More Than a Fair: Dubai Watch Week 2025 Levels Up
Dubai Watch Week 2025 is not just another tick on the industry calendar. It’s the horological equivalent of a mic drop. And this year, it’s doing it with the nonchalance of a collector who pairs linen trousers with a minute repeater.
By Ash Longet
PR & Business Development
Running from November 19-23, Dubai Watch Week returns this year.
And while the 2025 show marks its seventh edition, Dubai Watch Week also celebrates a decade since its inception and, more significantly, the 75th anniversary of the founding of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons – the family-owned powerhouse that’s older than the United Arab Emirates itself. Picture that: a homegrown retailer that predates the nation it helped define – and is now throwing the horological party of the year.
For the uninitiated, Dubai Watch Week (DWW) has long styled itself as more than a trade fair. It’s a cultural salon, a collectors’ haven, and an incubator for indie watchmakers who wouldn’t dare touch the Palexpo’s polished floors. But this year? DWW is leveling up in a way that might make Geneva look quaint, if you can believe it.
New Venue, New Era
First, the fair’s move from The Gate in the Dubai International Financial Centre to Dubai Mall’s Burj Park isn’t just about scale. No, the move is about symbolism. Set against the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountain, and the opulent Dubai Opera, the new 200,000 sq. ft. event venue is a statement. Expect a mix of booths, lounges, installations, and, knowing Dubai, at least one watch embedded in a block of ice or orbiting a chandelier.
All kidding aside, with over 90 brands, a staggering 46% increase from 2023, you’ll rub shoulders with industry titans, like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Van Cleef & Arpels, and cult favorites, like Rexhep Rexhepi, De Bethune, Kurono Tokyo, Studio Underd0g, all at the same event. More importantly, by brand count, DWW is now the world’s largest watch event (whether B2C or B2B).
The Independent Boom
In a year when every major fair is recognizing the need to accommodate indie voices, DWW has gone one step further: dedicating entire zones to microbrands, ultra-niche makers, and clockmakers. Yes, clocks. The kind that tick with an absurd level of artisanal obsession. Brands you won’t see in Geneva. Or Paris. Or anywhere, really.
There’s a palpable shift in tone here: it’s about legacy-in-the-making. One could imagine Philippe Dufour and a Gen-Z Chinese movement maker crossing paths over qahwa and discussing finishing techniques in the shadow of Louis Vuitton’s latest tourbillon.
Programming That Thinks Beyond the Wrist
Where any other watch fair excels in press briefings, DWW excels in conversations. Think salons, provocations, and programming formats designed less like panels and more like salons curated by an aesthete with a penchant for postmodernity.
Attendees can also expect pop-ups, immersive spaces, provocations from watchmakers, and philosophical debates on what time even means in 2025.
A City as Stage, A Brand as Muse
And then there’s Seddiqi. For three generations, they’ve done more than retail; they’ve curated taste in the Middle East. The 75th anniversary of this horological dynasty adds a note of gravitas to the proceedings.
Their success isn’t merely commercial – it’s cultural. Seddiqi didn’t just bring Swiss watches to Dubai; they brought Dubai to the watch world.
The Verdict
DWW is a horological happening that feels less like a fair and more like a biennale (minus the irony, plus the bling). And the best part? It’s free. You need only register, show up, and let the future of watchmaking unfold before your very eyes – preferably while wearing mirrored sunglasses and sipping on cardamom coffee.
See you at Burj Park. Bring sunscreen. And a loupe.