
On Thursday, I attended Leica’s panel discussion, where Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Henrik Ekdahl, and Hassan Akhras (founder of Arab Watch Guide) joined journalist Robin Swithinbank to talk about the intersection of time and photography. It was a very interesting conversation, and even better than reading a summary, you can watch a video of it here.
The city of Dubai and my final thoughts
Having a Leica SL3 camera with me and being in Dubai for the first time, I couldn’t help but take pictures of the city. I must say that the architecture was very impressive!
Overall, Dubai Watch Week was a fantastic event and already felt like an institution to me. As RJ said on Fratello Talks in the Dubai Watch Week recap episode, “It has become so big and professional that Watches and Wonders needs to watch their back.”
I also thoroughly enjoyed being there and experiencing the Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2 on the wrist for a couple of days. It is not every day that you see a Leica watch on someone’s wrist, and I think the brand has come into the market with a great and well-made product. Despite some of the exceptional watches people were wearing all around, these still drew interest. People came to me to take a look at the watches, and that says it all in my opinion. I am sure we will see more and more Leica watches on people’s wrists in the coming years; it would only make sense.
