The 10 Best Watches of Dubai Watch Week 2023
Last week, Dubai hosted the second largest watch industry show with Dubai Watch Week. Dubai Watch Week is hosted every two years and has been growing in importance and size with every subsequent edition. This year, over 60 brands participated, and 20 watches were released for the event, both regular models and special editions.
Hosted by the United Arab Emirate’s largest retailer, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, Wrist Enthusiast was lucky to be invited to the week-long event to check out all the new releases and experience Dubai. Of the 20 new releases, we picked out 10 of our favorites as a sort of recap to a great week in Dubai. Let’s get going.
Oris ProPilot X Calibre 400 Laser
The Oris ProPilot X Calibre 400 has become a popular choice amongst Oris collectors and Oris has been doing a great job of delivering fun variations of the piece since its release. The Pro Pilot Laser from Dubai Watch Week is the newest addition to the collection and doesn’t disappoint. The iridescent dial is striking and has been created without adding any color! Oris has approached this piece with a brand-new technique that’s able to create the beautiful iridescence by using laser cutting. The laser cutting plays with the surface of the titanium dial and manipulates light so that only certain colors are reflected, which is what gives off this rainbow of blues, greens, and purples. The technique was developed with the help of ETH Zürich University in Switzerland and has never been seen on a watch before. Oris’ innovative fun with the laser continues onto the logo, indices, and minute track, giving each a 3D effect. The piece has Oris’ notable Calibre 400 five-day (120-hour) automatic movement so you can keep the party going. The piece is available for $5,200 USD.
MB&F HM11 Architect
The HM11 Architect is MB&F’s latest timepiece, which explores the intricacies and beauty of architecture. MB&F is a brand that has shown their capabilities of honing into an idea and bringing it to life with complex mechanics and ingenious designs. The HM11 is no exception. Built off 1960s postmodern architecture, the watch embodies a similar organic archetype of those homes. Its unique shape has four obtruding rooms built into the case. Each room is fully functioning and can be visited with a quick rotation of the case.
The rooms include time—where 12 orbs display the time, power reserve—once more displayed with orbs ranging in size from lowest power to highest, thermometer—a crucial need in every home displays the temperature, and the final room—a large sapphire crown that gives more visibility into the watch. The face of the watch exhibits a 60-second flying tourbillon below the double domed sapphire crystal. The flying tourbillon is the heart and mind of the piece, sending information to all four rooms to ensure the harmony of the timepiece. The piece boasts an impressive 96 hours of power reserve that can be reached with 10 clockwise turns of the case! There are two versions of the HM11, and each is limited to 25 pieces. One version has an 18k red gold dial plate and the other a blue dial plate.The cost of the HM11 is $230,000 USD.
Vyntage Horology Monograph
Dubai Watch Week wouldn’t exist without retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. For those who don’t know, Seddiqi & Sons is the largest luxury watch retailer in the United Arab Emirates and organizes the whole Dubai Watch Week event. Seventy-year veterans in the jewelry industry, the Seddiqi family is making a splash in that industry with its first releases under the Vyntage Horology banner (the actual brand was launched a few weeks prior). One of the watches being released is the Monograph. Limited to 25 timepieces made, the Monograph is Vyntage's first watch with numerals in the Arabic language. One of the watches Vyntage released during Dubai Watch Week is the Monograph. The numerals are set against a brushed light blue dial which also features a mono-pusher chronograph. The dial design is simple and the blue tone pairs brilliantly with the dark blue strap. Featuring a 40mm case and a manual-winding Swiss-made mechanical movement, this watch is a classic dress watch that fits in to any collection. The Monograph will retail for $32,500 AED (about $8,850 USD ).
Frederique Constant Highlife Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon
Frédérique Constant has raised its own bar this year with the release of the Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture. Limited to only 35 timepieces made, this watch is stunning. The watch includes both a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar complication and yet it presents both in one of the cleanest dials we have seen in a long time. With the tourbillon, Frederique Constant has a seconds hand directly over the movement’s open-heart view and the movement ticks with a power reserve of 38 hours. A blue background on the dial perfectly matches the blue alligator leather or navy rubber strap. As an upscale finish, the 41mm diameter case is made of 18k rose gold. And while the price might be expensive $48,995 USD, that is actually as affordable as you will get for a Swiss Made perpetual calendar tourbillon.
H. Moser Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel
H.Moser & Cie. is responsible for some of the most elegant and sublime watches available on the luxury market. Ranging from beautiful and understated three hand automatics to high complications, the brand produces a little bit of everything with. The Streamliner, originally released in 2020, gave Moser an integrated stainless steel sports watch that we believe competes with the best on the market. This latest release has brought it to a whole new level. Starting with the dimensions, the case has now been slimmed down to 39mm. This may seem insignificant to many, but the wearability has changed massively and it is now more accessible to those with finer wrists.
