Dubai to host Middle East's first watch industry event

Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons announced that the event will be organised under the patronage of Shaikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The first edition of the Dubai Watch Week (DWW) will take place in Dubai from October 18 to 22 at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons announced that the event will be organised under the patronage of Shaikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and in association with The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
The DWW will celebrate the history, dedication, innovation, achievements and master craftsmanship in the world of horology. Through a cultural and educational platform including the GPHG Exhibition, workshops and forums, the five-day event aims to engage both established and emerging watch collectors regionally and internationally.
"The appetite for greater insight into the world of watchmaking continues to grow exponentially in the Middle East, which has become a key export market during the last several decades," said Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, vice-chairman of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
"Dubai Watch Week is being established as a leading platform for education, debate and discovery into the world's most innovative and covetable timepieces."
"The GPHG is very pleased to be associated with the creation of the Dubai Watch Week" said Mister Carlo Lamprecht, president of the GPHG Foundation.
"It is a great tribute that Dubai and the entire Middle East pay to the watchmaking art, to which we gave the title of 12th Art."
The DWW will feature watch-making master classes conducted by some of the industry's most respected watchmakers, an education and training initiative, a series of discussions by watchmaking experts, and a dynamic exhibition of must-see timepieces. To foster careers in watchmaking among new university graduates, DWW will also include an internship and mentorship programme.

• Dubai