What began in 2015 as a homegrown cultural gesture by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons has, ten years later, matured into one of the most influential platforms in global watchmaking. Dubai Watch Week was conceived as a rare invitation into the world of haute horlogerie, a space where the Gulf’s growing community of collectors could meet the creators behind the craft, long before the region became a gravitational centre for the industry. Its founders, the Seddiqi family, who introduced Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard and countless maisons to the Gulf over the past 75 years, ignited a horological culture that now spans generations.
Today, the event stands as a symbol of the UAE’s intellectual engagement with watchmaking, an arena for transparency, education, and exchange. And in 2025, on its tenth anniversary, Dubai Watch Week stages its largest evolution yet, doubling its footprint from the last edition, welcoming over 90 brands, and expecting more than 30,000 visitors.
A New Home Under the Burj Khalifa
For the first time, Dubai Watch Week moves to Burj Park by Dubai Mall, an open-air setting directly beneath the world’s tallest tower. Previous editions unfolded within Dubai Mall and the wider DIFC area, but 2025 marks a shift into a purpose-built, standalone environment. The new location allows the fair to expand outward, visually, architecturally, and experientially, accommodating a broader roster of exhibitors and a more fluid dialogue between brands and the public.
Anniversaries, Limited Editions, and Major Premieres
The expanded site sets the stage for a rich programming slate reflective of both legacy maisons and a new wave of design-conscious Gulf collectors. Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Chopard, Chanel, Hublot, and Van Cleef & Arpels return with significant launches, from Chanel’s J12 Bleu and TAG Heuer’s newest Solargraph editions to Audemars Piguet’s monumental 150-year Royal Oak “Jumbo” integrating both flyback chronograph and flying tourbillon.
This milestone year also aligns with Ahmed Seddiqi’s 75th anniversary, celebrated through a suite of limited editions. Inside the Collector’s Lounge, the retailer unveils Seddiqi-exclusive pieces from Hublot, Ulysse Nardin, Doxa, Ressence and others. Notable highlights include Ulysse Nardin’s Diver [Air] Seddiqi edition and Breitling’s Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission, limited to just 75 pieces.
Dialogue at the Centre: Talks and Masterclasses
Education remains the fair’s defining heartbeat. This year, the “House of Horology” hosts its strongest speaker lineup to date, featuring CEOs, designers, scholars, and cultural commentators. The opening keynote brings together Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour and Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, followed by the fair’s first CEO Roundtable with leaders from Breitling, Audemars Piguet, Chopard, and TAG Heuer.
Hands-on masterclasses deepen the engagement, with lume painting, martelé metalwork, meteorite handling, dial engraving, collage-inspired marquetry, and dedicated Hermès workshops exploring artisanal craft from a maison known for its discipline and restraint.
Panels interrogate the evolution of legacy design codes, the rise of a distinctly Gulf luxury aesthetic, and the way hype culture reshapes value perceptions within high horology, including the headline session, When Labubu Beats the Birkin: Luxury in the Age of Hype.