The thickness has also been reduced to a hair over 10mm. This is due to the brand new HMC-500 micro-rotor movement, which has been designed to draw maximal attention to the moving parts- all in all a fantastic show of craftsmanship. And lastly the ‘Grand Feu’ fumé enamel dial. This is a showstopper on all of their watches, that finishes the whole ensemble off perfectly. The H.Moser Streamliner Small-Seconds Microrotor retails for $32,900.
Norqain Wild One Gold
Young Independent watchmaker Norqain has released a watch that is as attractive as it is durable. With the newest members of its flagship model, Norqain delivers a delightfully complex dial design, a Calibre NN20/1 automatic movement, and a case that is built to withstand any sporting event (or daily life). These Wild ONE models have a textured dial where the countless iterations of the brand’s logo are placed in various directions - a design that could pass for a solid color at a distance but show the detail up close.
The black model includes the brand’s patented carbon fiber composite, NORTEQ, while the gold model blends that composite with 18k red gold. Wild ONE’s 42mm case is made to withstand 200m of water resistance and a massive 5,000G of force. It’s worth mentioning that these Wild ONE models include an impressive Chronometer-certified automatic movement with 27 jewels and a 70-hour power reserve. Norqain is limiting the red gold model to 100 pieces made - 99 for sale to the general public and a 100th to sell for charity. It is important to note that this will be the most expensive Norqain model ever sold. The black model will retail for $5,290 USD while the red gold will sell for $12,990-$14,690 USD.
Chopard Alpine Eagle Summit Collection
The Chopard Alpine Eagle is another more recent integrated sport watch that we really like (even though it is based on the older St. Moritz) - A timepieces that embody both the majesty of the Swiss Alps and the poise of an eagle’s eye. The Alpine Eagles are known for their innovative textured dial design and the 8 screws used on the bezel of the watch. For Dubai Watch Week, Chopard has released 4 new colorways of the Alpine Eagle in a premium “Summit Collection.”
These 4 colorways are dramatic additions and have major upgrades over prior models in the collection: these colorways include bright gemstones and vibrant gold tone cases. The Summit Collection includes these watches: yellow gold with pink sapphires, white gold with blue and purple sapphires, white gold with tsavorites, as well as rose gold with spessartites. To ensure the watches can make a positive difference in the world, they are made with ethically sourced 18k gold. And the case encompasses a powerful 31-jewel automatic movement with a 60-hour power reserve. The price for the 4 newest Alpine Eagles is from 75,000 USD to $85,000 USD depending on model.
Ressence Type 1 DX3
We love watches that tell a story and Ressence has released a perfect story watch this year. The third watch produced in collaboration with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the Type 1 DX3 by Ressence is a fitting release for Dubai Watch Week. Innovative timekeeping certainly found a home with the DX3, as did a geometrical tribute to Arabic art. In terms of timekeeping, the entire dial rotates every hour in an attempt to make timekeeping as remarkably simple as possible - alleviating confusion when watch hands may overlap. To that end, the watch has an hour subdial, a large hand outside the subdials to indicate minutes, and a seconds subdial. Aside from timekeeping, Ressence made bold stylistic decisions with the DX3 - with the use of a fold-out lever instead of a crown and a myriad of geometric shapes throughout the dial - each coated in Super-LumiNova. The fact that the timepiece does not have a traditional crown makes the 42.7mm titanium case feel smaller than a traditional 42mm watch. To power this innovative gem of a timepiece, Ressence uses a Swiss-made ETA2892 movement that has been heavily modified. If you want to snag one of the 35 watches made in this limited run, plan on spending $26,640 USD.
Ming Worldtimer - 29.01 Dubai Edition
You've never seen a world timer like this before. Ming has delivered a sleek watch that is every bit as attractive as it is practical. In a fitting nod to Dubai Watch Week, it has released the 29.01 Dubai Edition - an Arabic variant of its 29.01 Worldtimer. This timepiece is not simply an Arabic translation of the 29.01 - it also includes a third center ring for daylight savings time, an Elastogator strap, and a rose gold tint on the movement. Speaking of the movement, the 29.01 Dubai Edition is powered by an ASE222 microrotor automatic movement. Similar to the 29.01, the Dubai Edition has no bezel but utilizes a crystal system that rotates in the most simple world timer we've seen in ages - maybe ever. Limited to only 25 pieces, Ming's Dubai Edition is a rare timepiece that will go quickly. The watch will cost $24,800 USD.
Girard Perregaux Neo Bridges Aston Martin
The partnership between Girard-Perregeaux and Aston Martin has seen some fantastic releases over the last couple of years, however, none quite as spectacular as this one. The GP Neo Bridges Aston Martin Edition is a brilliant and bold reinterpretation of the brand’s classic design: the triple bridge. Both brands share a love for cutting edge technology and innovation. It’s no wonder that this model features a full titanium construction that has been covered in Black DLC. Mimicking the lines of a car in a watch will always be a difficult task, but Girard-Perregeaux have done it seamlessly. The spirit of the brand new DB12 super-tourer can be felt through the automobile-like layout of the exposed movement. Limited to just 250 pieces worldwide, there is going to be some tough competition if you want to get one on your wrist. It will retail for $37,700
