Switzerland has welcomed watch aficionados all week as it plays host to the annual Geneva Watch Days event.
A total of 40 brands will unveil their timepieces until September 2, up from the eight that helped to launch the event three years ago. Conceived to be more accessible than other watch fairs, GWD is open to the public and unfolds in boutiques and hotels across the city.
This year revealed some remarkable innovations, many of which have an avant-garde aesthetic and a sense of playfulness.
Bulgari
The Italian maison unveiled its latest iteration of the world's thinnest watch with the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar 103778, crafted from carbon and rose gold.
The 40mm carbon case is 7.60mm thick (or should that be thin?) and has a polished rose gold crown with a black ceramic insert. The Calibre BVL 305 movement – that is 2.75mm thick – has a 60-hour power reserve, a retrograde date, month and year, and a retrograde leap year.
H Moser & Cie
Swiss watchmaker H Moser & Cie presents two additions to its Endeavour line, using the darkest substance in the world, Vantablack. Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack and Endeavour Centre Seconds Vantablack each have a case and bezel in red rose gold, framing a dial coated in the material developed for the military.
Able to absorb 99.965 per cent of light, Vantablack is perceived as a void by the human eye, so that the indexes and tourbillon of these models seem to float in space. The absence of a brand logo makes the design seem even more otherworldly.
Roger Dubuis
A salute to Squadra Corse, Lamborghini's motorsport arm, the Excalibur Spider Huracan Sterrato MB has striking blue detailing and nods to the Huracan supercar. The watch's movement echoes the car's hexagonal air intakes and signature twin barrels between five and seven o'clock, which evoke several fuel tanks.
Powered by the RD630 Calibre with a 60-hour power reserve, the balance wheel at 12 o’clock is tilted to a 12° angle to maintain the optimum position even when it is not being worn. The 45mm case is made from sheet moulding compound carbon, which is nine times lighter than gold.
The bezel is crafted from black DLC titanium, with blue strips to echo the car's spoiler. The lugged crown is bolt-shaped, in another nod to the Huracan.
Jacob & Co
The latest arrival from Jacob & Co is inspired by family history. The World Is Yours Dual Time Zone watch pays tribute to the timepiece given to company founder Jacob Arabov on his 13th birthday by his father.
Arabov – who found fame in the New York hip-hop scene as Jacob the Jeweller – has created the company's first complication, a self-winding dual time zone watch, with a 43mm rose gold case. Inside, the lacquered blue dial is laser-engraved with a world map, and sits under a domed sapphire crystal glass.
Urwerk
Based on the constellations of stars, Swiss watchmaker Urwerk's new UR-100V Stardust has 400 diamonds embedded into its steel case with a snow-setting, to better reflect the ordered chaos of space.
The minutes scale is studded with a further 36 diamonds, while another 24 top the crown. Like others in the 100 collection, this timepiece tracks the journey of the Earth around the Sun using two arcs on the dial. One marks the distance travelled by the Earth on its own axis in 20 minutes – 555km- as the other clocks the distance travelled by the Earth around the Sun in the same period – 35,740km.
Scroll through the gallery to see other watches unveiled at the exhibition
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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