Saluting the conflux of luxury, craftsmanship, technology and tradition, the five-day Dubai Watch Week 2023 event is the sixth biennial gathering of the most exclusive and highly limited edition timepieces in the region. This year the turnout of both visitors and partners is bigger than ever and boasts of more than 15 watches designed especially for the UAE market which goes to show just how dedicated the watch industry is to the bespoke tastes of the regional buyers.
The stunning display of luxury timepieces was on show from more than 55 brands participating in Dubai Watch Week 2023, which in addition to all the fantastic watches also includes workshops lectures and panel discussions with the likes of renowned art collector Abdul Rahman Alzayani, Chanel President of Watches and Jewellery Frederic Grangie, Louis Vuitton Watch Director Jean Arnault, Co-President at Chopard Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, and loads more A-list personalities from the world of haute horlogerie.
All eyes however were on the staggering watches on display so let’s dive right into the action with the best timepieces of Dubai Watch Week 2023.
1. Chopard L.U.C Strike One
Chopard chose to take quite a niche route with its own premier for Dubai Watch Week 2023 with the launch of the new L.U.C Strike One model showing off the Manufacture’s mastery of chiming watches - the 40mm 18-carat white gold watch is limited to just 25 examples worldwide and features the new L.U.C 96.32-L movement which chimes the passing of each hour. Special care was taken to optimise the acoustics of the sapphire chime system by machining the crystal without the use of any soldering, screws or glue that would have adversely altered the quality of the sound. It’s all in the details…
2. Chanel J12 Diamond Tourbillon
The mesmerising J12 Diamond Tourbillon was presented by Chanel in Dubai at the show with experts of the House, as the famous French Maison took part at Dubai Watch Week for the first time - with its black ceramic, white gold and diamond (34 baguette-cut stones) construction the flying-tourbillon model is the star of Chanel’s range and undoubtedly one of the stars of the event.
3. Van Clef & Arpels Ludo Secret
Another debut at Dubai Watch Week 2023 came from Van Clef & Arpels who brought extraordinary pieces to the Middle East for the first time - in total, nearly 30 watches,
table clocks and precious objects on display. One of the highlights is the latest addition to the Ludo collection created especially for the event with a new design in intricately detailed yellow gold.
4. Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon
Legendary Maison Louis Vuitton also participated at Dubai Watch Week for the first time in the 2023 event, showcasing the watchmaking expertise of its La Fabrique du Temps manufacture near Geneva. One timepiece in particular stands out representing the zenith of Louis Vuitton’s watch line-up - the Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant with a mesmerising first-of-its-kind glowing sapphire case. The process begins believe it or not with a mass-tinted sapphire from Japan that weighs 200kg, with 400 hours of milling, machining, polishing and hand-finishing required for the stunning result.
5. Ming 29.01 Dubai Edition
This incredible premiere comes from yet another debutant at Dubai Watch Week, a truly commemorative watch and the proper way to do a limited-edition Dubai-exclusive piece - The Ming 29.01 Dubai Edition is only for Arabic speakers, or readers, with its sapphire dial featuring Arabic script - it’s a Worldtimer, so all the city names including the additional ones added specifically to this watch, are written in Arabic - housed in a slim 40mm titanium case.
