The sixth edition of Dubai Watch Week was the largest yet, with more participating brands and a greater number of guests coming to Dubai for the major timepiece event. While positioned as an open-format show for all who wish to participate, the backbone of Dubai Watch Week is the important regional retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. For many years, Seddiqi has offered its customers special timepieces produced by some of the brands for which it is an authorized dealer. Many of these feature art or designs intended for regional tastes, ranging from special colors to elaborate new compositions. What makes Seddiqi particularly good at ordering limited edition regional watches is that the company is staffed by serious watch lovers who work closely with the brands they carry to ensure that the exclusive watches they make together aren’t only distinctive, but they’re also appealing to fellow timepiece enthusiasts. This year was no exception, with a number of exciting limited releases exclusive to Seddiqi & Sons.
Ressence Type 1 DXB
One of the most striking watches at the show came from Ressence, which completed a collaborative trilogy with host retailer Ahmed Siddiqui and Sons. The Ressence Type 1 DXB features the same desert-inspired color scheme as the Type 1 DXB Dubai Edition and the Type 1 Slim DX2 with the same geometric mosaic that recalls the unique aesthetic of Arabic and Islamic art. But the Type 1 DXB refines the idea, with the three sub-dials surrounded by light triangles, making them seem like suns, and the geometric fragments darkening the further from the dials you go, with the darkest, almost purple shapes placed equidistant between the dials. Perhaps most strikingly, though, the DX3’s mosaic gets a coating of Super-LumiNova, allowing the show to continue even when the lights go out.
Doxa SUB 300β Seddiqi & Sons
While it may not be as immediately captivating as the Ressence, the Doxa SUB 300β Seddiqi & Sons was a big hit at the show. The model builds on the SUB 300β, released last year in a black and gold case, and offers all the SUB 300 specs in a slimmer package, reducing the thickness by about 1.5mm and the lug-to-lug by .5mm. This is the first time we’ve seen the new Beta case in steel, though, and Doxa paired it with a beautiful blue mother-of-pearl dial, which is contrasted by a matte black ceramic bezel with a matte blue ceramic insert. Even if you don’t like the dial and color, this watch is exciting because it’s very likely an indication that we can expect a serialized SUB 300β sometime soon. The watch is limited to 50 pieces (it’s rumored that they’ve all been allotted) and offered on either the classic Doxa beads of rice bracelet or a fitted white rubber strap.
The Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 DMT and ADMT Special Editions
Breitling brought not one but two new Middle East exclusives for the show. In partnership with Seddiqi and Sons, the brand released two special editions of its Chronomat 40 GMT watch: an ice blue Abu Dhabi Mean Time (ADMT) edition and a bright blue Dubai Meant Time (DMT) version. While we don’t get a brand-new design (the Chronomat 40 GMT is offered in two nearly identical dial colors), the watch caters fully to Seddiqi and Sons’ clientele, with the red “GMT” dial text changed to reflect the two cities, plus rose gold-plated hands and Hindi numerals. Going further than many such dials, the GMT ring is also redone in Hindi numerals, as is the date window. The watches are both offered in stainless steel and come on the brand’s beautiful Rouleaux bracelet.
Hublot Classic Fusion Black Magic Dubai Watch Week
Hublot took a strictly artistic approach to its two releases this year. Using its existing Classic Fusion Black Magic design, Hublot collaborated with calligraphy artist Wissam Shawkat to add bold strokes of color to the monotone watch. The calligraphic art reads “Al Zaman” and “Al Waqt” – both words meaning time in Arabic. The black ceramic cases come in 42mm with a ceramic bezel or 38mm with 36 black diamonds in an aluminum bezel. Limited to 50 pieces each, this is another exclusive for Seddiqi and Sons.
Reservoir X Abdulla Lutfi Collaboration
Certainly one of the more playful releases seen at Dubai Watch Week, and absolutely so amongst the watches released for the show, Reservoir collaborated with Emirati artist Abdulla Lutfi for a fun addition to its Comics by Reservoir collection. Exclusive to Seddiqi & Sons, the watch features Reservoir’s signature retrograde jump hour display, with a “charming character wearing a dishdasha, an original drawing from Abdulla Lutfi,” set against a cool-colored Dubai cityscape. The numerals and hour wheel have been swapped for Hindi numerals, and the entire package is decidedly lighthearted, which is always welcome. Limited to 50 pieces, the watch has a brushed steel case, comes with two leather straps, and features the head of the character on the caseback crystal.
